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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Impact of Jason's International Exposure
Impact of Jason's International Exposure
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SuperBee
2570 posts
Apr 25, 2015
6:56 AM
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My mum played harmonica in a school band in the 30s. That was a thing here, maybe everywhere? She learned music as do Ray me ... I think they call that method solfa or something similar. I've seen sheet music written that way...her sheet music is from way back, popular songs transcribed for ukulele seemed to be big around the ww2 time...She plays piano by ear but only in key of F...
Oh, OT.
Well, good luck to Jason but I don't hold much hope for harmonica to suddenly become more popular...it's already the most popular instrument in the world by the measure of units sold. I believe. Every now and again I hear someone play it who can make it sound good, and I think I should strive for that. Mostly it's just a novelty I think. If you listen out its actually present in many pieces on TV and in movies, jingles. Very common and quite cliche. It's good at making harmonica sounds. Of which there are a range, but the timbre doesn't really lend itself so well to sustained interest. There are exceptions but I find even highly skilled players will get on my nerves after a relatively short time. I find it hard to listen to a whole album of Toots, or Adler for instance. And as a rule I enjoy instrumental music over vocal.
It's late. I shouldn't post late, probably said something really dumb I won't want to be associated with in the morning, but that's it for now. My buddy thinks Joe Filisko should only be allowed play his retro music in retro-authentic settings I.E. Not on a stage with p.a. But on a bench in front of a general store. I don't hold with that, but my buddy plays guitar while sitting surrounded by synthesisers and with moog Taurus pedals at his feet...he is attempting a techno one man band. He is intolerant of retro...except for retro progressive Rock, which seems odd to me.
Sorry I was going wasn't i
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ted burke
199 posts
Apr 25, 2015
7:04 AM
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Jason's contribution to expanding what the diatonic harmonica can do as a solo, concert-quality instrument is obvious in many ways, I think, and he does as Little Walter, Butterfield and Sugar Blue have done, resets the bar for the those aspiring to be technical virtuosos on the instrument. What's important , most important for any and all desiring to following their lead is not just the technique but also a melodic imagination to keep the soloing from being mere practice. All this, though, should not mean that the diatonic harmonica should be raised to an exclusively virtuoso instrument. Harmonica is above all else a folk instrument that has natural applications in blues, country, blue grass, sea tunes, jazz, rock and roll, and musical personality much of the time is more important than sheer chopsmanship. Love Me Do and Please Please Me had harmonica parts that were perfect as they are, Room to Move would have been spoiled by flashier fills and solos; what remains , though, is the need to find the right notes appropiate to the material and to play them effectively, with feeling and inspiration. But there is something to be said for they sax player who doubles or triples on harmonica. In particular, bassist Jon Paris with Johnny Winter also played a fine , blasting harmonica, often on a rack. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top could honk a few effective , powerful notes ala Waiting for the Bus and get the job done. Jason has scores of terrific ideas and does a fantastic job of making them fit in the context he plays them in--Charlie Parker's aesthetic --and it applies to the virtues of simpler, less trained playing. As long as it fits, it's okay with me.
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Ted Burke
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kudzurunner
5405 posts
Apr 25, 2015
7:29 AM
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One under-remarked strength of the harp in the current 2015 media context is the fact that it's small. It's the iPhone of musical instruments. You can use it, so to speak, walking down the street, and nobody thinks you're weird. The same cannot be said of guitar, sax, keyboard--even if they're all portable. But you can walk down the street blowing on a harp, and the world smiles at you.
I think that Hohner, or some enterprising, forward-looking company, needs to re-brand the instrument in that way. Remind people that it is, above everything else, PORTABLE. It's the iPhone of musical instruments.
Where's yours?
That could be the ad line.
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Bilzharp
59 posts
Apr 25, 2015
7:41 AM
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"Where's yours?
That could be the ad line."
How about: "Is that a harmonica in your pocket or are you happy to see me?"
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marine1896
98 posts
Apr 25, 2015
7:49 AM
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OR....
''It's 5 inches long, it's shiny and you can suck and blow it...can you do that with yours!''
Actually....I've heard that said at certain gigs!
Last Edited by marine1896 on Apr 25, 2015 7:52 AM
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nacoran
8458 posts
Apr 25, 2015
11:54 AM
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Band in a pocket. :)
Superbee, with different shaped notes? I've done some of that. Related to moveable do systems. I suspect it would be a very useful way to write out harp music, since it would mean you wouldn't have to learn different lines for different keys. Actually, you could modify it to signify bends and overblows, just use the note on the line to indicate the hole.
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Nate
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