Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Eivets Rednow Question

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

It definitely IS Stevie making a pizzicato plucking type sound with  his 
mouth  ...and again - Slim and SmoJoe are both correct. I always  thought he 
used his tongue to do it but have no real idea. This has been asked  and 
answered many times before (probably on Slidemeister) where these kinds of  
questions surface most often - you're far from the first harmonica player to  
still be completely baffled by Stevie's incredible skills.
 
 
Here's that video clip with him Live on Burt Bacharach's variety show.  
It's a bit disjointed (the only one I could find right now) - but I have seen a 
 much better clip in black and white from the original show with no stops 
and  starts. It still shows that he's doing that pizzicato percussion 'thing' 
 Live. Flat out amazing (given that when he first recorded it he  was maybe 
just turning 18)....
 

_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZyB8PPDDAA_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZyB8PPDDAA) 
 
 

and just for fun: how it all began
 

'Little' Stevie Wonder
 

_http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=r9HEqo7pFhQ_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=r9HEqo7pFhQ) 
 
Enjoy!
 
I really get a kick out of revisiting some of these clips so  it's always 
fun when someone brings it up again. BTW in a couple  of the other song 
clips, he was playing a clavinet, one of three instruments he  used on the Eivets 
Rednow album..
 
Elizabeth
 
Message: 6
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:55:01 -0700
From: Slim Heilpern  <slim@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Eivets Rednow Question
To:  Tom Ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>
Cc: _harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx) 

Hi Tom -

Many have asked this question. Stevie has done this a lot  through the 
years. I believe it involves clicking the tongue in such a way that  it causes 
the draw reed to sound (but since I've never been able to master it, I  don't 
really know). It's very difficult for most mortals to match, at least in  
terms of volume and clarity, but it is _not_ studio trickery -- there are 
audio  clips from old live concerts where he does it, and I'm pretty sure he 
does it in  that great youtube clip off him doing the tune live with Burt 
Bacharach on  TV.

- Slim

On Oct 11, 2011, at 8:30 AM, Tom Ball  wrote:

> OK so here I was following the Stevie thread, and now have  yet a 
> different query:
> 
> On the sound sample that was  provided, ie: 
>  http://www.amazon.com/gp/recsradio/radio/B000001A9R/ref=pd take a 
>  listen to "Alfie."
> 
> So what gives at 0:09?
> 
> This  probably sounds like a bonehead question, but fact is, I'm a 
> pretty  poor excuse for a chrom player and don't really know what the 
>  instrument is capable of... I'm assuming that pseudo-plucked, 
>  pizzicato-sounding effect is done with studio trickery? Please tell 
> me  Stevie isn't actually doing that somehow.....?
> 
> thanks,
>  Tom Ball <--blushing at his chromatic  ignorance



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