Re: [Harp-L] re: An alternative view... Melody Makers

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Serguei Volkov <svolkov@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> In reply to Winslow Yerxna:

(or maybe that's Yerxa)

> 
> >The bagpipe has survived and even flourished for thousands of years
> in
> >dozens of countries without "widespread popularity and recognition".
> In
> >most types of the instrument, there are only nine notes.
> 
> === The bagpipe is a marginal instrument.

Marginal in what way? In North America there are thousands and
thousands of bagpipers who play in marching bands, travel to
competitions and festivals, and so on. They probably spend millions of
dollars a year on instruments, accessories, supplies, travel, costumes,
and other related expenses. Just because the popular media don't pay
attention to something doesn't mean it's marginal.
 
> >Harmonica is certainly represented in popular music. But it will
> never
> >dominate it the way guitar has for last fifty years.
> 
> === Why not?

It's not as versatile as the guitar for acommpanying the voice (doesn't
have the breadth of range or the chordal and voicing possibilites,
among other reasons) and its tonal qualities tire the ear sooner.
 
<snip>

> >Interestingly, that's [blues] also where players figured
> >out how to supply missing notes on he diatonic version of the
> >instrument, making a major scale (and its pentatonic reduction)
> >available in all three octaves and making the major pentatonic
> easily
> >playable in three keys throughout the range of the instrument.
> 
> On the Richter version to be precise.

I think  you mean German Major. Richter is a type of construction
(single reeds, all the blow reeds on the top plate, all the draw reeds
on the bottom plate, one air channel for a pair of blow and draw
reeds). The Melody Maker tuning, for instance, is usually built in
Richter construction.


> >It's
> >also where players managed to utilize it in a manner that does not
> >require a pure major scale.
> 
> === Yes, and while it works in blues, it does not in pop, where the 
> major scale is required.

That's an oversimplification. Pop music often uses minor and blues
scales, along with the mixolydian and other modes of the major scale.
Even when pop music is based on the major scale it often uses
additional notes. Ability to play a major scale does not guarantee
usability in popular music.

> Melody Makers are the key to mainstream, it's as simple as that.

Only if you want to play in second position (why not play major scales
in first?). 

Only for mainstream music that uses a major scale - much of it doesn't.

Winslow


 
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