[Harp-L] Chromatic vs diatonic--Norman's story

["Norman Vickers" <nvickers1@xxxxxxx>]

To:  Harp-l list and Aongus MacCana

From:  Norman Vickers, Pensacola Fl.  Jazz Society of Pensacola

 

Dear listmates and Aongus MacCana:  I'm mostly a "lurker" on this list.
Aongus' post ( below) resonated with me and I felt that I needed to tell a
little story.  Aongus and I are both octogenarians, and beside that, we're
both in our 80s.(smile)

 

I'm a serious amateur pianist and chord guitarist.  I was invited to play
back in the 1970's with a group of men, mostly older than myself.  Some were
semi-professional but this was a fun group which would only play for
charitable events.  No money changed hands for our performance.  First
meeting/ rehearsal, I took my guitar.  No luck-as there were several really
good guitarists, so it was obvious that I'd never get a guitar solo.  The
piano position was held down by two really good pianists, so that wasn't an
option for me either. (Later, I did get to play piano occasionally if no
other pianist showed up!)

 

So, I took my set of chromatics ( had every key covered-12 notes in the
chromatic scale, so I needed only six chromatics to have every key covered.
Example, C harp also plays in C# or Db with slide pushed in.)  Got an
occasional solo on chromatic and lots of practice playing background.

 

Fast forward to 1979.  Kansas City Harmonicateers had a week's harmonica
workshop with Cham Ber Huang as the instructor.  Mr. Huang was working with
Hohner then and had designed the CHB chromatic which was very successful. (
Mr. Huang subsequently left Hohner when China trade opened, but that's
another story.)

Mr. Huang said to me, " If you're good enough, you only need one!"  I took
this remark as a challenge and vowed that any new tune I learned would be on
the C chromatic.  ( I subsequently purchased the 16 hole and 12 hole CBH and
still play the 12 hole CBH)

 

So on coming back home and playing the group of older musicians, if it were
a new tune, I'd play on the professional "C" harp.  If it were an old tune,
I'd reach in my sack of chromatics and fish out the appropriate key.

 

Bad things started to happen!  I began hearing the tones and instinctively
would translate in my head the "fingering" for the professional C model.  (
e.g. Eb on the professional "C" harp is draw hole #1 with slide depressed,
whereas on Eb harp it's hole #1 blow.)  So, I had to put away my sack of
chromatics and stay with  the professional "C" model.  It  changed my life
for the better.  I can carry my harmonica in a holster on my belt, play
along with tune on the radio or work out a tune anytime, anywhere.

 

Now it's 34 years later and I "bless" Cham Ber Huang almost daily for that
remark!

 

Why doesn't every chromatic harp player do that?  If one uses the chromatic
like diatonic users-then one scale will work.  E.g.  chromatic in key of D
uses the same scale( do-re-me etc.) as in key of C-just be sure you have
correct key for the song you're playing. Playing with the professional "C"
model, Just like on any other instrument-piano, flute, etc.  one needs to
learn scales in all 12 keys.  So it's a trade-off.

 

Thanks for letting me tell my story!  Hope it resonates with some, and
doesn't bore the rest! (smile)

 

Bless you, Cham Ber Huang!

 

Norman Vickers

Jazz Society of Pensacola

www.jazzpenscola.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>From: "Aongus MacCana" <amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx>

>Subject: [Harp-L] Diatonic v Chromatic

>To: "Harp-L List" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

>Message-ID: <000601cea7d0$1fcd2fa0$5f678ee0$@net>

>> I know about as much about music (and harmonicas/mouthorgans for that

>matter) as a dog knows about a wireless.

 

>However at my advanced age I am picking up knowledge on a need to know
basis. This is proving quite interesting >and even entertaining. In fact I
have been told that it may be an antidote to senile dementia.

 

>For this reason I have copied Winslow's latest erudite posting on the above
topic to a Word document which I >shall study at my leisure.

 

>When I purchased my first chromatic harmonica in the key of C sixty odd
years ago I was led to believe by the >"authorities" of the time that I now
had a device on which I could play any tune in any key and that I would
never >need buy anything different or any better. This was and is indeed

>(theoretically!) true. Alas when I got into it I found that there were a
few snags. 

 

>The first was that -quite unconsciously - I transcribed every tune I tried
to play into first position or the key of C. >In some trickier tunes like
when I was trying to copy Larry Adler I found that there were sometimes
"rogue" notes >hiding which could only be accessed by use of the slide. I
also found that some tunes did not sound great or quite >right when played
in C. 

 

>A break through occurred when I discovered that chromatics could be bought
in any key and that a G chromatic in >particular opened up the possibility -
even to a first position junkie, of accessing a treasure trove of Irish
>traditional tunes in the keys of G and D.

 

>I can scarcely wait to get my hands on one of these new Seydel 'Samplers'

>which will give me first position G or D at the touch of a button.

 

>Beannachtai

 

>Aongus Mac Cana