Re: [Harp-L] Country tuning
In answer to the Trivia Question of the Week: Yes, "Heavy Breathers" was
trimmed. Kim (not they) did the trimming, as I recall. I know because Kim Field
(the author) told me so. I asked him what got left out and offered to publish
it in American Harmonic Newsmagazine. But he assured me it was simply "word
trimming" (my term here, but I don't hold the trademark). Buy a copy of
"Heavy Breathers" if you don't own one!
I think there about 6 people on the list in the newspaper business -- in one
way or the other. Newspaper stories rarely ever run the length they are
written -- unless a writer is given a word count. Nowadays, the type can be
kerned (space between letters, space between words decreased) so that the type
fits on the page. Failing that, words have to be cut. And there is nothing that
can't be trimmed. Most of the time the writer can't even tell -- if it's done
right. (Oh, and nobody ever yells: Stop the presses! The presses stop all the
time -- when the paper web breaks, when the paper runs out, and inbetween
the different editions.)
I used QuarkXpress for PC when I produced my pages for AHN because I could
"kern" an article to make it fit on one page. It works both ways. I always
liked to keep the stories one page long or to fill full pages (after the photos
and headlines). So with the kerning process it is possible to "stretch" the
type by increasing the letter and word spacing.
I bought a copy when Winslow's book came out. I will repeat my original
statement at that time: If you CARE about the harmonica, Go buy a copy. If you
belong to a harmonica club, don't cheap it out and buy ONE copy and pass it
around. Make it a club project to buy a copy for every member. Put your money
where your mouth is, to coin a cliche.
A famous writer once apologized for writing a long letter-- because he
didn't have time to write a short one.
Don't worry about who or what got left out; enjoy what is there.
In regards to editing copy (text); the trade is called copy editing. I once
worked with a guy (in my 30+ years as a copy editor at The Detroit News) who
claimed he could word-trim the Lord's Prayer down to 10* words. (*any number
will do).
But don't worry about what is or is not there.
Winslow can put it in his next book.
Hope this clears things up,
Phil
In a message dated 2/8/2009 6:29:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
leone@xxxxxxxx writes:
On Feb 8, 2009, at 3:09 PM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:
> There is only one book that is considered the Encyclopedia of the
> Harmonica because contains biographies as well as interviews with
> players.
BUT...did they pare down the pages? lol
>
> It's a good place to start for an account of the Charlie McCoy
> "country tuning" story.
I haven't read the book. The day I was going to measure Jerry's
(Murad's) roof for new shingles, he died and I never borrowed his
copy. Besides, I'm really not too much into biographies. Mostly
because of the very things that happen here on harp-l. Too much heresay.
>
> "Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers" was copyrighted in 1993
> and at least once revised edition (with a different cover) has been
> published. I have both editions and I have no idea what was changed
> in the second edition other than adding death dates for those who
> died.
I'm sure it's a good book.
>
> On page 147, Charlie says he learned about what is now called
> "country tuning" from Duane Parker ("older gentleman") of Watertown
> New York who told Charlie:
Yeah, the name Duane Parker does ring a bell.
>
> "I played chromatic all my life
See, HE played chromo too.
> until I heard your (Charlie's) records. I've got your albums and
> I'm trying to learn. But there's one song I'm really having
> problems with--Danny Boy."
I call that one Londonderry Air.
>
> Now my (Charlie's) curiosity is up, but I'm not saying anything.
Shows how smart HE is. lol
>
> "The only way you could have done this song is to have tuned
> the fifth reed up." Parker says.
> He (Parker) pulled out a harp with the fifth reed tuned up and
> played the song and said.
> "That's the way you done it, isn't it?"
Very similar to what I did.
>
> And I (Charlie) said, "No, but that's the way I'm gonna do it
> from now on."
> What I (Charlie) had done in the studio was use different
> harps for the verse and chorus.
Exactly.
>
> This incident is not dated in the book;
How unfortunate. I wish it had been. I wish James Riddle was still
alive. He might have remembered Christmas of 75.
> so I don't know when the story happened. But Parker was still
> around when the first edition of "Heavy Breathers" came out
>
> I don't know for a fact, but I suspect Parker's experience with
> the chromatic harmonica led him to the discovery of how and which
> reed to retune. Danny Boy would be playable on the chromatic, why
> not the diatonic? What was different? And how could he fix it?
What is different is that the diatonic has no black keys
(figuratively) and is even missing white ones. So switching keys is a
problem. Instead of using (for example) a D crossed and then an A
straight for Danny Boy, my method allows one harp to do it all.
>
> MORE CONFUSION: Like overblows, (Don Les, among others in the 30s)
Don Les does an overblow on 'Impossible Dream" and I believe he had
done it a whole bunch of years ago. BUT, he also finnigled with the
reeds now and again. Occasionally having a harp tuned for just one
specific tune.
