Re: [Harp-L] Cajun Harp? (and accordion)

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

fjm - 

No, you didn't misread my post. I'm surprised that Jerry views his harmonica style as emulating an accordion. It doesn't sound that way at all to me, and he never mentioned it to me during the times we've stayed up late talking about music.

Yes, it is possible to use a diatonic harmonica to imitate the note and chord patterns of a diatonic accordion; I thought I amde that quite clear. It's just the sound of the multiple reed banks that the harmonica can't match.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sat, 9/12/09, fjm <bad_hat@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: fjm <bad_hat@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cajun Harp? (and accordion)
To: "h-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 7:55 AM

Winslow writes:
> Cajun harp is a very specific harmonica style that does not try to sound like an accordion 

> The three best representatives of the pure Acadian style are Jerry Devillier, Isom Fontenot, and Arteleus Mistric. 

This confuses me.  Perhaps I've misread it?  Jerry Devillier is all about playing the accordion parts on a harmonica.  At least that's what I took away from his teach in session at SPAH.  He was using a boom box and a CD and playing the accordion parts off of the CD and then playing either note for note along with the part or stopping the recording and playing the accordion part.  Cajun Fais Do Do on Arhooolie has a couple of the Isom Fontenot cuts on it.  I sure wish Jerry's stuff was documented.  If the point is it is not technically possible to play exactly the way a diatonic accordion does then I understand.  No it isn't but you sure can do a good job of faking it if you're Jerry Devillier.  fjm
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