Pistolcat
654 posts
Jul 04, 2014
1:24 PM
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There has been a series of "own-playing-example-threads" initiated by Frank or Diggs lately. Here is one I thought could collect all you who play the Chromatic harmonica. It says "Chrome blues" in the title but anything and everything chromatic would be nice. Rayne played some sweet tenth (or third button in) position chromatic on another thread. Here is one I made to start it off.
I'm really new to Chrome and still make mistakes with the note layout. This video has rough playing without anythin inspiring really but I really enjoy the sound of thick, amped Chrome right now. It's the first video I have made with a real amp. Its an un-modified VHT spec 6. Miced with a shure sm 57 to a focusrite Scarlett 2i4 preamp/external soundcard.
Please give up Your example!
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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rogonzab
568 posts
Jul 04, 2014
1:49 PM
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Great!
Is that third position? And if so, you can play whit the chrome in thrid whitout messing whit the button?
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Pistolcat
656 posts
Jul 04, 2014
2:02 PM
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Hah! It's third and Yes you can. Paradoxically you then get fewer notes on a Chromatic than diatonic because you can't bend the fifth down a half step. Or.. Good players probably can but I can't. Gives me minor pentatonic and added major second (I think it's called in English). I haven't really figured out how to get a good cup and work the button at the same time just yet but I'm working on it :)
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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BronzeWailer
1334 posts
Jul 04, 2014
4:53 PM
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Nice one el gato. I have been working on the chrome as well. Great thread idea.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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A440
173 posts
Jul 05, 2014
1:37 AM
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Nice video pistolcat, and a good thread idea. I've never played a chrome, but seriously thinking about buying a 12 holer and taking the plunge. I guess it takes time to learn the note layout. And since I use so much bending with the diatonic, learning to not rely on bending must be an adjustment.
I hope to see some other videos from those of you adventuring into Chromeland...
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Frank
4763 posts
Jul 05, 2014
3:43 AM
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That was simply wonderful Pcat...Maybe you can post the BT for others to use and post their version, that way you could hear what else could be done with it and get some ideals and such from each other :)
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Diggsblues
1415 posts
Jul 05, 2014
4:08 AM
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Nice pistolcat. Now you can start to put in the b5 or in D the the Ab. I'll save the blues till later.
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Pistolcat
658 posts
Jul 05, 2014
12:55 PM
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Thanks for kind word guys! @A440 - Take the plunge! It's a wicked cool harp! If you are comfortable in third then you have a place to start that'll feel natural. Other positions and buttonwork is a "next step".
@Frank - Sure! Good idea. The backing track is made by the extraordinary Lawrence Fritts. Called 'Snoring cat blues' in the version that I've got Snoring cat blues
@Diggs - Yeah, I'll get to it. I just couldn't work the button without losing my cup a getting a piss-poor tone. Needs a lot of work. I really like your clip! What talented musicians! Your harpwork is outstanding. Dexterity and tone galore! Which position was that?
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
Last Edited by Pistolcat on Jul 05, 2014 1:36 PM
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Diggsblues
1416 posts
Jul 05, 2014
4:51 PM
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@pistolcat When I play chromatic I don't think positions for the most part. Standard tunes have lots of changes and go through so many chord changes you have to be able to switch tonality a lot when you improvise. I used a C chromatic.
Emile
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WinslowYerxa
645 posts
Jul 05, 2014
7:34 PM
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OK, here's one of mine. It's third position - D on a C chromatic, but doesn't sound like blues chromatic. (By the way, there's also a harmonetta playing in the rhythm section.) I was trying to get the gig for the theme song for a cooking show but they chose someone they already knew before I could submit this. This is actually not the final version.
Pépinage
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Winslow
Plunge into the SPAH Experience, August 5-9, 2014
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Jul 05, 2014 7:36 PM
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Diggsblues
1417 posts
Jul 06, 2014
3:20 AM
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D minor blues third position on C chromatic 2016.
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A440
174 posts
Jul 06, 2014
2:35 PM
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pistolcat is getting a nice tone with the 270.
I've been trying to decide what to buy for my first chrome: 270 Deluxe, Seydel Deluxe, Suzuki SCX-48 all seem to be contenders. The Saxony looks sweet, but is twice the price... not what I'm ready to spend on my first chrome.
Any advice?
Last Edited by A440 on Jul 06, 2014 2:36 PM
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Pistolcat
668 posts
Jul 23, 2014
4:47 AM
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@ Winslow- great song! If I ever so a cooking show can I have it at a discount! ;)
@diggs- mellow stuff. Do you play the chrome amped at times? Your acoustic tone is top notch of course but I'd like to hear it William Clarked up sometime. :)
@a440- I haven't tried any other chrome. The wind savers on my feel kind if cheap but can't compare with anything and I don't really know how to set it up. Heard good things about the suzukis though... From endorsers... :)
@frank- how's it coming along with the BT? It's kind if sweet isn't it? Please post your results.
Any other chrome experimenters out there?
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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BronzeWailer
1353 posts
Jul 23, 2014
5:04 AM
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I have a song in D minor but my arm is broken so can't work the slide too well at the moment!
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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Pistolcat
669 posts
Jul 23, 2014
5:14 AM
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Just play it in minor pentatonics and call it 'broken arm blues'. Kind of hard to cup well though...
... Sorry, BW. Get well soon!
