IndianaHarpKid
23 posts
Aug 24, 2013
11:36 PM
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I'm wondering who everyone would have in their top 10 for chromatic players to listen to. Obviously William Clarke gets a place, and Carey Bell would get another on my list. I'd throw in Dennis Gruenling too, but otherwise I'm not sure who to put in a top 10. What do you folks think?
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Kingley
3040 posts
Aug 24, 2013
11:45 PM
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The first name at the top of the list would be George "Harmonica" Smith. He was the undisputed king of blues chromatic back in the day. He taught Kim Wilson, William Clarke, Rod Piazza and many more. Dennis Gruenling is heavily influenced on the chromatic by George. Mark Hummel is a monster chromatic blues player. Some other very good chromatic blues players are Rod Piazza, Mitch Kashmar, Gary Primich, Carey Bell and Kim Wilson.
If you want to get good at chromatic blues though, don't listen to harp players. Listen instead to horn players or hammond organ players. That's where it's at. That's what all those guys above have done.
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wolfkristiansen
201 posts
Aug 25, 2013
12:59 AM
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You missed one, Kingley. Little Walter. His stuff with Muddy, and his own stuff. I love his chromatic work on "I'm Ready", and "I Just Want to Make Love to You."
"Natural Born Lover" sends chills down my spine.
All done without pushing the button. Have a listen to Little Walter, I H Kid.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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capnj
155 posts
Aug 25, 2013
1:26 AM
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Yeah Wolf I agree on Little Walter,but I believe he did push the button on I'm Ready,kept it in all the time,tune was in Eb,Gindrick says a pressed Db on a C chro,play cross with Ab diatonic.Supposedly Walter was chastised on that solo,but later was vindicated,after good ears realised it as avant garde playing.Hell I may be wrong.Walter was wild,in a beautiful musical context.
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Kingley
3042 posts
Aug 25, 2013
1:53 AM
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I was never that into Little Walters chromatic work. It simply doesn't appeal to me. Sure he could play the thing, but I prefer George Smith's chromatic work.
Last Edited by Kingley on Aug 25, 2013 1:55 AM
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Frank
2642 posts
Aug 25, 2013
4:02 AM
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You'll either throw your Chrome in garbage or head directly to the shed energized with inspiration if you ever see Rick Estrin tear into a Chrome LIVE--Honest to God, he will scare the bejesus outta you with what he does with it - it is a sight to behold and hear him blow the Mighty Chrome :)
Here is doing a tune called "The ScissorBill" Off the CD On The Harpside
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kudzurunner
4215 posts
Aug 25, 2013
4:10 AM
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I think the important names have been named. I'll second them all--including Estrin, whose "Coastin' Hank" swings like no other player I know. Rod and Dennis both swing very hard indeed, Mitch continually surprises, Clarke is amazing, but Rick swings in a hundred different ways relative to the beat and all of them make sense. With him it truly isn't about the notes but about where he places them.
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Frank
2643 posts
Aug 25, 2013
4:14 AM
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Johnny Sansone blew me away on his Chrome work seein him LIVE too - he is easily a Master on it :)
I wasn't at this HCH event but here is a taste...
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Kingley
3048 posts
Aug 25, 2013
4:42 AM
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I can't believe I forgot to mention Rick. Thanks for reminding me Frank. Rick is a superb chromatic blues player.
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Piro39
51 posts
Aug 25, 2013
7:51 AM
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Don't forget Bill Barrett.
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robbert
238 posts
Aug 25, 2013
9:07 AM
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Paul Delay.
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wolfkristiansen
202 posts
Aug 25, 2013
3:10 PM
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Thanks, robbert, for mentioning Paul deLay. He played chromatic, and he swung while doing do.
Speaking about using the button, he did, in spades.
Can't/won't find the quote right now (too lazy), but here's what I remember-- he was asked about his great chromatic playing, and answered, more or less, "I use the button"
Lastly-- he expertly used third position chromatic in major key songs, not just minor.
Happy listening, IndianaHarpKid.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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colman
257 posts
Aug 25, 2013
7:14 PM
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Steve Guyger,this man is good !
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bluemoose
915 posts
Aug 25, 2013
7:51 PM
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+12 on Paul deLay.
MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids
FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
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Bigtone
325 posts
Aug 25, 2013
10:39 PM
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@Kingley
Man I think all the different. I think chromatic has become this huge thing and know all the famous cats play it on every song. I am not gonna name drop but the chromatic is way way way overplayed now. I will take the simple horn parts walter played any day over these cats that try and revolutionize the thing. The chromatic to me is like first position playing. When I think of a great firs position I think of BW and they way he would just lay so far back and relaxed and LW did the same on chromatic. Not to mention without LW you may never have heard electric chromatic in chicago blues period. I agree many people do a lot more notes that walter did on it but again they are just notes. Less is more!! As far as I have heard he played the button on many tracks you just have to listen. The way he played chromatic was beautiful. He approached it in the same way he approached anything else with style and with swing and with passion. I am not a little walter nut by any means or more than the next guy but I gotta stick up for him on this. I am still working on my snooky and big walter.
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Kingley
3052 posts
Aug 25, 2013
11:46 PM
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Bigtone - Like I said, he could play the thing and I wouldn't deny that he could and yes he pioneered the amplified Chicago chromatic sound (on record at least). He just doesn't do it for me is all. I'm not generally a fan of pyrotechnics on any instrument. Though there are always exceptions to the rule. So I do agree with you about it being overplayed by a lot of guys. Give me George Smith any day playing blues chromatic over anyone else (except maybe William Clarke). Although mostly when it comes to chromatic I much prefer to listen to non blues players. People like Larry Adler, Harry Pitch, Gregoire Maret and Filip Jers are a few of the guys I like.
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Frank
2647 posts
Aug 26, 2013
4:49 AM
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Here is Gary blowin the Chrome...
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chromaticblues
1446 posts
Aug 26, 2013
9:31 AM
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Norton Buffalo and Roy Rodgers
"Mercury Blues"
Now this song is in 2nd position (G on a C harp) which I don't personnaly enjoy playing, but my God could Norton Buffalo do it!
Norton Buffalo and Paul Delay both preferd playing 2 nd position on the chrom which is not the common way to play Blues chrom. Most people do it in 3rd position.
rbeetsme mention Larry Adler.
George Smith loved Larry Adler's playing.
Listen to Larry Adler's "Screw's Blues" and "Blues in the Night"
Hmmmm didn't Goerge Smith record "Blues in the dark"
Interesting!
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fred_gomez
167 posts
Aug 26, 2013
3:52 PM
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sometimes i play a C chrome in 5th. latley i been playing an A chrome in 2nd. i dont see the difference in an A chrome or and A diatonic anymore. but i usually play the A diatonic so i dont blow out the chrome. as far as the list goes theyre all ok but theyre no bob dylan or mick jagger. i mean come on.
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oldwailer
1981 posts
Aug 27, 2013
12:13 AM
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Here's one I like. . .
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Oldwailer's Web Site
Send a tip!
"Too Pretty for the Blues."
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wheel
239 posts
Aug 27, 2013
12:18 AM
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My list is: Paul Delay(not only 3rd position), Norton Buffalo(not only 3rd position), William Clarke, Rick Estrin, Mark Hummel (not only 3rd position), George Harmonica Smith, Rod Piazza, Dennis Gruenling, Mitch Kashmar and Matyas Pribojszki from Hungary (he is a real deal on chrom).
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my music
Last Edited by wheel on Aug 27, 2013 12:22 AM
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Stokes Bay Slim
18 posts
Aug 27, 2013
3:54 AM
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Piazza givin' it large on 3rd pos Chrom, 2nd pos G, 3rd pos C
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fred_gomez
169 posts
Aug 27, 2013
4:45 AM
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pookie
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chromaticblues
1451 posts
Aug 27, 2013
8:29 AM
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@Oldwailer
Yeah Paul Osher is a great Chrom player. To me I think him as a GREAT Blues musician. You could give him chop sticks and spoons and he could play the Blues!
My wife and I saw hime with Steve Guyer and Dave Maxwell at a Blues called "Beyond 2000 Blues Fest" in southern New York about 16-17 years ago.
