[Harp-L] Recording, etc.

["Robert Laughlin" <harmonicaman1968@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Now that some, if not most of my harps are lying about in disrepair, and I'm holding off making any large expenditures, I'm learning, actually, some things.

One thing I'm learning is how a draw bend won't work unless the blow reed is working, in the same hole. I have no idea why, but I'm sure there are at least a few here that understand that inter-relatedness.

Something else is happening also, as my reeds go south on me. At first, they just sound flat. Then, the further south they go, they get to a point where it actually sounds like an "alternate tuning", and gets really interesting, with the "new possibilities".

I'm a guy who tends to persist to find ways around a poorly tuned harp, just by trial and error, due to financial restrictions. Avoid this note, change my habitual playing patterns, etc. This unintentional "de-tuning" offers some ideas in tunings, and begins to open up my mind to the idea of getting harps in tunings other than "standard".

Also, I've been thinking, lately, about recording. I tend to woodshed out in the van, late into the night, or at times give local "mini-concerts" in the men's room of, say, a Starbuck's or Stater Brothers. Sometimes I'll hit on something good, good enough to want to remember, work on, and add to my musical toolbag.

I'm wondering what some of you might suggest for a decent, reasonably priced portable recording device. I know that there are a lot of them out there,,the Zoom's, the Tascam's, the Sony's,,etc. I think one of them even takes video, specifically for uploading to youtube.

These different "natural acoustic environments" are fun to discover and utillize. I'll often leave the restroom looking puzzled, declaring that "some guy" was "back there playing harmonica",,

People who know me often ask if "I've got my harmonica", especially at the checkstand at Trader Joe's. Then, they expect me to play a few bars, which is fun.

Maybe I'll get a suit, with a cape and a big "H" on the front. I am "Harmonicaman".

RL

---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com