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From: Winslow Yerxa <76450.32~ompuServe.COM>
Date: 15 Oct 96 02:38:21 EDT
Subject: Paul deLay/Chromatics

TO: internet:harp~arply.com

Troy asks about chromatic in the context of Paul deLay. I assume
from this that he's interested in chromatic as it's played by
blues harmonica players.

Troy asks what the best chromatic harp is. Siegfried Naruhn has
already made his pitch for the superior slide of he CX-12, and
advised buying a 12-hole chromatic.

Fine. Now, let me tell you that Paul deLay does most of his
chromatic playing on a 16-hole model, the Hohner Super 64. The
extra bottom octave is heavily used by chromatic players for its
dark gritty sound when played in 3rd position (D on a C
chromatic, the only key the 16-hole chromatics come in).

However, to get this same 3rd position sound in other keys
(bsides Eb, which you can get on a C by holding the slide in and
playing like in D), many players - including deLay, William
Clarke, and Rod Piazza, will get 12-hole models in other keys.
They tend to use the Hohner Super Chromonica No. 270, which is
less expensive than the CX-12, is brighter-sounding (at least to
my ears), has a mouthpiece shape that works better (at least for
me) for the wide tongue-blocking used in the standard blues
chromatic style, but does have slide sticking problems. And yes,
modern blues chromatic players DO use the slide.

Troy asks how to tell if a record features chromatic or diatonic,
and Vern replies with various bits of advice. Unfortunately, I
agree with almost none of it.

Blues, especially modern electric blues (what Paul deLay plays),
uses a higher proportion of chromatic than does most folk or
bluegrass, or even a lot of rock-based pop nowadays, which is
almost entirely diatonic. Artists such as deLay, Clarke, and
Piazza use the chromatic very heavily.

Chromatic has a sound that, in the hands of blues players, tends
to have a big, eerie sound, with large, ponderous chords, and
less note bending than diatonic (although it is used) and almost
never any hand (wah-wah) effects (although they are possible and
are used in other styles) . The best way to get a sense of this
is to hear some records that you know include chromatic - maybe
list members could oblige with a list. Little Walter, Big WAlter,
George Smith, and Kim Wilson also are/were noted for their use of
chromatic, all in a similar way.

Vern writes

> If the accidentals (sharps and flats not in the key signature)
> are approached by glissando (slide or bend) or are
> de-emphasized by not receiving their full loudness and time
> value, then it is probable that the player is having to "bend"
> a higher diatonic note down to the desired accidental pitch.

By "not in the key signature," Vern means, notes not built into
the harmonica - i.e. you'd have to bend or overblow to get the
notes on a diatonic. Bends are often played as loud or louder
than non-bent notes, and can be hit dead-on without sliding.
Chromatic players also bend notes in blues and in other styles.
Bends are not a reliable indicator that a chromatic is or is not
being used. As you develop your ear, however, you'll learn to
tell the difference between the tone of an (unvalved) diatonic
bend and a (valved) chromatic bend. Bends do have a different
tone from natural notes, and players tend to emphasize that
difference.

> Extensive use of "wailing" glissando as in blues and on many
> commercials indicates diatonic. Use of glissando in a chord is
> an indication of diatonic.

These kinds of bends are more likely to occur in the context of a
diatonic being used, but players can and do play these on the
chromatic as well. Stevie Wonder, anyone? How about Larry Adler?
Or Brendan Power? (all chromatic players who bend like the
devil). Or Jerry Murad playing "Apple Blossom Pink? Again,
bending is not a reliable indicator of the type of instrument
being used. Although Vern is right about the overall tendency.

> If the player takes frequent jazzy liberties with the melody
> in a piece not of the jazz genre, it may be to work around
> missing accidentals or the "fa" and "la" (the fourth and sixth
> scale degrees) not present in the low octave of a diatonic.

This is pure fiction. Any diatonic player worth his salt can
easily produce these notes, and many others by bending. And get
them at full volume dead on pitch without sliding.

> If the melody is played consistently in the higher-pitched
> octave of the harp, then it is probably a diatonic and the
> player is avoiding the difficulties of the missing "fa" and
> "la" in the lower octave. These notes are missing by design to
> enhance the chord capabilities of the diatonic...to produce a
> dominant or five chord on the draw. So, a characteristic of
> the diatonic is melody in a high octave and chords (especially
> the dominant) in a low one.

See above. Vern, the missing "fa" and "la" in the lower octave
simply aren't a problem. In fact, most diatonic players spend too
much of their time in the bottom 6, or even the bottom 4 holes.
Getting them to go up into the higher register is quite a mule
pull. You observation here is the diametrical opposite of what
actually occurs with most players.

> Chords are seldom played on the chromatic. When played on the
> chromatic, chords are usually limited to two notes and sound
> like double-stopping on a violin.

Blues chromatic players play a LOT of chords. They use two-note
chords, either in two side-by-side holes, or separated by one or
two intervening holes by the tongue. But they also play full
thre, four and five note chords. Frequently. And with great
gusto. And it even sounds good. And they even, nowadays, use the
slide while doing it - and not for corny chord trills, either.
Paul deLay is the most advanced player at this (using the slide
while playing chords) that I've heard.

> The soloist in a harmonica trio is probably playing a
> chromatic.

Here I will agree with you. Unless it's Don Les. He was the
original bass harmonica player in the Harmonicats, but also a
fiendishly good diatonic improvisational melody player, and every
so often he got a chance to strut his stuff. After he left the
Cats, he concentrated on diatonic. Now there *is* one diatonic
player who concentrated on the high register. John Popper is
another. But not most blues players.

Winslow Yerxa
Harmonica Information Press
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