> the real origin of "country tuning" is probably lost to time.
Yes, I think so too, and the only reason I ever brought it up was
because a couple years ago, I made mention of the fact that I had
done this and now they sell them this way. I suppose it got blown out
of proportion and it was made as if I was trying to come off as some
sort of Einstein. I don't happen to be into modes and couldn't begin
to tell you the difference between a Carthaginian and a Fridgedarian
mode. I play mostly 2nd and 5th positions. Sometimes I play a
position and don't know WHAT it is. I'm just a broken down old
trumpet player.
sMo-Joe
> Anyone who knows the basics of chord progressions could have come
> up with the Magic Dick tunings. A piano player or guitarist. Just
> like my Seydel factory-built 12-hole C7 and G7 chromatics--the 7th
> chord is my favorite chord (piano 1st, guitar 2nd). If Pat Missin
> has it listed on his exhaustive and complete collection of harp
> tunings I've never been able to find it. But the piano is in my
> living room -- and I've been playing that chord for 50 years.
>
> REMEMBER, just because the wheel has already been invented doesn't
> mean that somebody else didn't invent it at the same time or
> subsequently.
>
> By the way, if you don't own a copy of "Harps and Heavy Breathers,"
> it could be one of the most fascinating purchases you make this year.
>
>
>
>
>
> (Slight paraphrase of attribution; quotes verbatim.)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 2/8/09 11:43:10 AM, leone@xxxxxxxx writes:
>
>
>>
>> On Feb 8, 2009, at 11:10 AM, Jonathan Ross wrote:
>>
>> > Smo-Joe writes:
>> >
>> > " I described my tuning (5th draw sharped and with a wind saver)
>> > and the rest is history. Somehow it got around."
>> >
>> >
>> > Funny, this is entirely different from the story Charlie McCoy has
>> > told many times for years and years, with a great deal of
>> consistency.
>> >
>> So how does Charley tell it? According to what he told me, he was
>> playing somewhere and a fellow (he didn't remember the name)
>> approached him and said "I think I know how you did that....you
>> sharped the 5th draw up a semi tone". When in fact, Charlie had used
>> TWO harps (actually 4 because he modulated up). Charley then said (to
>> paraphrase) something like; "No, but I will do it that way from
>> now on".
>>
>> Now I don't know what year this happened but it was probably after
>> 1975, because up until then, at least on the 10 McCoy albums 'I'
>> have, you can clearly tell when he is using two harps and when he is
>> not. Charley is not much for overblowing or blow bending, does mostly
>> 2nd position, and when he plays chromo, it is usually IN the same key
>> to which the chromo is tuned (see T.D.s Boogie). I agree with his
>> philosophy totally in not liking unnatural tones.
>>
>> In any case, it's no big deal to me, and I never claimed this
>> tuning..wasn't in a famous enough position to DO so, and frankly, as
>> long as it benefited the harp community, that's good enough for me.
>> The way I came up with it was by accident anyway. I had a cracked
>> reed back in 1 9 5 9. That's right, 1959. I was already playing
>> professionally and was 17 years old. I was in local 802 of the
>> 'transient musician's union' out of N.Y. (I lived on Staten Is. at
>> the time). The way I fixed the harp was to:
>>
>> Hammer out a brass lipstick case. (I have also used razor blades,
>> bullet casings, electrical switch parts)
>> Cut the reed to size with my mother's cuticle cutters, and a diamond
>> dust fingernail file.
>> Pierce a hole for the rivet by pushing with a sewing machine needle
>> and then gently filing the dent that appeared on the back side of the
>> reed with the file until a hole appeared.
>> Then I swaged the hole bigger until it would take a drift pin made
>> from a paper clip.
>> Then I tapped on the clipped off top of the rivet with a spoon to
>> form a head.,
>> I left the bitter end protrude below the reed plate, but struck it a
>> few times to make it barrel out and wedge fit.
>>
>> As I was tuning, I went the wrong way and was too sharp. I LIKED it
>> and immediately it opened up a whole NEW world of tunes I couldn't do
>> (correctly) heretofore. Eventually, I added a sharped 9th reed and
>> then a windsaver in order to blow the 5 blow DOWN a semi tone.
>>
>> This is why, things should be documented. This is how stuff gets
>> lost. This is how legends start. This is how things get credited to
>> people. Sometimes the wrong people. Just because I'm not famous,
>> doesn't mean I didn't do it. And there's nothing anyone can do
>> about it.
>>
>> Btw: I didn't stay in the business because I have a low threshold for
>> people I like to describe as being afflicted with Anus Orifice
>> Syndrome. And I sure met a lot of THEM in my time....lololol
>>
>> smokey-joe (executive assistant to Keyser Sosa...........got my sMo-
>> joe working.........roogalatah)
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross
>> > () ()
>> > `----'
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>>
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>
>
>
>
>
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