THEWONICAEDUCATOR @2006 EXPANDS PROWDES T.H.E KNOWLEDGE OF IN-DEPTH INFORMATION HARMONICA ON A WIDE RANGE OF TEACHING AND MUSICAL AND IIARMONICA PL.4YING REL/ITED TOPICS Volume 13 lssue 2 Internatìonal Publication Dedìcated to the Advancemenf of Harmonica Education Summer 2006 Sincethe 1980s,Nick Dallett has been active in the acousticmusic scenein the Pacific Northwest, and has composedand performed a wide Interpretation: Finding Your Style I variely of music, from conlemporaty classical chamber music to hard rock. In addition to creating music, Nick has been active since 1990 in The Construction of Diatonic and Echo 8 Pipe Harmonicas promoting regional musicians of the Pacific l'{orthwest. This has been "A Using PayPal for Subscriptions,Pur- t0 through his radio progranx Portable Stage" on KSER (90.7, Everett, chasingHarmonica Books, and Ads Washington),through his record label, BAF, through his work in cata- loguing the Folklife Festival tape archives, and through the Olympic AcousticGuitar Association,an organization he co-foundedin 1991. From The Editor "The Traditional Irish Music and the Nick Dallett wroÍe a book called, Musical Experience,"which is Diatonic Harmonica published by Acoustic Confusion Music (@ 1991 Nick Dallett/Acoustic Beginning and Intermediate Level ConfusionMusic). Mr. Dallett has given his kind permission to reprint Harmonica Players sorne articles his book. The follou,ing reprint is called Beginning & Intermediate Level Bass "Interpretation: from Finding Your Style." Many of the ideas in this article will Harmonica Players be of valueto harntonicasoloists and ensembleplayers. Beginning,Intermediate, and Advanced level Chromatic and Bass Interpretation: Finding Your Style Harmonica Players (Reprintedfrom the Winter 1997 Issue) Scales,Intervals, Rhythms, Arpeggios, and Exercises for Chromatic and BassHarmonicas By Nick Dallett (Reprintedwith permissionof AcousticConfusion Music) Duets, Trios, and Quartets for Harmonica Ensembles EXERCISE - Comparing The 48-Chord Harmonica I) Find two recordingsof a classicalcomposition. Try to makethem as The Chord Harmonica: Musícianship dissimilaras possible- say,two recordingsof the samepiece made fifty and Performance Skílls yearsapart. Aside from record stores,some possible sources are friends' Golden Oldies for Har. Ensembles 35 recordcollections, the public library, or a local radio station. The SelectedMusic of Stephen 31 Foster for Harmonica Ensembles Play both recordings and note the differences.First, think about the The SongsofEngland, Ireland, Scotland, 39 recordings,environment. Is one recordings,made in an empty hall, with and Wales for Harmonica Ensembles lots of reverberation?Is the tone dark on one record and brieht on the The Music of Italy for Har. Ensembles 4l other?Identifu as many of thesevariables as possible. The Music of Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, 43 Spain,and Uruguay for Har. Ens. Tum your attentionto u'ays in which the actual performanceis differ- Hymns for Harmonica Ensembles 49 tempo compare?Is one performance faster than the ent. How does the Light Classicsfor Harmonica Ens. 5l other?Does one seemprecise and angular,while the otheris more rounded World Of Jazz 57 and comfortable?Pay attention to any omamentationthat may be present The Article About DouglasTate 59 (Continued on Page 4) In The Spotlight 62 News From The Suzuki Corporation 64 Advertising Section 68 TFMI{ARMONICA EDUCATOR Summer 2006 Page67 REVIEWS OF COMPACT DISKS *Music Reviewof new CD by Willi Burger called, from Spain and South Americar" Willi Burger (EuropeanClassic Editions ECO1) By PatMissin Italian-bornWilli Burger has been a prominent name on the Europeanharmonica scene for many years, sincewinning the 1955 contest run by the FederationInternational de l'Harmonica and drawing praise from such luminaries as Larry Adler and Tommy Reilly. Listening to any of Burger's recordings, it is easy to see why they were so impressed. As the title says, this CD focuses on works by composersfrom Spain, Argentina and Brazll. including Manuel de Falla, Pablo de Sarasate,Heitor Villa-Lobos and tango legendAstor Piazzolla,as well as the French composerJacques Ibert. None of thesepieces were written expresslyfor harmonica,but Burger's transcriptions make them sound so natural for his instrument, exploiting the wide range of possibilities that the harmonica of- fers - trills, double stops,expressive dynamics and punchy staccatophrasing contrasted with smooth legatopas- sages. The accompanimenton this album is of an equally high standard,with sensitive piano playing from Marcello Parolini and somepassionate guitar work by Venezuelanguitarist JesusEduardo Alvarez. Most of the tracksare quite short,making the CD very accessibleeven for thosewho are not seasonedfans of classicalmu- "Carmen sic. The longest track is a i3-minute reading of Pablo de Sarasate's Fantasie", a piece based upon "Carmen". themesfrom Bizet's opera This is my favorite piece on the entire CD, at times playful, at other times introspective,but always thoroughly engaging,with Burger's love of the music shining though every note. This "must track alonemakes this a have" CD for all fans of the chromaticharmonica. Thosewith internetaccess can find more detailsand someaudio samplesat: www.harmonica.it The CD can be orderedfrom: EUCLED S.r.l CP 29 FE Centro 44100Ferrara Italy Email: [email protected] "Transcriptions Those who enjoy this CD would also be advised to seek out Burger's earlier album for ChromaticHarmonica (French Transcriptions)"on the Agora label, featuring works by Debussy, Ravel, Satie and Faure. Editor's note: See thefull-page Adfor Willi Burger's new CD, on page 69..