[Harp-L] Rick Davis : Sonny Terry

[SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx]

Well, since I was there in his face for two years, I think I have a better  
handle on it than anyone guessing. Sonny was a purely lip pursing player,  
however in his early years with Blind Boy Fuller you have hear him doing some  
intensely fast chording, which could have even been TB and fluttering. But as he  
progressed it was purely lips, and all diaphram vibrato. Sonny's harps were 
worn  to the very back of the Golden Melody, very large mouth cavity , big 
lips, and  strong lungs. He never really took him mouth off the harp when doing 
runs. He  could pull it away, do a Whoop, then hit the exact note he wanted. 
This is what  I teach in my seminars, the basics of his breathing and signature 
phrases. Much  yes, being done by playing the first 3 notes of the harp, but 
the key is to play  the 2 and 3 blow so that if you do it right, it slides 
across so fast that  number one you get rid of your inward air, and two, it sounds 
just like the  rhythm you were percussively playing. In playing his Hootin the 
Blues, this is  key to being able to play it and then alter the pattern with 
all ya ya - ya ya  ya ya ya ya fi di dum, all ins, a change you can make at 
any time during  the pattern. Initially with BBF he was extremely nasal, and 
always did hit notes  nasally , just not as shrill as in his early days. 
Hope that answers you Rick. 
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