Re: [Harp-L] Diatonic/chromatic



First off, in rereading my previous post I'm not sure it was clear that the "duh" is in reference to my stupid moment of getting the attribution wrong and mixing up Coltrane and Parker in my mind and post.  I'm saying "duh" to myself not anyone else but rather pointing out what a brain-dead moment of mine it was.  And I want to thank Jesse for the correction.


> Whatever John; I'm with you on this one. I think we have made a fetish of the diatonic. The music should come first.

I tend to agree.  However I do note that we are all fetishists to some degree, after all this is a harmonica list in the first place:).  I no longer tend to listen to stuff merely because it has a harmonica in it, but I certainly am more inclined to check music out that does include harmonica to begin with.  If it's good then I'll add it to my listening collection, if not good, the harmonica doesn't give it a pass onwards.  But I'll give something with harmonica a listen just becaue of the harmonica unlike, say, concertina (nothing against the later, but it's not my particular fetish).

> I am unconvinced of the diatonics usefulness in harmonically sophisticated music, and that includes the Levy's efforts, however incredible, as well.

I don't go that far.  I think Levy is more often successful than not, but that he shows both the limits and dangers of this style of playing as well as the success and beauty.  I think also that others (particularly Rhythm Willie and Don Les) have shown very different ways of playing harmonically complex music on the diatonic and again the methods they used as opposed to Levy's style (and those who came after him) are quite intriguing.  

In the end I think there are some things which will fit the diatonic very well and others not at all; in all genres of music.  For the diatonic harmonica this is more often defined by note selection, timbral differences and similar than with something like the piano.  But I also feel that there are some things which fit the piano very well and others not at all, just the subset of the piano's deciding factors is different than that for the harmonica.  


JR Ross



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