Re: [Harp-L] Hook, groove, etc.

[The Iceman <icemanle@xxxxxxx>]

hook is that melody that gets into your head and you can't get rid of it



-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Laughlin <harmonicaman1968@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, Apr 22, 2014 7:35 pm
Subject: [Harp-L] Hook, groove, etc.


I was woodshedding out in the van one recent night, and it dawned upon me just 
how important the concept, nay, the reality of "hook" is to how well-received, 
how "successful" a piece of music can be to the general public.

It has been said that a tempo of 90-120 bpm well suits the human psyche. You 
might say, within those parameters, the tempo works best to "grab" the listener, 
get the body moving, etc. Maybe that's just for particular musical styles, 
though. But that's not "hook". That's tempo.

Just what is it, and how important, to have a "hook" in any particular piece. 
I'm assuming that a lot of listeners don't even realize it when it's "happening" 
to them, being "hooked", any more than a fish would, until it happens. It just 
digs in deep, and impells the listener to continue. Seems rather important to a 
composition, for potential "success".

And I think "hook" is different than "flourish", though each is useful in it's 
own context for attracting the listener. To me, "flourish" is 'impressive', 
while "hook" moves a person in a deeper way. Maybe I'm being too specific, where 
in actual use it's not that specific, and the lines are not that clear. But 
"flourish", to me, just seems "busier" than what could be termed a "hook", 
right? "Flourish" usually seems to be used just for the sake of causing 
jaw-dropping, based on the skillset needed to perform, and perform it with 
consistency. But "hook", it's more of a kind of "mantra" within the piece that 
both makes it easily recognizable, but also somewhat unique. A "hook" doesn't 
even need to be "impressive", or even difficult. It just gets the attention of 
the listener, and keeps it, right?

What are some stellar examples of "hook" that are widely known (or not), for 
harp? What are the outstanding examples of this in harmonica performances? 
Anything come to mind, immediately?

My idea of "hook", is an easily (or not) repeated series of notes, with a 
recognizably unique "funkiness", or swing,, a phrase that just "catches" the 
listener, somewhat similar to, but not identical with, the concept of 
"page-turner" in literature. Something someone would not wish to put 
down,,right?

And then, following that, the idea of "groove", and how these two ideas relate. 
I can guess that "groove" has more to do with the general feel of the entire 
piece, rather than merely the shorter series of notes used as a "hook", right?

So, there are "hooks", and there is "groove".

Discuss (if yu wish,,)

RL

p.s., please forgive my pedantic and lengthy/wordy articulations, all in the 
name of clarity,,

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