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From: sk~te.com (Rod Thomas/Sandra Teare)
Date: Tue, 9 Jul 1996 08:33:11 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: diatonic to chromatic

Steve asked for help getting started on the Chro,
75% of what I learned about the diatonic, I learned by playing along
with records and CDs. Jazz chromatic seemed way too complicated for me to
try to learn this way, so I started with blues chromatic. The problem with
learning blues chromatic for me, was that there weren't any albums around
as loaded with chromatic blues playing as there were albums of diatonic
blues. For every 10 diatonic cuts there'd be only 1 or 2 chromatic cuts
per album.
My advice to you Steve is to make a compilation tape of all the
chromatic cuts you can find in your music collection, the local library's,
and all the collections of your blues loving friends. Then you'll have a
tape that you can practice along with for hours on end. Hearing one blues
chro cut after another will familiarize you quickly with the different
sound of this new harp.
Many blues chro players use the slide very little, so this style of
playing is the easiest to get started on. Then subscribe to Winslow Yerxa
magazine H.I.P. and he'll introduce you to using the slide here and there
while playing the blues.
How to find cromatic harp cuts? Listen for harp solos with chords
that you just can't find on your diatonic harps. Check extra closely if
the song sounds like it's in the key of D or Dm. Chances are good that the
player is playing a key of C chro in third position.

Go nuts,
Rod

- --
Rod Thomas email: sk~te.com