Re: [Harp-L] Suggestion for playing "Ashokan Farewell"

[Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>]

I just tried the D7 arpeggio (4B 5B 6B 6OB) on a couple of Golden
Melodies--in D. I think the 6OB--on a D harp--can be played sweet. I first
played this song on violin, and then worked to get that arpeggio smooth
when I learned it on harp. It was a fun way to work on 6OB.

Eric


On Mon, May 7, 2012 at 2:50 PM, <burket@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>  Great feedback on this tune!  David's recording is really a lovely
> arrangement with wonderful tone and vibrato.
>
> I also perform this song occasionally at trad. Celtic sessions.  But I
> have the best results using a D chromatic (a problem of course when I'm
> playing with a racked harp when backing myself with guitaIr).  I prefer to
> go hands free on this one so I can get at the slide.  Steve's suggestions
> for building the arrangement is good and definitely would make it more
> interesting.
>
> Assuming the key of D, that C note is a challenge on a diatonic.  I would
> be curious if anyone has tried it on a D diatonic using the 6 hole over
> blow to get that lingering C note?
>
> I can't do it on a low D, but see it as a challenge to OB technique to try
> to get it smoothly on a high D.
> I'm still working on it.  It sounds dreadful if you don't hit the over
> blow cleanly, but certainly can get people's attention!!
>
> dee, ... da dah- dum deeee,      screeeeeeeeee :)
>
> Alternately, the 3 draw bend could get your there, but has to get really
> clean to be able to bend to the C and then the B again right on its heels.
>
> Updated.....I see that this was also addressed by Eric and Doug S. in the
> most recent digest!
> Thanks-  Burke T.
> ---------
>
> From: Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Best way to play Ashokan Farewell
> "I play it exactly as you suggest--with the 6 hole overblow. The change in
> timbre with
> the overblown reed colors and accentuates the flatted seventh--an important
> note in this beautiful tune.
> Of course, one has to sustain an overblow--with vibrato: but that's a good
> reason for spending some time on
> developing technique."
>
> Eric
> ----------
>
>
>
>
> > Ken Burns did it with unaccompanied violin. Of course in his documentary
> it
> was background music for pictures and voice-over. It requires dead-on
> intonation
> and just-right vibrato.
> >
> > Our band does it starting unaccompanied, adding second violin, then
> finger-picked guitar and finally bass and piano.  We reason that changing
> the
> accompaniment by adding instruments keeps it from being monotonous.
>  Unless you
> are a diatonic purist, C or D chromatic works very well.
> >
> > Changing keys for the repeat might also add some variety.
> >
> > Vern
>  Cheers, Vern. I'm glad you said that.  Ashokan with us has become a bit
> like
> Duelling Banjos or the Wild Rover. It is a pretty monotonous, threadbare
> melody
> that works very nicely as long as the musicians playing it indulge in their
> fertile imaginations. What you say your band does is, in essence though
> not in
> particulars, just what my band does! :-)
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Sun, 6 May 2012 17:38:22 -0700
> From: David Naiditch <davidnaiditch@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Suggestion for playing "Ashokan Farewell"
> To: harp-l harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID: <CB2F4DBD-6C57-4917-A334-236449C06646@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> If interested, here is a version I did in 2005 using a D-tuned chromatic,
> together with my guitar backup and a bit of harmonica harmony.  (This was
> done
> as a ProTools exercise, to learn how to record multiple tracks.)
>
>       http://soundcloud.com/david-naiditch/ashokan-farewell-david
>
> --David Naiditch
> www.davidnaiditch.com
>
>
>
>
>