[Harp-L] MIDI will Restore the Status of the Slide Chromatic

[Michael Rubin]

I don't think the bass harp will go away to midi.  The tones you showed in
the video do not compare.  Perhaps there are better midi bass tones out
there.

That said,  this is a great achievement.
Michael Rubin
michaelrubinharmonica.com

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 3:00 AM, Brendan Power <bren at xxxxx>
wrote:

> (This is a topic I started over on Slidemeister, but since many here will
> not be members of that forum and it's to do with the harmonica in general,
> I
> thought I'd post it on Harp-L to get a wider take on the topic):
>
>
>
>
>
> In the history of the harmonica, the balance of power between the diatonic
> and chromatic has ebbed and flowed. By 'balance of power' I mean not so
> much
> popularity in terms of numbers sold, but more 'perceived status'.
>
>
>
> For several decades after Larry Adler established the slide chromatic as a
> concert instrument and Toots made it THE harmonica for jazz, the chrom was
> the main choice for so called 'serious' harmonica players looking for a
> professional career. It was the lead instrument in all the hugely-popular
> harmonica bands of the 1930s-50s, and was featured on a #1 smash hit with
> Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats.
>
>
>
> But the rise in popularity of blues harp in the 60s, then Howard Levy's
> development of overblowing to a high level (plus the advanced harp
> customising overblowing requires) meant that the diatonic has become the
> harmonica of choice for many talented younger players today. They use
> embouchure techniques (bending and over-bending) to play chromatically
> without a slider, whilst retaining the blues harp's earthy tone. As a
> result
> of this shift, in recent years the slide chromatic has been generally
> perceived as not quite as hip because of its purer, less bluesy sound. It's
> undeniably fallen from its earlier high status - much to the sadness of
> older players who remember the chromatic in its heyday.
>
>
>
> But I see a change a-coming, a swing back of the pendulum.
>
>
>
> Some of you may have seen the recent demo video I did for Erik Lekholm's
> Digital Chromatic Harmonica Controller, the Lekholm DM48:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwgIAFOnJVs
>
>
>
> Though it has breath sensors instead of reeds, it is based on the format of
> the slide chromatic. 12 holes, a button, Solo tuning as the default scale.
> Getting to know it has really opened my eyes to several things.
>
>
>
> It quickly dawned on me how amazing the potential of this new kind of
> reedless harmonica is. There is so much you can do on the DM48 that is
> simply impossible on a normal chromatic, or any other kind of harmonica.
> The
> video shows some of the capabilities but, since it is so endlessly
> configurable, there is a whole lot more potential just waiting for a new
> menu to be created. It is really expressive too, and a lot of fun to play.
>
>
>
> But to access the wealth of goodies it offers, you have to be a slide
> chromatic player! Though the DM48 can bend notes (up and down), the bending
> is not the controllable interactive-reed bending of the diatonic harp. It
> is
> a nice effect, but the bent notes can't be used as notes in their own right
> as on a blues harp (at least, not yet). And it simply won't respond to
> overblowing...
>
>
>
> So all that amazing embouchure-based technique developed by Howard Levy and
> his many followers to play chromatically is of little use with a MIDI
> harmonica. To play it chromatically, you need the button (in the DM48 it's
> attached to an on-off switch, not a slider).
>
>
>
> The power of MIDI is so sexy and alluring that I'm sure many harmonica
> players will be attracted in the near future to buy a MIDI harmonica as a
> doubling instrument. For slide chromatic players it's an easy transition:
> just transfer all your familiar playing technique over to the DM48 and you
> can instantly sound mind-blowing.
>
>
>
> For 10-hole Richter diatonic players the switch will be MUCH harder. Though
> the Richter tuning is included as one of the standard options in the DM48,
> it will need to be played with a button - like the old Koch chromatic.
> Either that or learn Solo tuning, Diminished or one of the other
> established
> slider tunings. That's a whole new skill for most 10-hole players, and
> means
> not using the bending/overblowing techniques and myriad licks involving
> them
> they have sweated blood to master. It will be a hard choice, and many will
> probably not bother.
>
>
>
> That will leave the fast-developing MIDI harmonica scene open for the
> existing button-pushers - and young slide chromatic players coming in who
> want to be where the action is. The cachet of the slide-chromatic will grow
> once again, as it is seen as the essential acoustic partner of the MIDI
> chromatic.
>
>
>
> From my one month as a MIDI newbie, I am convinced this branch of the
> harmonica scene will grow very fast, as MIDI harmonicas develop and the
> price falls. The sheer fun you can have with a MIDI-monica and the power it
> gives you to play expressively with a huge palette of sounds means that
> more
> and more will want to join the party.
>
>
>
> The purist blues harp/overblow guys and the old-school strictly-acoustic
> chromatic players will increasingly have to share the scene with younger
> players who mainly strut their stuff on things with mouth holes that you
> suck and blow, but are utterly different to traditional harmonicas in every
> other way.
>
>
>
> That will shake up the scene and create all kinds of dilemmas - like, will
> these new MIDI harmonicas be allowed in harmonica competitions? Not that I
> really care, but I can see committees of the APHF and Trossingen agonising
> over it as more players bring them along and want to use them.
>
>
>
> For example, in harmonica trios with bass and chord harmonicas. Frankly who
> would want to play the cumbersome, all-blow bass harmonica anymore when you
> can play super-fast in the bass range with blow-draw breath on a small
> harmonica that can put out any bass sound you want (including sampled bass
> harmonica)? Likewise the DM48 can be configured as a chord harmonica, which
> is something I have in mind to try with the test model I have. The mind
> boggles.
>
>
>
> The advent of the DM48 indicates it's going to be an interesting 10 years
> ahead, I think. For those who want to know more about this amazing
> instrument, go to Erik's website:
>
> http://www.lekholminstruments.com
>
>
>
> Brendan
>
>  <http://www.brendan-power.com/> www.brendan-power.com
>
>  <http://www.youtube.com/BrendanPowerMusic>
> www.YouTube.com/BrendanPowerMusic
>
>
>
>