RE: [Harp-L] Eddie Clarke/Irish Chromatic question

[Steve Shaw <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> In the Eddie Clarke Unheard CD collection's liner notes, Mick Kinsella
> explains Clarke focused on keys where the majority of the song used
> the button pushed in, releasing the button for ornamentation and
> rolls.
> 
> Perhaps Clarke is not one of the people who do this, but I was under
> the impression some "fiddle tune" chromatic players take the slide off
> the harp, turn it upside down and return it to the harp, thereby
> making the notes without the button the notes of the C# major scale
> and the notes with the button the notes of the C major scale, allowing
> for ornamentation and rolls similiar to those of fiddlers. Am I
> mistaken? Can someone point to a recording/player employing this
> technique?

You have it right, Michael, but players of Irish who want to play in the authentic keys of that genre would probably flip the slides of an F# harp and a C# harp, so that that they are playing in G and D (and related keys/modes) respectively. Doing it on a C harp would be fine for gigs and recordings but you'd struggle in a traditional Irish session, as you'd be preoccupied with getting the notes of the tune using the slide rather than using it for ornamentation.  I understand that Brendan has a tutor out (or coming out?) which deals with flipped-slide playing in Irish tunes.  I think Mick Kinsella and Joel Bernstein use the technique, among others I don't know about. 

 

Steve Shaw

 		 	   		  
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