Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx asks:
> Great points David and Michelle
>
> Do you have any pointers on how to get a good mando chop rhythm on the
> harp? Mine sound unchoppy at this point.

Sure. I'd start simply.

I assume you know how to count the "off-beat" (aka, "up-beat;" when you 
tap your foot to the beat, the up-beat is when your foot reaches the top 
of the "up" swing). You don't want to hit the downbeat. Leave that to 
the bass player if you have one in the group. Keep your eyes glued to a 
mandolin player if you are unsure. [I find it to be good practice to 
clap on the upbeat in an audience full of people clapping on the 
downbeat. Practice tapping the upbeat whenever you listen to music. You 
need to cultivate the ability to hit those upbeats in a sea of 
distractions. Bluegrass is fast-paced so you need to be able to keep 
that upbeat at speed. Remember that when you take that role of playing 
rhythm, you become the heartbeat of the group and people rely on you to 
be keeping the time exactly right. I'd go so far as to say that what you 
play is less important than when you play it in this context.]

Once you know you can hit those upbeats spot on, practice making very 
short, percussive chords on your harps. Once you get used to the whole 
concept, you may choose to not use them, but tongue articulations can be 
very helpful. Try articulating an abrupt "tuck" sound through your harp 
with just your tongue, no breath. Then try it combined with rapidly 
opening your oral cavity. You may be surprised at how much sound you can 
get out of a harp without breathing through it. But tongue articulations 
aren't enough to get that real percussive beat or good tone. You need to 
coordinate your in- and out-breaths with the motion of your tongue, 
timed with the expansion or contraction of your oral cavity. Think of 
your tongue as a piston inside your mouth. You can make a percussive 
little beat without any breath by moving your tongue from the front of 
your mouth to the back while simultaneously opening the inside of your 
mouth (and vice-versa). Now couple that action inside your mouth with 
some very short and choppy in- and out-breaths (for the blow- and 
draw-chords). As always, opening up your oral cavities and airways helps 
your tone.

Another key factor in accentuating the staccato nature of those "chops" 
is your hand cupping. If you start with a tight cup and then abruptly 
open the cup in synchrony with your "tuck" articulation and choppy 
breath, you can make that "chop" even more accentuated (and pleasing to 
the ear). This will require some practice and maybe recording yourself 
or enlisting a volunteer listener, but the effect is well worth the 
effort. Just understand that the timing of opening and closing that cup 
can further accentuate that "piston" effect you are shooting for. 
Careful timing of opening and closing your cup with respect to the 
sounds you are making with the harmonica is key to a great acoustic 
sound. (If you don't know what I mean take a listen sometime to great 
acoustic players like Joe Filisko, Grant Dermody or Paul Davies.) The 
ability to employ hand effects is one of the great joys of playing 
acoustic harp. And, once again, you can use your hand cup to expand the 
tonal palette you have at your disposal. Many players don't realize that 
their acoustic hand cup can actually make their sound louder as well as 
muting it.

When you become comfortable with the simple "tuck" articulations on the 
off-beat, you can think about what to do the rest of the time. Here are 
a couple of my personal ideas. I like to softly mirror or echo single 
(down-beat) notes that complement whatever the instrument taking the 
break is playing -- in a supportive way, say echoing simple tones from 
the melody or hitting harmony notes. [This also gives me an opportunity 
to cheat a little particularly if I am not terribly familiar with the 
song of the moment (you can't know 'em ~all~ ). I can (softly) and 
subtly practice what I want to play when it comes time for me to take a 
break. By the time it's my turn for a break, I will have heard several 
versions by the other musicians. That, coupled with my subtle "practice" 
usually enables me to acquit myself fairly well when it's my break. Of 
course, it's always perfectly permissible to deny being handed a break 
with a subtle headshake or motion to send it to the next player.]

Another thing you can do is embellish the rhythms you play using more 
complicated tongue articulations. Try making the "tuck" you articulate 
on the off-beat the much more accentuated of several 
"tucka-tucka-tucka's" (timed with the string instruments) before the 
next off-beat. Sort of a "TUCKA-tucka-tucka-tucka. Also, try leaving a 
gap between your lips and the cover plates to vary your tone on either 
the louder off-beat "tuck" or the softer ones that follow until the next 
off-beat. As I'm sure you know there's lots of different sounds that can 
come from a well-played harmonica. That's part of what you can offer to 
a bluegrass circle. The whole idea is to blend in and enhance the 
overall sound of he group. Only the player taking the break or singing 
should stand out.

A few words about bluegrass jam circle etiquette. There are two ways of 
selecting which player will take a given break. One is to simply hand 
the break to the next player in the circle (usually clockwise). Also, 
many circles take turns going around the circle to determine who will 
call the next song. Then the person who chooses the tune plays the intro 
and head and then the break will either hand off to the next player in 
the circle or s/he can point at any random player to take a break. Then 
when that player is finished, the person calling the song selects 
another player for a break with a head nod or pointed finger. When the 
song caller reckons the song is over, instead of handing off another 
break, s/he will lift one of their legs up off the floor a bit to 
signify the song's end (really). When one song is finished, the next 
person in the circle calls the next tune. (When you are "up" is when you 
really do need to know a few popular tunes.)

That should help some.

Closing note: Of course, rigorous study of the popular bluegrass 
melodies can certainly open (or keep open) doors for any wannabe 
bluegrass musician. But I wanted to make the point that even if you 
aren't a fiddle tune virtuoso, as long as you understand the genre and 
appreciate the roles that the various instruments play within it, it's 
actually fairly easy to fit harmonica into a bluegrass jam circle. Like 
Dave Payne, some of the most fun I've had playing music has been in 
late-night jam circles at bluegrass events. I suggest you try it out 
even if you aren't a Tony Eyers. :-)

Michelle