I've just discovered Johnny Mars. He has some great videos on youtube.
I was fascinated by his mic in the video below. Can anyone share details about it?
I was really sold on this guy when I found his website and saw the work he does with kids and his musical history. Check out his bio and Mars College. www.johnnymars.com
I'm usually reluctant to suggest Adam add someone to his lists, but if names like Ronnie and RJ meet the criteria, then Johnny should have a very solid spot. Give a bump if you agree.
Hey Todd, How much to you flatten the 7 draw by - a semitone? Do you add material to the reed tip or remove it from the rivet end as a preference.
I think I read some folk add BluTac to the reed tip because it's reversible but don't know if that affects the tone adversly.
What options do you have for the missing 7 draw If indeed its needed for the music you're playing. Do you use this tuning for your country playing or just blues?
Oops one question led to another here!
ps oh and another one. I really like your high end runs. Can you tell me a typical high to low end run incorporating the flattened 7th? ---------- Grey Owl YouTube Grey Owl Abstract Photos
Last Edited by on Apr 13, 2012 9:22 AM
I love the flattened 7th draw tuning (which I call the Todd Parrott Tuning, or TPT for short), and I am slow converting all my richter harps over to this (with BlueTak). If you play Natural Minor tuned harps, this makes sense, because NM harps also have a flattened 7 draw relative to standard richter.
You actually don't loose any notes at all. The old 7 draw is now the new 7 blow bend. The new 7 draw is your old 6 overblow (which is still there to be used when you want it). In 2nd, this note is the flattened third, which we all know and love in the Blues Scale.
However, another really cool thing is that one can now play a Blues Scale in 12th... ---------- == I S A A C ==
@Greyowlphotoart - Thanks for the compliments on the high end licks. As for the tuning, I use a micro engraver to retune my 7 draw reed. I've never used Blu-Tack, though that may be a good option to use if you're not wanting to make this a permanent tuning.
Being able to blow bend the 7 blow is the best thing about this tuning as far as I'm concerned. When I initially starting using this tuning about 12 years ago, I saw it as an alternative to overblowing 6. While this is true, I still find my self using the 6 overblow because it's more expressive and can be bent or vibratoed, etc. But being able to bend the 7 blow a half step is very useful, even in positions like 6th, where it becomes the root, because you can also add vibrato to it. The bendable 7 blow also works great in 12th as Issac pointed out above. It works extremely well for 11th position and makes it so much easier to play.
As for the high end licks, it would be much easier to demonstrate in person or over Skype than to type it out here, but most include overdraws. I use the retuned 7 draw note to bounce off of, or as a passing note these days. I'd be glad to help you anytime - just let me know.
Back in 95 Johnny Mars came and did a promo thing for Hohner in my town and my band played back up. I had a few conversations with him. He's a really nice guy and a great harp player. He was really big on the mic he was using and I asked Hohner to look into marketing it. They said there wasn't a market. Typical at the time, but in hindsight, they were right.
@GreyOwl:
The TP tuning works great. As you're in the UK, I'd do the Blu Tack method using a tuner. We don't get the weather to melt it, so it's an ideal reversible way of trying it out.
@Todd: You are quite welcome! Thank YOU for bringing this tuning to my attention.
@Stevelegh: I'm pretty sure that BluTak is fairly unaffected by ambient temperature. Here in Phoenix, AZ, where summertime temps top 115F (46C), my BluTak harps haven't been affected at all. Granted, I don't leave them in the car while I go see a nice long movie in the airconditioned movie theater, but we keep the house at around 85F (30C) in the summer in order save on aircon bills, and the harps do fine with that... ---------- == I S A A C ==
I'm thinking John Popper maybe bought that video - anyone know which crazy mic came first? I can't find any BT footage before 94 that shows Popper's crazy contraption.
The only 'teaching' I have had for harmonica was a workshop at Gloucester Blues festival in 2007 with Johnny Mars. I stilll have one of his harps [I think it is a Free Blues with his name on it]. He never mentioned at the time and I didn't realsie that he plays upside down. ---------- "Come on Brackett let's get changed"
