[Harp-L] Re: Equal Temperament

[David Fairweather <dmf273@xxxxxxxxx>]

The bullet mic is optional for what I was trying to describe.   The approach you outlined is perfectly valid if you're trying to play something OTHER than classic diatonic blues.   By your own account, you frequently hear players say "Boy I ain't never heard nobody play blues like that before!"   So almost by definition you're NOT playing classic blues.    That's not neceesarily a bad or a good thing.   I'm sure they said the same thing to Jimi Hendrix, so if you're trying to blaze your own path go right ahead.

But by your own account you always avoid playing chords.  So right away you've got a bit of a handicap. 

I do want to point out that the advantage of a Just Intoned harp doesn't require a chord.  (To me a chord is at least 3 notes.)    No, the power of a Just Intoned harp is that you only need to play 2 simultaneous notes for the Just Intonation to create a perfectly tuned THIRD note, thereby creating a chord.   A skilled player can manipulate, bend and play off that 3rd ghost note to powerful advantage.   The classic example being the Seigel-Schwall hit "Hush Hush" with its crowd pleasing ghost note special effects.   And even if you're not trying to manipulate that ghost note, just the fact that its there and in tune makes your sound FAT and that's a good thing!

That's something you'll never be able to do effectively on an Equal Temperment harp.

Just as important as the IN-tune ghost notes is the fact that with Just Intonation you eliminate the OUT-of-tune ghost notes.   Although you personally may studiously avoid playing chords,  many less accomplished players will blithely chug away on their Lee Oskars or other Equal Temperament harps either oblivious to the out-of-tune ghost grunge they're generating or blaming it on the amp or the microphone.


--- On Sun, 4/4/10, John F. Potts <hvyj@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: John F. Potts <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: Equal Temperament
> To: dmf273@xxxxxxxxx
> Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Sunday, April 4, 2010, 9:15 PM
> Per David Fairweather:
> 
> All it takes is a bullet mic, a distortable amp and
> somebody who knows what they're doing and ANYBODY can hear
> the difference.....
> 
> So even if your a master of advanced position play, 
> why wouldn't you also carry a Just Intoned harp in your bag
> for times when the music calls for it?   If
> you're sitting in with a classic blues band at a biker bar
> and the band breaks into "Born in Chicago", is that really
> the situation when want to show off your 12th position chops
> on an Equal Termperament harp?
> 
> Per Chris "Hammer" Smith:
> 
> Well, the minor blues scale calls for a significantly
> lowered b3rd  b5th , and b7th so ( EG, in 2nd pos. on C
> harp, key of G I play 3rd hole draw half step bend Bb @ 432
> cents).Playing at normal concert A 440 pitches won't sound
> "ballzy". This is why the Marine Band has been the blues
> harp of choice for so long.
> 
> Gentleman:
> 
> Well, taking fjm's suggestion that i "work my own program",
> this is how I approach the situations you guys describe and
> why:  First of all, personally, I don't use a bullet
> mic.  For this kind of music (Chicago blues) I use a
> 545 Ultimate and when I want dirt, I tight cup the mic and
> hold the face of the harp in close proximity of the grill of
> the mic and I get a more than adequate amount of ballsy,
> gritty distortion if and when i want it.  Also, my
> harps are tuned to A442 and i have no problems with
> intonation.  The  pitch tends to flatten a little
> under breath pressure as the harp is played, even w/o
> deliberate bends.
> 
> Playing major key blues, you may want a "blue" third
> (quarter tone bend) a true minor third, a flatter than true
> minor third or sometimes a major third.  Same
> variations for the bends on the flat fifth.  Sevenths
> are generally  played a true half step flat or flatter
> than that.  No problem--I BEND for these blue note
> variations as needed. And it's easier for me to bend to the
> pitch i want using an ET harp in SECOND position because I'm
> starting with a draw note at true concert pitch, not one
> that's raised or lowered several cents. So, since i have an
> accurate starting point, i can put the bend at the pitch i
> want it to be at accurately--or not so accurately as the
> case may be, since a certain imprecision is part of the
> aesthetic of Chicago blues.
> 
> I play plenty of down and dirty Chicago style blues in
> SECOND position, and have regularly played with authentic
> blues players who are usually black, often originally from
> the deep South (U.S.), and I seem to consistently do just
> fine w/my ET harps.  The comment i usually get from
> these guys is something like "Boy, i ain't never heard
> nobody play blues like that--you got your own style." 
> But no one has ever complained that what i play is not blues
> nor do i ever hear that I don't "play right" which is the
> term generally used by these guys for someone who doesn't
> play authentic blues.  i function effectively in a deep
> blues environment w/ my ET harps, because I DON'T PLAY
> CHORDS.  I may play some split interval double stops in
> lieu of chords and which actually have a very full and big
> sound.  i know some players claim these split intervals
> sound "rough" on an ET harp, but that has not been my
> experience.  Now, i primarily LP, but when i move to TB
> for split intervals, i shift the face (holes) of the harp
> deeper into my mouth past my teeth which fattens and deepens
> the tone somewhat and probably smoothes out the sound.
> 
> So,  if i'm playing with some authentic blues players
> who want to do "Can't Lose What You Never Had" "Got My Mojo
> Working" "Sweet Home Chicago" "Walkin' by Myself" or similar
> material (I've never actually heard an all black blues band
> call "Born in Chicago" to be played on stage, but if you
> have, i'll take your word for it), I'll play my ET harps in
> second position, bend living hell out of them, avoid playing
> chords, and fit right in. And if they want to play some Otis
> Rush minor blues (which are in a NATURAL minor key), I'll
> play Fifth Position for that--on my ET harps, of
> course--which works perfectly.
> 
> I'm not claiming that this is the only way to do it by any
> means.  But this how i do it and this is why i don't
> carry anything but ET harps to use for playing down and
> dirty electric blues in SECOND position.
> 
> FWIW,
> 
> JP
>