nvwoos
5 posts
Mar 24, 2014
10:14 AM
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So, ok, on James Cotton's "One More Mile" album he plays "Help Me". Is he using a D harp? It sounds like it at the beginning, but not to my ear when he is playing that famous James Cotton lick for about a minute in the middle of the song. Maybe it's just my untuned ear?
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tmf714
2472 posts
Mar 24, 2014
10:47 AM
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Yep-D harp throughout the song.
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nvwoos
6 posts
Mar 24, 2014
1:35 PM
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Thank You...
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timeistight
1518 posts
Mar 24, 2014
2:52 PM
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My ears may be untuned too,but the whole track sounds a quarter-tone flat to me. Maybe the tape recorder ran a little fast.
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barbequebob
2507 posts
Mar 25, 2014
10:07 AM
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@Timesight --- Unfortunately, consumer oriented tape machines, be it reel to reel or cassette (8 track is another thing altogether), there are going to be speed problems, some of it from the machine, but some of it from the tape as well. When you were able to buy professionally oriented machines, a few of them did have something to adjust the speed like the way a good record turntable does.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Martin
645 posts
Mar 25, 2014
10:21 AM
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"... when he is playing that famous James Cotton lick for about a minute in the middle of the song."
Nitpicking perhaps, but I´d say "a SBW II lick". Used in the original version, if I´m not mistaken.
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Martin
646 posts
Mar 25, 2014
10:21 AM
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But it still sounds off ...
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GMaj7
388 posts
Mar 25, 2014
11:25 AM
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I've worked on well.. about 150 of Cotton's harps....
65% are (A) harps
25% are (D)
10% are mixture of (C) & (Bb)..
Betting he is using a (D)
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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1847
1630 posts
Mar 25, 2014
11:53 AM
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cotton is old school,
i am betting,you tuned his harps to just intonation?
that maybe what he is hearing, as a little off
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
Last Edited by 1847 on Mar 25, 2014 11:54 AM
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tmf714
2474 posts
Mar 25, 2014
12:13 PM
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No-its the tape dragging-or the way it was uploaded to youtube-but more likely the tape
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nacoran
7656 posts
Mar 25, 2014
12:50 PM
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Would it be sacrilege, if it's slightly out of tune, to adjust its speed a bit digitally for play along?
I don't remember the articles name or where I saw it, but I think a couple years back there were was a big stir that a lot of old blues albums originally were recorded at different speeds but sped up or slowed down to give them more umph.
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Nate
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