RE: [Harp-L] Fresh From A Workshop, I tackle "The Un-Natural Octave"

["Bradford Trainham" <bradford.trainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Now, I'm visually impaired... But I independently verified that at different
times he had...
Several different whistles, squeakers, bird calls, a toilet paper roll he
used as a mute, (which really sounded good, like something you'd do at a
gig...), a piece of a high-hat he'd use for percussion and no telling what
else. 

As I'm singing/playing-harp in a rock band right now, and as I'm a bit
nostalgic to get back into some acoustic situation, it encouraged me to
think that if the world's electricity ever went out... And stayed out...
That Mad Cat would still be making lots of music somewhere...
Brad Trainham

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of steve warner
Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 10:56 PM
To: harp-l
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Fresh From A Workshop, I tackle "The Un-Natural
Octave"

George Smith used to do it and I'm sure many other great players.  I read
that several years ago in Blues Revue when Doug McCleod would tell his
stories about George.  I decided to give it a go and after a short time I
did it.  Do Note:  "Doing that on command during a song is a whole nutha
ball game  lol  .  You can do it too if your tongue block is
sufficient...it's the F octave.   These are the reasons why tongue blocking
is so very important.  The possibilites are limitless.
 To make sure just set up a tuner and bend that octave if your ear doesn't
recognize it.
Check out holes 3 and 6.

By some chance did Madcat pull out his bag of jaw harps?  That's something
to see.  He'd have a harp in one hand, a jaw harp in the other and then hoot
and holler while switching back and forth.  I've got that one on film and
WOW!  He's a genious!

On 6/9/08, Bradford Trainham <bradford.trainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> It's all true, of course!
> I attended the harmonica workshop held last week at the Kerrville Folk 
> Festival.  It was a three dayer... With Michael Rubin, Rob Roy Parnell 
> and Peter "Mad Cat" Ruth instructing.
> All I can say is... That if you've been "diagnosed" as an intermediate 
> level player... And you want to be inspired..., you should attend such 
> a workshop if the opportunity comes your way.
> Among the !!many!! Possibilities I brought back in terms of things to 
> work on are the octaves to be had on the diatonic by sounding only 
> draws eight and four or seven and three.
> And... While in a state of octave-obsessed ecstasy... I discovered 
> that you might double-bend three, block four and five and sound six to 
> get the octave (for instance) a on a c diatonic.
> And it's about this last one that I guess I'm wondering...  Does 
> anyone else in the world use this as a dependable chop?
> What I'd like to do is become proficient enough at all the 
> above-mentioned octave constructs such that I could incorporate them 
> in a downward run in a solo as eighth notes quickly going from the 
> eight/four, seven/three and then the six/double-bend-three ending up 
> on the  six/three blow.
> (I realize I entered all these note pairs/holes-sounded from high to 
> low/right-to-left which might be backward.  Have mercy!!) Also, I know 
> octave harps exist if I wanted to drown the world in octaves.
> I'm mainly doing this for dexterity and because, after hearing "Mad Cat"
> play, I'm under the delusion that if one tried hard enough, one might 
> do !!anything!! (Drive on the freeway!  Perform brain surgery where 
> the brain was missing in both patient and surgeon...  "Command that 
> these stones be made bread") With one diatonic harmonica.
>
> So in summary, does anyone use the double-bend three draw with the six 
> hole to attain to one more "un-natural" octave?
> Brad (Octavian Caesar) Trainham
>
>
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-- 
steve
www.thunderharpmics.com
fattest tone on earth!
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