Re: [Harp-L] Diatonic/chromatic

["jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx" <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Ok, here's the deal. You have a physical object, and you use it to make sound. This is how music is made. Beautiful music is made regardless of how many sounds that object can make. 

Yes, but how many sounds it can make somewhat dictates the music that will be played.  Shona (Zimbabwe) mbira music is amongst the most intricate and beautiful traditions in the world, but the mbira is a decidedly note-limited instrument (a seven not eight note scale so it is strictly not diatonic--septatonic?) and that is part of the music.  


> This means whether you can play 4 notes or 40. However, to say that it is a waste of time and detrimental to the music to try to learn to play the diatonic chromatically is as silly as saying it was a waste for charlie parker to try to get very technically proficient on the sax. 

I never said any of the above, personally.  However, I do think it is silly to try and play the diatonic as if there weren't major issues with regards to timbre, articulation, intonation and legato, etc...   These differences matter.  Moreover, they don't go away just because of the brilliance of the player, their "flow" or whatnot.  They are physical limitations which no amount of technique can overcome.  Think of it like this, no matter how hard you try, you cannot sustain a piano string indefinitely (without magnets, bows, etc...)--it will stop vibrating at some point after you play the key.  This is just a physical limitation of the instrument which not even the most amazing pianist can get around.  For the diatonic harmonica the physical limits are (to name a few) the differences outlined above with regards to how different notes are produced in Different ways.  


> It is of course important to be able to make music with less, but having more simply means more things to make beautiful music with. The very act of having more notes and technical facility to utilize doesn't make a person all of the sudden lose musicality.

Of course not.  Rather in the case of the harmonica it's the way those different notes are produced and then how they are utilized that's important.  When used well, it can be as musical as anything else.  When used poorly it sounds like crap.  The same is true for any instrument.  But, a key difference between the diatonic harmonica and other instruments used in highly chromatic music is that these limitations are inherent in the creation of the needed notes themselves.  That is a, perhaps the, limiting factor in terms of what sounds good and what sounds doesn't, IMO.


> We should be encouraging people's search for expanded uses of their instruments, not telling them they are inherently bad.  Certainly there are young guys mastering the technical side of things and losing sight of the music, but technical facility does not require the loss of the music. 

Two different issues here.  I encourage anyone to expand their techniques or not as much as they wish and as much as it gives them pleasure.  But if something just doesn't work, then I think that's worth noting as well.  I don't believe you can play the basic melody from the "Ode to Joy" in the low half of a diatonic harmonica in second position and not sound absolutely hideous.  I've never heard anyone do it.  You can, however, play it beautifully in first.  So sure, go ahead and try it in second, but no amount of practice will make it sound even passable.  Which to me is a great example of the limitations of the various note creating techniques--for a lot of things they are perfect and really work, but if it needs to be clean and clear, no dice.

> Also, as for "Giant Steps", I think it is entirely possible to play comfortably  on it with a C diatonic. Here are two videos of me attempting to do so.

I'm sorry, but I really do think these prove my point rather well.  If you heard these on any other instrument, would you consider them passable?  True, you might think that if a violinist or sax player at this level kept playing they will get better and encourage them.  But since I don't honestly think that a diatonic harmonica player can really get to a passable range on this (not even good, just basically acceptable to a listening audience as competent) then I can't in all honesty be encouraging.  Instead, I'd encourage you to consider better how to both utilize and mitigate the technical limitations of the diatonic in these types of musics--and thus consider closely positional choice, harp switching in-song/phrase/bar and alternate tunings.  And then listen carefully and critically to the results discarding what doesn't work and developing what does--and simply realizing that some things never will.

And, frankly, I'd encourage anyone who wants to actually play jazz on a harmonica to try a chromatic.  Not as a replacement, but rather because I think it will help improve your diatonic playing--you'll better learn and understand why some things work brilliantly, and others not at all on both.





JR Ross