Re: [Harp-L] Sugar Blue on alternate tunings

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"John F. Potts" wrote:
<Here's an excerpt from the Sugar Blue interview I was referring to  
<and which was the subject of recent comment by Mr. Hunter:
<
<Steve:Do you use any specially tuned harmonicas?
<
<Sugar:No, man I don't cop out.That is equipment for cop-out artists.I  
<can't stand that crap!If you wnat to play something that is not on  
<the harp, and you don't have it in your head and in your chops, it  
<seems like everyone wants to take the "easy" or lazy way out these  
<days.These special tunings keep people from really studing to come up  
<with something new.Special tunings are nothing but garbage!

etc., etc.

I have a lot of respect for Sugar Blue, who went to great lengths to develop an original and powerful style on harmonica.  (I think it was Peter Ruth who told me that SB spent a lot of time working on the exercises I put in "Jazz Harp," and if that's so then I'm honored to have been part of his development as a musician.)  However, in my opinion he's dead wrong on this subject.

Let's start with the very basic stuff: there are some things you just can't do on a standard tuned harp, because the layout of the blow and draw notes won't let you.  My piece "Widow's Walk" is an example.  The chords in that piece can't be played on a standard tuned harp, no matter what technique you use. There is no, repeat no, way to play a major 7th chord, a minor 9th chord, etc. on a standard tuned harp. That is why Robert Johnson used open tunings on the guitar: there are things you can do with an open tuning that can't be done otherwise.  Anyone here care to claim that Robert Johnson, or Sonny Landreth, or Warren Haynes, all of whom use open tunings, are cop out artists?

Beyond that, I agree with Steve Baker: there is no point to doing things the hard way when there's an easier way to do it, especially when the audience will not--in fact can not and should not--appreciate the difference. 

And when we call a non-standard tuning "cop out gear", where do we draw the line?  There are things you can do with an amp that you can't do without one, too.  Is it a cop out to use an amp?  I've heard misguided people say "Jimi Hendrix couldn't play without an amp".  It's a lie, of course, but what if it was true?  The point is to make the instrument do your bidding, not the other way around.  If the amp was Hendrix's instrument, what's the problem?  It wasn't a problem for the audience. 

However, if anyone reading this wants to make a point of doing things the hard way, they can go forward with my blessing.  I feel sorry for those people, because they're missing out on a good thing.  But it's not going to kill them or me.

Regards, Richard Hunter


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