Other web Sites
Harmonica Blues  Harmonica Amps
Harmonica Links Harmonica Pages
• Archives Home
• Years
 · 1992
 · 1993
 · 1994
 · 1995
 · 1996
 · 1997 		 · 1998
 · 1999
 · 2000
 · 2001
 · 2002
 · 2003
 
Web HarpL
Ebay Searches:
Amps:
Microphones:
Effects:
Harmonicas and Gear:
Harmonica Music and Instruction:

 

 

Harp-L Archives

[Previous Message] [Next Message]
[Previous in Thread] [Next in Thread]
[Start of Thread] [End of Thread]

From: Douglas Tate
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 08:51:41 +0000
Subject: Re: Bends, Tone, and Timbre

The argument/discussion/chat about whether or not bends, timbre etc can be
uniform, in tune ... whathave you is an intuiging one!!

IMO, if you listen carefully to harmonica, in particular diatonic, being
played, you can usually hear if a note is draw or blow. Notice, I do say
usually. On chromatic and in my particular area of playing where the
~ability~ to play a uniform line of notes is somewhat of a pre-requisite
(the so-called 'classical' scene) I still don't think that in general I, or
any other player, can make a really perfect string of identical sounding
notes. Actually, in the main, that could be thought of as a good thing
as it adds subtle colouration to ones playing.

BUT... there is the point of view that, if one can produce 'perfection' in
this regard THEN it is possible to introduce the particular
imperfections/changes/what-have-yous that you, the player, want included,
not be dictated to by the instrument. In other words .. rather like
driving a racing car... in the one instance hanging on whiteknuckled as
you go round bends etc in the other.. calculating how far to push it at
this particular bend.

I said above "the so-called 'classical' scene" and that is a term of
nicety, doesn't have any real meaning.... IMO it applies to all melodic
playing... ( OK... out with the torches and pilory ) I agree with RB's
approach insofar as the practice of scales is concerned....(I agreed with
that approach before he was BORN!) not as a prerequisite but as a highly
desirable pursuit. all music is a combination of scales and arpeggios ..
(OK..and leaps and smears and...) if you have a scale under your belt and
you come to it in a tune .. easypeasy. if you AIN'T, then it is yet
another difficult snippet to learn.

To revert to the timbre thing, tone held on bends etc. I asked Mike C a
week or so ago about holding bends for a long time and got a good reply if
I remember rightly... Richard, today (yesterday for America!!) talks about
unevenness of tone etc on bends and non bends (to put it simply). I
sent one of my bits and pieces tapes to a wellknown and respected NY player
(not RB) basically so that he could hear the sound of a stainless steel
instrument ... ( I cheated a little and asked him to try and detect which
pieces were played on wood and which on steel .... wicked !!! .... no
wood!) I got this as a sentence in a post from him

>>One other aspect of your tape that impressed me was the impeccable
tuning. The octaves and double stops were far more euphonious than one
might expect. <<

This is from a person with a very good ear..... now the interesting thing
is that this is the instrument i haven't tuned in 30.5 years..... and if
I give it to anyone to blow it sounds terribly out of tune. If I play in
an unthinking manner it is out of tune... if I start thinking of the music
and the people I am playing with it is pretty damned good in tune.
NOW.... the implication of this is that I must be pretty damned smart at
bending and holding bends with uniform tone and pitch!!!! Those of you
who know me well and have heard me attempt diatonic stuff, when you have
dried the tears from your eyes, will acknowledge that this just is not true
for blues bends in my case....
they are all over the place.

However.... I can't help but wonder.... if, unconsciously, i can produce
very consistant small bends, pitch adjustments or whatever you like to
call them, is it not possible that the same is also possible on deeper
bends.... or does the different mode of vibration of a reed in a deep bend
perclude this simply because of the physics of what is happening????
Just a thought

Douglas t