From: dijk~orldaccess.nl Date: Fri, 06 Sep 96 09:58:57 GMT Subject: RE: Wim & Jazz Harmonica: POINT 2.
Winslow Yerxa writes a detailed reply to some of my points about chromatic tuning systems and jazz, and makes several of his own.
POINT 2
>Legato and non-legato are both important parts of music, and one >can easily.......
I agree.
>Yet I still maintain that, given a line of music to play for >which no phrasing or articulation marks have been indicated, the >default of assumption among jazz players is that the line is to >be played legato.
I agree.
>Also, to go beyond the specific question of jazz practices - >which is more valuable, iron or gold? Both are useful, but gold >is more valuable because it is RARE (yes, there are other >reasons, but this is the main one). Well, on the chromatic >harmonica, legato possibilities are rarer than non-legato. >And legato is needed for many things, in all styles of music. >Therefore it is to be sought after, and to be valued when it is >found. This is why the ability of a tuning to help or hinder >legato playing is always important, no matter what style of music >is being played or what one's personal style tends toward in >matters of phrasing and articulation.
Of course, legato playing is important. But I dont think I am searching for a tuning that helps me to play legato only in a couple of keys. Playing legato on the chromatic harmonica in certain keys is not difficult at all. Playing legato in other keys is verry difficult. I would like to play a tuning system that minimalizes these differences. Maybe the augmented triad system does.
>There are two things that make any particular bit of music lie >well on an instrument > >1 - producing the music that does not go against the physical > tendencies of the instrument (the music takes nothing away > from the instrument) >
>2 - Everything that the music requires can be physically executed > by the instrument (the instrument takes nothing away from the > music)
Are you writing the same two times? Or dont I exactly understand what you write?
>3 - the instrument adds to the expression of the music - the > combination is greater than the sum of its parts
I dont think we found out the complete possibilities of the harmonica. There is a lot of work to do to make the harmonica sound more interesting than it already is. It is not possible to state at this moment, what can be played by a harmonica and what cant. I think that, at a certain moment in ones study, changing the instrument is necesary to be able to play beyond certain physical limitations of the instrument.
>I'm not saying that legato is the best way to play at all times, >nor am I saying that speed cannot be achieved with hole leaps or >breath changes. But legato is an essential musical quality in an >instrument sounded by human breath. To reduce the possibilties >for it is to reduce the musical potential of the instrument.
I dont think the augmented triad system will reduce the musical potential of the instrument. I am gonna give it a try. Maybe in about 2 years I am able to tell you all ins and outs of the augmented triad system but first I have to try it out, than I can talk about it with you (I hope). Over what kind of period did you try this system? Did you try out all the symmetrical tuning systems? For how long did you study one system only?
>And speed will always be easier to achieve and more assured of >consistency where most of the motions involve short movements of >small physical entities (muscles, air).
Yes, but one should never prefer speed above the right notes. It is not right to play wrong notes but at a fast tempo.
>The biggest downfall of the augmented triad tuning is that it >offers no choice notes - notes playable as either blow or draw. >With only three blow or draw notes it covers a lot of ground in a >short space - this is an advantage - but the tradeoff is that >there are only six same-breath notes per octave.
Again, I have to try it to be convinced. I dont think the lack of choice notes MUST BE a disadvantage.
> Then the voice goes on to say that, since a consistent legato > is not possible for most complete phrases on the harmonica, > that legato should instead be simulated by making every note > equally detached. If they are all similar in articulation, they > will sound smoother together than a group of notes where some > are truly legato (same breath, adjacent holes) and some are > not.
>This is akin to cigar acupuncture - being burnt with a lit cigar >in one place will make you forget the pain you had elsewhere. >It's a strategy, but it's a coping strategy to deal with a >shortcoming. It points to other, more sophisticated >posssibilities for using articulation to advantage, but it's not >a true solution to the legato problem.
I am sorry but the things you mentioned about Toots Thielemans is a strategy too! I think I use the combination of these two strategies at the moment.
>This is getting too long even though I haven't addressed >everything Wim brought up. More later.
I am still very interested in the development of this fine conversation.
