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Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 00:02:24 +1200
From: "G"
Subject: Re: We have entries!


From: Ode to Joy Summer Challenge
Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2001 15:45:42 -0700 (PDT)
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We now have four entries in the Ode Challenge.
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http://www.geocities.com/odechallenge
Winslow Yerxa
Ode to Joy Summer Challenge creator and facilitator
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Hi Winslow,
Excellent effort with the website and I commend those who've made the effort
to put in submissions so far ... its a hard exercise to do well - at the
very least its an excellent honing device for one's chops to try it in
various positions and see just how clean you can get it.

I've perused the submissions. I am a little uncertain of what standards do
we aim for here as to "do you think it passes the test".
In that ... if I can tell by the timbre of the bent note that it is
different from the other notes ... is it therefore not passable? Or is it
enough that its controlled, in pitch and used effectively ... therefore
it'll pass ?
I don't know ... on a piano I cannot tell the difference in timbre between
each note other than its pitch and duration... but its nature is as much
like the neighbouring notes. Is this what we aim for ?
Or do we take the instrument in its own right and say - yes there is timbral
differences by the very nature that the 3''- is a double reed bend, and the
others clean - its how its used musically that does the job.

If I was to fill in the forms now, I would do it with the strictest of
standards - in that I can't tell the tonal difference between the bent note
and the others at all (mind set and knowing which note it is aside).
For instance if one were to do it in first position on a G harp and then 2nd
on a C harp and for us not to be able to tell which is which is the kind of
standard I'd currently expect to reach the "passes the test" point.

Also how clean do we want the held notes ? Beyond "acoustic recording
without 'after the event editing'" no points were raised on hand cupping &
hand flutters - warbles? ... are these acceptable techniques of making the
instrument sound chromatic? An acceptable limit to what we're aiming for?

Are there similar projects for say the Saxophone where intonation,
especially in the altissimo range is an ongoing part of one's chops and
certainly present a musian attempting chromatic pieces a challenge - that is
the higher you go the more flat one tends to be until they really master the
instrument.

Is this the sort of thing we're trying to acheive? But surely this is a
different ball game with what we have.

I guess I'm just not quite sure what we're shooting for here?
And perhaps that is half of what this project is doing ... raising the
issues, that set more challenges as we find out just what is and isn't a
part of the harmonica's capabilities combined with the musician playing it.

Regards
G.