Re: [Harp-L] flat keys

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

OK, looked at that way, I'd say that the flat key/sharp key filter may be less useful than thinking of harmonica keys on a spectrum from low/mellow/loose to high/bright/tight.

Some players avoid the high keys, feeling that they're too bright, while others relish their snappy response and bright sound.

Some players feel that the low keys lack punch or cut and stay away from that end of the spectrum.

Some players seem to be be able to get something good out of all the keys (SBWII comes to mind).

Sometimes going up or down a semitone in key can make a significant difference. For instance, a Bb harp to me feels just that bit brawnier than an A harp. Warren's much-loved B harp would be just that slight bit mellower than a C harp, partaking both of its character and the character of the A/Bb part of the spectrum. Howard levy has said that his favorite harp key is Ab, just one semitone higher than the G harp he learned on - sort of like the A-to-Bb relationships, just that tiny bit brighter and tighter. You could see the Eb harp as partaking both of the bright-but-not-too-bright character of a D harp but not getting into the extreme brightness of the E/F end of the spectrum.

Winslow Yerxa
President, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica
Producer, the Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.c
Instructor, Jazzschool Community Music School


________________________________
From: Michael Rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Bob Cohen <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, September 8, 2014 4:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] flat keys


Everyone keeps talking about get the flat keys in order to play with
someone else.  You seem to miss lloyd's original posting:

"Assuming no other instruments existed in the world, and acoustic harp only
remained,"