[Harp-L] Eddie Clarke and the reversed slide.

["Aongus Mac Cana" <amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx>]

In discussing Eddie Clarke's style at the Willie Clancy Summer School, I am
pretty sure that Mick Kinsella who had a personal aquaintance with Eddie
said he never used anything other than a C Chromatic with the slide
depressed - "going down" being favoured over "going up" for rolls and
triplets. He apparently said that the C Chromatic was the sweetest
instrument and he was not about to be seduced into any alternative keys or
reversed slides.
I believe that the fashion for reversed slides was inspired by imitators of
Clarke who wanted an easier way. Both Hering and Seydel offer reversed slide
Chromatics in the Key of G which is very suitable for anyone aspiring to
play Irish tunes, the vast majority of which seem to be in either D or G.
Brendan Power in his splendid Irish Chromatic Harmonica Tutor, (which I am
trying to work my way through) recommends using two Chromatics - both G and
D to take maximum advantage of the possibilities for ornamentation with the
slider.
I am waiting to see whether the next "Big Thing" in Irish harmonica will be
the C/B chromatic on which someone may try to bring the late Paddy O'Brien
and/or Joe Burke's accordeon styles to the Tin Sandwich.
Beannachtai
Aongus Mac Cana