Chitlins con Carne Harmonica: Hohner Special 20 in the key of Bb. I modified the tuning with a semitone lower in draw hole 3 and a semitone higher in draw hole 6. Microphone: I built the microphone with a membrane bought from https://www.aliexpress.com/ which I though it was a Shure SM57 membrane. But it was a fake copy with a dirtier sound which suited me very well! I bought the transformer from Ebay and it’s the same transformer used in Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer. The body is from a real Shure SM57 microphone. Pedal: MXR carbon copy analog delay (clock: regen 7, mix 9, delay 10-11).
I´m a King Bee Harmonica: Hohner Marine Band Deluxe in the key of C. Microphone: I built the microphone with a membrane from an old vocal microphone (Suntech). I tested many, many membranes and this was great with the transformer. I bought the transformer from Ebay and it’s the same transformer used in Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer. The body is from a JT30. Pedal: ISP Decimator 2 noise reduction.
Amplifier Chitlins con Carne, I'm a King Bee: Fender Vibro Champ Eric Clapton Signature. 5 watt 8 inch weber signature alnico element. Great for harmonica. I only switched tubes: Rectifier: ATES 5Y3M GT, made in Italy. Power: Sylvania JAN CHS 6V6GT/G VT-107-A, made in USA. Preamp V2: Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH, made in Russia. Preamp V1: Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH DR25 (high gain), made in Russia
Last Edited by Hakan on Sep 03, 2017 5:37 AM
The swinging chording part from F-flat you included in King Bee was kind of an awkward transition for me (great playing but I thought it messed too much with the King Bee groove you had going). Or I don't know, maybe I just didn't get it.
great sounds with the mic, amp, and your tone of course :) ---------- 4' 4+ 3' 2~~~ -Mike Ziemba Harmonica is Life!
Last Edited by slaphappy on Sep 03, 2017 10:50 AM
slaphappy, I really like the drop 3rd tuning. This harp had been on the shelf for years and I was lazy. I could have adjusted the tuning a little better to make the 3+4 draw sound perfect together. That will make a more powerful sound. The Kim Wilson lick in King Bee has to be considered as pure experimentation! A little lazy here too. I just took some package solution for the solo. But I do think that changing the groove could make it more interesting. Especially if the song is going to be played solo in front of an audience. I haven't tried that. Maybe some John Lee Hooker/La Grange groove? And then back to the last verse. Or moving the groove change to the end of the song.
Yes it's fun!
Last Edited by Hakan on Sep 03, 2017 12:04 PM
Hakan, your ear is certainly much better than mine, but don't we need the minor 6th ( minor 3rd of the IV chord ) for Kenny Burrell's CHITLINS CON CARNE?
Last Edited by hvyj on Sep 03, 2017 1:28 PM
you sure picked a challenging piece for solo harmonica.
you're mic sounds fantastic, did you leave the old transformer in and bumped it up with the new one, or did you remove it completely and are using just the high impedance transformer? sounds like you removed the old one.
i asked because i am having that done to my shure 57. i am experimenting with a upgraded transformer see how much.... if any difference it will make.
Last Edited by 1847 on Sep 03, 2017 1:56 PM
There's a few very good things to point out in these. First, you are very solid in terms of keeping your grove when chugging and alternating between melody and chugging (outside the long runs, which are nice on their own). Even when moving between singing and playing, you hit that pocket nice and tight.
@hvyj - The IV chord in Kenny Burrell's version (and he's the composer) is not a minor chord, it's a 9th chord.
And the I chord isn't minor, either. It's a 7#9 chord. The #9 sounds like a minor third, but there's a major third nearly an octave below, so it can sound both major and minor at the same time. Listen to how both sax and guitar solos use the minor 3rd a lot as part of the blues scale, but also use the major 3rd at liberty.
hvyj, I haven't studied chitlins in detail so I don't know all the different chords. But if my version is to "off" it opens op possibilities to call it my own composition, Håkan's con carne!
LevelUP, Thanks! I try to pick the pieces that are as easy as possible for me to handle vocal/harp. I have never worked with it until now. But I have listened to Muddy Waters version since the mid 80´s.
1847, there was no old transformer. I took this low impendance element from a vocal mic and put it into the shell and then I connected the Shure low to high impedance line matching transformer to be able to make it sound good with my high impedance guitar amp. But that operation was not actually needed. I could have just let the vocal mic element be in the Shell without the transformer, and then used the Shure A85F Line Matching Transformer. The A85F will make your SM57 sound great when you use an amp!
You can find examples of changing the groove in W.C. Handy's St Louis Blues, Little Walter's Mellow Down Easy and Walkin' Through the Park by Muddy Waters.
Last Edited by Hakan on Sep 03, 2017 4:07 PM
Hi 1847, like I said it's fun to try. I have always tried different ways so it's natural for me. I have already new thoughts about my next version of King Bee thanks to you guys!
