Re: [Harp-L] adventures in the chromatic trade-- diatonic to chrome

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 20, 2011, at 9:26 PM, philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

> There are certainly ramifications about the chromatic that I don't understand (even after spending a week at Robert Bonfiglio's Diatonic to Chromatic Workshop at the Grand Canyon a few years back. 
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> (Robert repeated some of the highlights of this  transition workshop at the recent SPAH.) 
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> If Joe Leone is not the pioneer, he is on the leading edge on position playing on chromatics in various keys of solo chromatic tuned harps.  Just because it is possible to play all 12 keys on a C harmonica doesn't mean anyone should. I think this is the main reason for Joe's system. 
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     I find it interesting, amusing, ironic, and frankly, quite uplifting..for you to mention my name on my 69th birthday. Plus you are correct. I play cross harp no matter what the harp. 
     (smokey) Joe Leone

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> ( I was responsible for American Harmonica Newsmagazine printing Joe's chart and article on position playing on the chromatic a few years ago. AHN ceased  publication in 2005.)
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> The system amounts to finding the best key to use for  a given song on the chromatic, depending on the note and chord patterns in the key of the song. 
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> This is not just changing chromatics to match the key of the song. (Using a chrome in F to play a song in the key of F.)  To use diatonic terms, if Saints is being played in the key of F, you don't grab a chrome in F. You grab a chrome in Bb and play it in what would be the cross-harp key of F because the "fingering" is easier and the notes fit better. It's a way to maximize the playing of the chrome. I'm sure Joe or anybody who plays chromatic knows what the friendly keys are. And this is not always a matter of fewest sharps or flats. 
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> (This is not rocket science: People transpose a riff from second position to first position or third or fifth or 12th all the time without giving it a second thought.)
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> Also, probably about half the people who play chromatic don't read music. So the issue of "hard" keys doesn't really come up. If they need to press the button to get a note, they press the button. They probably don't give too much thought about note patterns: they're just happy to find the note.
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> Ultimately, the chrome has a lot in common with the diatonic and moving from one harp to the other should not be all that difficult.
> If you know where the rocks are positioned, you can walk all the way across the lake.
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> Hope this helps
> Phil Lloyd
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