She still says that was one of the best blues "thinges" (her words not mine) I have draged her to.
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Rhartt1234
92 posts
Aug 27, 2013
9:25 AM
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Here's my $00.02
For that intangible "feeling" you can't beat Oscher and Guyger, but I think there are better technical players that also have that "feeling. In no particular order.
1. George "Harmonica" Smith
Check out his 1st position chromatic stuff like "Chicago City" and "Boogie'n With George" Walter played chromatic first but George played those sweet octaves.
2. Rod Piazza
Doesn't use the button much but when he does it really stands out. Whether its a slow Blues or a jump, Rod uses the chords, octaves and single notes to create a lot of variety in his solos.
3. Mark Hummel
Mark thinks harmonically and melodically. He uses the 2 draw button in and 2 draw button out to phrase the major third over the I and flat third over the IV like a sax player or guitar player. He also plays lines over the I and then transposes the to the IV and V where most cats will just play the same phrase over all three chords. Lots of great stuff that uses the button.
3. Mitch Kashmar
Another really melodic player.
4. Paul deLay
he plays in multiple keys but keeps a heavy Blues feel and doesn't drift into Toots mode.
5. William Clarke
Took the george Smith thing and added organ/sax jazz to it, but it was always Blues. Check out "The Boss"
Two under the radar guys:
Doug Jay
Heck he even had a CD called "Under The Radar"
Lynwood Slim
Slim will slip Charlie Parker and Jazz standards into a George Smith chromatic thing so seamlessly you barely notice how cool it was.
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Rhartt1234
93 posts
Aug 27, 2013
9:30 AM
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Oops, I forgot Gary Primich and Kim Wilson. More than most of these guys Kim's chromatic playing has grown and transformed the most. On the 70s/80s T-Birds stuff he played very little chromatic and rarely used the button. No he plays much more chromatic and uses the button a lot. Unlike say Hummel who use it to play a theme or riff, Wilson uses the button almost exclusively for passing tones.
Gary Primich?
For me it was all about "September Song" to hear amplified chromatic on a standard like that blew my little teenage mind. It was pretty straight but still really Bluesy.
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Rhartt1234
94 posts
Aug 27, 2013
9:31 AM
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Oh yeah...Dennis Gruenling too!
There, I think I'm done.
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Lmbrjak
179 posts
Aug 27, 2013
9:34 AM
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@chromaticblues: I'm with you on Norton's Mercury Blues.."Oh my God" as Roy says at the end. Maybe you could answer a question for me since I don't own or play chromatic. Does Norton switch to chromatic say around the 4:10 mark,or is he playing it the whole song?
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1847
1016 posts
Aug 27, 2013
10:11 PM
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norton does indeed as switch to chromatic at 4;10
good ear.
check out rod, he is using two re-issue bassmans on that gig
you're not going to hear or see that to often.
check out his use of the "button"
you wont see that just anywhere either lol
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master po
i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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fred_gomez
170 posts
Aug 28, 2013
6:30 AM
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thats not tommy tucker its stevie wonder. but its the only version on youtube. off topic i think stevie is playing a 365 C here
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fred_gomez
171 posts
Aug 28, 2013
6:43 AM
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teal-lay-munds
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Frank
2668 posts
Aug 28, 2013
7:47 AM
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Never said it was Tucker - just was pointing out he was the originator of the tune and died tragically way to young :)
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fred_gomez
172 posts
Aug 28, 2013
7:59 AM
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ive actually never heard this. yeah sad my aunt died of a gas accident in the house. i really like the organ on this. i could never get a band to do this. what key is it in? i wanna try doing it just on chrome.
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timeistight
1337 posts
Aug 28, 2013
9:24 AM
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"what key is it in?"
The Tommy Tucker version is in C. Stevie Wonder played it in G (his voice was pretty high back then).
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Stokes Bay Slim
19 posts
Aug 28, 2013
2:12 PM
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Piazza again - HELL YEAH
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fred_gomez
173 posts
Aug 28, 2013
4:11 PM
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so stevie does it in 8th position? hmm ill try it with a Bb or F in 3rd.
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fred_gomez
174 posts
Aug 28, 2013
4:16 PM
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eat your heart out st louis
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