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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BronzeWailer
1354 posts
Jul 23, 2014
5:24 AM
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Very hard to cup!
Cheers, Pistolcat!
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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blingty
33 posts
Jul 23, 2014
6:30 AM
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All very cool submissions. Winslow, is that your own tune? It's very good, and nice playing, with jazz devices, altered type sound I think at 0:14 over a dominant, chromatic leading tones, and a bebop-type triplet to finish it off. V. tasty, sir!
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Diggsblues
1457 posts
Jul 23, 2014
7:00 AM
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@pistolcat I usually play using a flat response akg mic.
I sometimes use a boss octave pedal that gives a syn kind of sound mixed into the pure chrom sound. I don't own any harp mics but I have times played big with a more traditional third position chord sound.
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WinslowYerxa
674 posts
Jul 23, 2014
10:36 AM
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Thanks, blingty. Yes, I wrote the tune, trying to sound sort of French and sunny as would fit a Jacques Pépin cooking show, with little thematic licks that could be detached and used for scene transitions.
The thing at 0:14 is a tritone substitution, playing notes from an Eb7 over a A7.
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Winslow
Plunge into the SPAH Experience, August 5-9, 2014
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Jul 23, 2014 10:38 AM
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blingty
34 posts
Jul 23, 2014
11:14 AM
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Thanks for the explanation, Winslow. The piece really works.
The notes of Eb7#11 also spell out A7#9#5 aka altered so I guess it has a lot of that sound even if you were to play natural 11... Hmm, that'd be Ab, maybe I'd best avoid that. Cool!
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blingty
35 posts
Jul 25, 2014
4:48 AM
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This one was recorded in my living room jam with some very good blues/jazz musicians a few weeks ago. As the blurb says, the idea of this one was to do something with a minor flavor against a regular (more major) blues, hence the dissonance.
Last Edited by blingty on Jul 25, 2014 8:00 AM
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Diggsblues
1468 posts
Jul 25, 2014
10:20 AM
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ok bling was that a whole tone scale, a diminished or a diminished whole tone scale at 21 seconds LOL
Ok here's a G blues on a C chrom.
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blingty
36 posts
Jul 25, 2014
12:47 PM
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Yep, 6-note whole tone scale there. Sometimes the dissonance works there, sometimes it doesn't!
Nice stuff on the youtube, Diggs!
Last Edited by blingty on Jul 25, 2014 1:31 PM
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Pistolcat
732 posts
Oct 19, 2014
2:55 PM
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I just bought a new Chromatic. A Suzuki SCX-48 in C. It was set up by Filip Jers an is A LOT better than my Hohner 270. Everything about it is just better except for the hack attached to the mouthpiece which seem to be exactly the same as my Hohner :)
I mentioned the SCX-48 in the Suzuki vs Hohner thread and wanted to show you guys how it sounded.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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dougharps
751 posts
Oct 19, 2014
3:16 PM
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This is an old one I posted a while back.
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Doug S.
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Pistolcat
733 posts
Oct 20, 2014
8:03 AM
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That's a great song Doug. I loved all of your parts in it! Is it for sale?
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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dougharps
753 posts
Oct 20, 2014
8:27 AM
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No, it is not for sale. It was a cover song that was recorded in 2001 during a live broadcast of our trio on a community not for profit radio station. All our songs were covers, and I used both diatonic and chromatic, depending on the song. Lisa was comfortable with me playing lines behind and around her vocals, which is rare among vocalists. I also enjoyed playing harp with her violin in the group.
Our trio split up a long time ago, as often happens with groups. I have recently performed as a duo with Matt, the guitar player who sings on other songs, and who plays guitar wonderfully.
The recording cannot be sold. I don't even have it or any of the other songs available on my regular YouTube account. I provided a link to the private recording for educational and informational purposes only. I was going to post it when the thread first started, but lost track of the thread.
I like threads that invite forum members to post their music. There are so many different ways to play harmonicas with different genres of music.
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Doug S.
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Diggsblues
1594 posts
Oct 22, 2014
4:35 AM
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Nice Doug! Are you playing an A blues scale on a C chrom?
OMG your not playing in 3rd position LOL
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dougharps
756 posts
Oct 22, 2014
8:47 AM
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Yes Diggs, you are correct! It is in 4th position. We also covered Telephone Call from Istanbul in the same key at that radio session.
I like 1st and 4th on chromatic a lot, as well as 3rd. 1st is great for early blues with elements of ragtime chord changes. Swing blues is fun in 1st. Minor songs like Summertime are great in 4th. I am not afraid of the button when I need a note in any of those positions. I use octaves a lot, sometimes using tongue slaps at the start, especially in 3rd. 3rd does get those fat nasty chords.
I pretty much stopped using 2nd on chromatic when I was first learning diatonic after 9 years of picking out song melodies on chromatic. I kept getting confused when playing both instruments in 2nd position. This was a LONG time ago!
I plan to revisit 2nd and also work on 12th, and 11th on chromatic, and maybe 5th. Lately, however, my efforts have been on improving my singing and not chromatic.
I still use keyed chromatics to access other keys with the instrument. With the music I usually play I use diatonics more than I use chromatics.
I never have applied my 4-8 grade reading skills from clarinet and chorus. Reading on C chromatic is on my long term To-Do list. If I have a "long term" left...
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Doug S.
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