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From: b~-2000.com (robert bonfiglio)
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 19:49:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Chromatic Positions

The term "chromatic positions" and my comment on it got the same reaction
it has elicited since I started teaching chromatic to diatonic players in
the early 70's. I admit, I threw it out there (on purpose) to see if I
couldn't stir the waters. I just wanted to see if everyone knew there was
a button out there on the end of the chromatic. It still amazes me that
people will retune harmonicas in every configuration, learn to bend every
note in every way to get every chromatic tone and are still afraid to death
to reach out there and touch that button.

Where is the sense of adventure!

We ought to redefine "chromatic positions" to read "diatonic positions on
the chromatic," i.e., how to play the chromatic as if it were a diatonic.
Stick to the key of D minor or tape the button or (flip the slide on an old
280) and play in Eb minor.

Where is the sense of adventure; that button won't kill you; chromatic
blues in D minor might be really exciting. I guess I learned to play
diatonic before there were positions (which I think came with that Glover
book); anyhow we just played in different keys.

By the way, Stevie and Toots both play in keys and we all have used
different keyed harmonicas to have things lie better. For me, a B
harmonica allows me to play in flat keys but sounding in sharp keys, thus I
can take advantage of the blow F and draw C. A little knowledge of
keyboard harmony will help.

I do agree that if playing in positions helps you get a Dorian mode out of
the harp, play in positions. I only mean to expand on that to take
advantage of the chromatic. If you are playing in D minor, button motions
of A to draw C button in, or the blow F button in to the E make for legato
phrases. So if you are shaking D to F in triplets, then F to E in the
same triplets, the blow F to E will be smoother. A good run in D minor
could be repeated up a half step in Eb minor as the whole band modulates
and then back to D minor with just the push of the button. Pretty soon
little chromaticisms start showing up all over the place and you are out of
Little Walter territory and into your own.

This brings me a very disconcerting thing that happened to me this weekend
when I was playing with Santa Barbara Symphony. I went down to the local
blues club to play a little and a local harp player was playing in the
Little Walter style; this was okay until I began to notice that this young
harp player was playing the solos note for note as Walter did on the
recordings; I MEAN NOTE FOR NOTE!

Now Little Walter in a Beethoven type classical context was weird to me. I
mean we all used to learn those licks from the records, but I thought the
object was to improvise a solo and to have your own style, not be a Little
Walter clone. Is this where we're headed? I shiver at how retro that
sounded to me; color definitely does not define blues, but this is as
"white" as blues gets. Thoughts please!

Harmonically yours,

BONFIGLIO