[Harp-L] What is really important about diatonic vs chromatic

[Robert Bonfiglio <bon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have taught so many seminars on chromatic for diatonic players, some  
with Rob Paparozzi.  I have had many students that played wicked  
diatonic go on to play wicked chromatic, Rob Paparozzi, Randy Singer,  
Clint Hoover and Chris DePino to name a few.

I too, when I talk about harmonica, don't separate the two.  But I  
have strong opinions about picking the right axe for the right job.   
This does not mean there are not exceptions, but as a teaching rule,  
why may the task more difficult than necessary.  Certain kinds of  
music sound like a struggle on the respective instruments and I feel  
should be avoided if one wishes to achieve the highest possible goal  
in that genre.

That said, new genres arise out of players moving outside the norm; in  
classical music, my field of expertise, modern composers have  
experimented with new sounds for 100 years.  Varèse was using  
electronic sounds as early as 1917 or maybe even 1913.  So what would  
someone say if our Mr. Hunter hooked his chromatic up to some pedal or  
another and sounded like an elephant. -  "This is not music."  I beg  
to differ, this is music and has a long history of experimentation.   
Making the chromatic sound like a diatonic is not my goal, I have  
diatonic harps to do that, but if that is another person's goal and  
they are getting the sound playing through their vacuum cleaner's air  
tube, so be it.  Who the hell knows, maybe 100 years from now everyone  
will be looking for vintage vacuum cleaner tubes!!!


Harmonically yours,

Robert Bonfiglio
http://www.robertbonfiglio.com