question for MT GUru

[Whistling Archer]

Hello ,, I know you da man,, I need to ask a question please .
ok , Im learning Irish songs on harmonica.. I learned a couple , Kesh Jig for example. I do it with single notes & chords .. should ITM harmonica be played only single notes? Somebody told me yesterday it should ,,, but I wanted to get it from the Guru mouth so to speak , please take just a moment to answer. I want to learn to play approproately sp?
Thanks Steve

[Jerry Freeman]

Are you familiar with "New Irish Harmonica" by Brendan Power?

http://www.brendan-power.com/New%20Iris ... monica.htm

This album started out intended as an instructional cassette on how to play Irish tunes on the harmonica. Dave Mallinson (well known in the English folk scene for his successful range of tutor books and tapes for celtic musical instruments), heard me playing a few Irish tunes in solo shows, and suggested a collaboration with guitarist/producer Chris Newman to make an instructional tape. A couple of months later Chris and I got started; after the first day, we were having too much fun to stop at an instructional cassette, so we persuaded Dave to invest a bit more and put the project out as a CD on his new label, Punch Records.

Though it got very little promotion, the album somehow made its way into the hands of Radio Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, who gave it quite a bit of airplay. As a result, Irish musicians heard the music and, out of the blue, I started getting calls to come over to Ireland and guest on other peoples' albums, play on film soundtracks etc - a process that eventually led to a gig in the Riverdance show.

I remember driving with Lorraine in Ireland soon after the album was released, and hearing a track on the car radio played by the Irish language station Radio na Gaeltacht. That was some buzz for a Kiwi a long way from home.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Whistling Archer]

No Jerry ,, Im trying to go diatonic,, but a friend is sending me a chrometta , Ive never played one before . Im new at this game.
Even YOUR wonderful whistles cant help me on whistle . I still have my Mello & blackbird & like the mellow best ,,, but I dont think I will ever be a whistler . Harmonica is fun though.
I need to know about the single note thing

[pao]

Hello ,, I know you da man,, I need to ask a question please .
ok , Im learning Irish songs on harmonica.. I learned a couple , Kesh Jig for example. I do it with single notes & chords .. should ITM harmonica be played only single notes? Somebody told me yesterday it should ,,, but I wanted to get it from the Guru mouth so to speak , please take just a moment to answer. I want to learn to play approproately sp?

Why not just send the man a PM?

Even YOUR wonderful whistles cant help me on whistle . I still have my Mello & blackbird & like the mellow best ,,, but I dont think I will ever be a whistler . Harmonica is fun though.
I need to know about the single note thing

Like i said, why not just send the man a PM?
And besides this is the whistle forum y'know.. and there are a lot people (esp. newbies) who are trying their best to be positive and be good at whistling.

[Whistling Archer]

well , even though I wanted Gurus advice I hoped I would get advice from others as well,

no need to get your knickers in a twist
Steve

[Denny]

oh, Dallas Bob....

point is this is the whistle forum....the free reed forum is down the street

[Whistling Archer]

dallas bob?,, your not funny ,, you last 2 are the only unfriendly whistlers I ve run into , so whatever, I dont think my 1 question messed up anything,
Funny ,, Jerry is probably one of the best whistlers here,, as well as tweaker and he answered .
the reason I asked here is there are many more viewers here ,, so more potential answers . dont get yours in a twist either

[MTGuru]

San Diego Slim here.

First, let's step over into this other room thisaways ...

Second, when a post is directed to one of the moderators, I think we can figure this stuff out.

Third, the last time I played harmonica seriously was in the 3rd grade. A guitar-playing classmate and I formed a duo, and we tortured our class with songs I wrote about trees and flowers. It's been downhill ever since.

Fourth, I think Steve Shaw is still yer man for this here. My impression is that Irish diatonic harmonic style is a bit like fiddle. Basically single note melodic. But some players make extensive and subtle use of double stops for lift and emphasis. Kevin Burke comes to mind.

Fifth, Aaarrrggghhhh!! Oh, sorry ... that was meant to be private.

[Denny]

San Diego Slim here.

Well hey there Slim!

Second, when a post is directed to one of the moderators, I think we can figure this stuff out.

I can't help meself.....I think I wanted to be a fight announcer in me childhood

Fourth, I think Steve Shaw is still yer man for this here. My impression is that Irish diatonic harmonic style is a bit like fiddle. Basically single note melodic. But some players make extensive and subtle use of double stops for lift and emphasis. Kevin Burke comes to mind.

long fourth...
Steve Shaw is a dang fine harmonica player.

Wouldn't them box players be even more applicable than the fiddlers?

[Whistling Archer]

Thank You ,, sorry I was rude, Im too quick on the draw sometimes
Steve

[SteveShaw]

Funny title for a harmonica thread, which is why I've only just found it! There are no rules, bearing in mind though that ITM is basically all about tunes. If you tongue-block on the harmonica, meaning you can play chords, octaves, split intervals and a vamping-style "accompaniment" to yourself, with tongue pull-offs, etc., there's no reason why you should regard single notes as the only way to go. There's a bloke on YouTube calling himself LoveBox Quartet who plays in tongue-block style and he's well worth a listen. The great Northumbrian player, Will Atkinson, played lots of tongue-block too. The defining thing, though, is that the melody still shines through. I don't tongue-block at all, so most of my playing is single notes. I use tremolo harps occasionally, but my personal preference is for single-reed harmonicas - blues harps first and foremost, with occasional use of chromatics. My main outlet is playing Irish/Scottish/Northumbrian in the pub with me mates, and, in order to blend, I've decided to go for a clean, single-note sound with not too much in the way of wailing and wah-wahing. But that's just me. The only rule (contradicting myself!) is that good taste must be exercised at all times!

I think you need enough control to be able to play single notes even if you choose not to. There are not many chords available on a standard-tuned harmonica that work with ITM, and, quite often, you are simply using two adjacent notes. Use yer ears to hear whether these are working with any other harmony instruments that happen to be playing.

[scheky]

I actually love listening to LoveBox and then more pucker-style (like Steve or James Conway). It's interesting to hear what all the harmonica is capable of.

I'm a tongue-block man myself, but I don't vamp like LoveBox or James Thurgood. I keep the chording vamp down to more what you would hear on a concertina (imagine that, the concertina being a major influence to me)...the occasional chord to accent something. I concentrate more on my timing and the simplistic rolling along with the tune than ornamentation. It's just how it feels right when I'm playing. Of course, I'm still not anywhere near the level of some here, but I'm at the point where I know what I'm doing and how to achieve what I want.

I recommend buying Steve's CD, as I enjoy it quite heartily. Mouth Box is also a staple for Diatonic. I'll see if I can sit down tonight and put out a small discography for the harp.

As for Chromatic, don't ignore the chromatic and tremolo players. Brendan has some absolutely amazing stuff out there. The Murphy's...well, consider them a must-listen. I play a tiny bit of chromatic (with a Seydel G customized for Irish music) and own a REALLY cheap Tremolo that I can't play well at all.