[Harp-L] Take Five on Diatonic - a Eureka moment!

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

So I've been trying to play Take Five convincingly on diatonic for a number of years and never quite got it right... 

Then I heard Madcat and Chris Brubeck perform the tune live when he was touring through Colorado last year with his Triple Play combo. Awesome stuff! I bought myself a copy of their CD, and when I played it back I figured out that on this version, Madcat was playing in Am using a G harp in 3rd position. Very, very Kewl! 

I played the CD for Jimmy Seville, my guitar player, to show him that, yes, it can be done. Big mistake! Now he wants me to play it with this new jazz combo band we're working up. Me and my big mouth! 

Okay, I've got a great custom harp in G, and am very comfortable in 3rd, and I had the first part of the down head pretty good. But I just struggled and struggled with the second bit... It's supposed to sound all light and bouyant, but when I play it, it's all weak and wheezy, and I quickly fall out of time. Oh man, it's ALL bends ...it moves from bend to bend, uses bends within bends on ~top~ of bends; and I thought "Man, this is phreakin' IMPOSSIBLE!." 

Well, okay... maybe not impossible for Madcat, who is such and amazing player. But then, Madcat I ain't.... ~sigh~

Then I struck on an idea. Practice this deep and hard on a ~stock~ G harp (an old Hering Vintage I keep in the car). I just drilled on the second part of the head with that harp until got it as good as I was going to get it. I found that if I hit the emphasis points a little harder, it didn't quite sound so muddy... Okay, more, more more practice... ~almost~ there... timing better, but still a little weak... 

THEN after a week of this agony and some success, I tried it again on my beautiful Joe Spiers custom harp and BAM!! There it was! Very nearly clean as Madcat and MUCH better than any of my earlier attempts. Beating my head with that stock harp, and conquering it as best I could, and THEN playing it with the much easier playing custom made it happen. Eureka! 

Now, bring on that so-called jazz combo! Let's whip out Take Five.

Harpin in Colorado,
--Ken M. 
TeraBlu Band on My Space
http://www.myspace.com/terablu