Re: [Harp-L] Distorted harmonica versus Clean harmonica sound question

[MARK BURNESS <markwjburness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think Randy, your opening premise is a little off. Back when Sonny Boy I, Little Walter, Snoky Pryor and guys of that generation were making waves, dedicated, powerful, clean PA systems were fairly rare, often only installed permanently in large venues. Small , portable, tube PAs of the type seen in the 50's, in Chicago were really fairly generic tube circuits, made cheaply (for the day) putting out comparable power (often rather less) to the combo amps that were available.
 
Find a 200W tube head, compare the weight to a 400-600W modern SS PA head, you'll see why folks didn't & still don't like lugging them around! ;-)
 
Distortion, specifically, was to some degree a byproduct to getting their sound accross. Few amps made up until the mid 50's were capable of a clean sound, especially when battered with the whole volts generated by a high impedance mic & someone blowing harp through it.
 
Some of Little Walter's recorded tones were not drenched with distortion (maybe sag & compression, but still fair fidelity considering the equipment available), listen to Thunderbird for example. Note also that other players, just as credible as blues artists, played off the mic, or played cupped with a relatively clean sound (listen to SBWII, Little Mac Simmons, Little Junior Parker, Paul Butterfield Blues Band album & Ressurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw, Hoodoo Man Blues & Come On In This House by Junior Wells for example).
 
I'm not saying LW would have played perfectly clean, given the opportunity...just that distortion may not have been the primary objective, when balanced with the ability to fill a room with a sweet & harmonically rich sound.
 
As with LW, Bill Clarke recorded many sessions with differing sounds, he chose to play acoustically off the mic too (LW's own comments suggest that he did so under a degree of coercion), Jason also may play acoustically off the mic & cupped to a mic in the same set, or the same song. None of the players mentioned have the need to use distortion as a "crutch".
 
Even within blues harp there are massively varying degrees of distortion....some pop recordings feature harp sounds as overdriven as any that have been recorded (listen to Mark Feltham with Will Young or Oasis for example).
 
Distortion in amplified blues harp and the blues, as a wider concept, dovetail, one is not entirely reliant on the other.
 
You could just as easily ask the same question about Jazz guitar and Charlie Christian - "can you play jazz guitar without a 40's tube amp on the edge of distorting?" Of course you can. Genre is genre, tone (whether distorted or clean, or somewhere in between) is tone...they can be mixed & matched.
 
Regards, Mark.


________________________________
From: Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Randy Singer <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Wednesday, 8 August 2012, 15:40
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Distorted harmonica versus Clean harmonica sound question

I feel that distorted musical styles in blues fit because they fit the distorted life style(s) that blues seem to stereotypically represent. The distortion puts you on edge, alerts your self survival systems, gets you ready for 'fight or flight', raises your blood pressure and in general gets you ready for a big surprise or shock. Clean cut playing wouldn't fit. 

I would think that distorted style wouldn't be apropos when playing to Mozart. 

smokey-joe 


On Aug 7, 2012, at 1:29 PM, Randy Singer wrote:

> I play both amplifed distorted style AND clean harmonica style into a mike and PA.
> 
> Of course, it seems much more fun to play blues, etc with a distorted harmonica amped sound.
> 
> But here is my question......
> 
> Some of the greatest blues solos are done with the amped style.
> 
> I wonder if if some of the greatest amped blues soloists like little walter, jason ricci, william clarke, etc, would have played their signature songs as well if they played them without distortion?
> 
> Anyone wish to chime in????
> 
> Do YOU feel you can play hard core blues all night armed with only a mike? Isn't that the true test of a legitimate blues harp player? Not to use effects or distortion as "crutch".
> 
> best,
> 
> 
> randy singer