[Harp-L] Harp-L Digest, Vol 170, Issue 4

[inski@xxxxx]

A most excellent post Richard! It's my goal to broaden my sonic pallet, make it more interesting while keeping it musical and tasteful, explore, create, and have fun. Guitar pedals have given harp players a lot more territory to explore!

Cheers
Sal Inski
H A R P A R A T U S ™



On Oct 10, 2017, at 6:56 AM, harp-l-request at xxxxx wrote:
> Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2017 10:25:59 -0400
> From: Richard Hunter <rhunter377 at xxxxx>
> To: "harp-l at xxxxx" <harp-l at xxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The POG 2
> Message-ID:
> 	<CADnofm8icL7Yd3HeN_VMjonucESwbom=SU21vC26L4fcD9zMNQ at xxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> 
> Jeremy Bustillos wrote:
> <What's the overall goal? Do you still want people to think that you're
> playing a harmonica
> <or do you want people to think, where's the organ on stage?
> 
> Good questions.  My goal is to make people think they're hearing something
> amazing.  Sometimes that means breaking their hearts with an unadorned
> chromatic harmonica. Sometimes it means hitting them with an amped-up
> effected-up sound that's well outside the boundaries of any traditional
> instrument.  In 1950 that meant a bullet mic through a 5 watt tube amp.
> Nowaday it means something a little more complex, because bullet mics
> through tube amps are now thoroughly traditional--in other words, the sound
> strongly evokes a particular place and time and technology (urban America,
> mid-late 20th century).  You need more than that to get outside the
> boundaries.
> 
> If the audience sees me play, they know I'm playing a harmonica even if
> they can't quite figure out how I'm getting the sound.  Otherwise, they may
> not know that a particular sound is being made by a harmonica.  Fine by me.
> Guitar players have been getting away with the kind of stuff for years.
> 
> So: do I want people to think I'm playing a harmonica?  Sure, why not?  Do
> I want them to think, where's the organ?  Sure, why not?  If the band could
> use an organ and it doesn't have one, sounds like a good opportunity for a
> harp player with a coupla hundred bucks worth of FX.  Said harp player
> might learn some interesting and useful things about playing like an
> organist, too.  Win-win-win.
> 
> Regards, Richard Hunter