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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Richard Hunter interview

November 26, 2022 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 74

Chapters

Richard was born in New York and has been based around the North East US all his life

Piano was first instrument before deciding on the harmonica (age 15) to get out front and impress the girls

Saxophone was an option but the less costly harmonicas was the choice after having heard Paul Butterfield

Met his wife while playing the harmonica

Had formal piano lessons when young and has taken piano up again recently

How piano playing has influenced harmonica playing

There are many more great harmonica players now than when Richard was young, helped a lot by online resources

Now is a great time to learn to play harmonica

Found a community of harmonica players in Boston

Charlie Musselwhite was a big influence on the young Richard

Had been a devoted harmonica disciple from the age of 15

Met Chris Turner, an English harmonica player, during his time in Boston and started writing solo harmonica pieces during this time

Winter Sun In Nobska was Richard’s first solo composition

Golden Mel song

The Act of Being Free in One Act was Richard’s first solo acoustic harmonica album

This album was one of the first, if not the first, solo harmonica album of this type

Keith Dunn released a solo harmonica album, but that was more blues based

Richard composed most of the songs on The Act of Being Free in One Act

Hymn For Crow song came to Richard in just 20 minutes

Richard uses a lot of different tunings on this album, using Lee Oskar’s at that time

Information on the tunings used are available on Richard’s website

Need to use the correct tunings to be able to play those songs

Chords available on alternate tunings are a big part of the tonality of those songs

The Act of Being Free in One Act album is entirely acoustic, no effects added

Lots of killer ‘licks’ on the album

The Second Act of Free Being album, with almost all tunings used available out of the box

Billy The Kid, Bela’s World and How Long Have I Loved You songs

Recordings available on Richard’s website of him playing several of these solo pieces at SPAH in 1997

The solo pieces are mainly set pieces played from memory (not improvised)

Next album (The Lucky One) was released in 2016, almost twenty years since the previous album

Performs tracks from The Lucky One using backing tracks from the actual musicians recorded for the album

Makes extensive use of effects on The Lucky One

First Digitech multi-effects unit bought in 1997 or 1998, which is when Richard really started getting into effects for the harmonica

Saw that effects pedals could replace an amplifier

Current kit Richard uses

Richard provides ‘patch sets’ for the Digitechs where he has selected effects that work well with harmonica

Bought a Fender Mustang amp later, and has patch sets for that and the Line 6 multi-effects unit

Role of effects in the modern harmonica players arsenal

Some of songs on recent two albums and how they use effects

Put The Lever Down from The Lucky One album was used as the music for a harmonica radio show

Blue Future album from 2019, using harmonica in a different role than the traditional blues band

Uses the Fender Mustang amp on most of the songs on the album, a computerised amp

Some of the lyrics written by Richard on Blue Future

Has spent a lot of time developing singing

Website contains a blog with lots of information on how songs on last two albums were put together

Since releasing the last two albums has released some videos and now is working on music for licensing purposes

Likes to push the role of the harmonica beyond just being a soloist, something that Magic Dick did with The J Geils Band

How approaches layering harmonica so doesn’t play over singer

Jazz Harp book, released in 1980, which was originally written as a book called ‘Harmonica For Musicians’

Was one of first transcription books for harmonica, although Richard still thinks harmonica players should learn to red music

Sold quite a few of Jazz Harp and made a little money from it

Chromatic harmonica, and recorded some classical pieces and studied some jazz on chromatic

Two chromatic songs on The Lucky One album

10 minute question

Harmonicas of choice (everyone going!)

Buys most of the tunings he uses, doing a little tuning himself

How does Richard find switching between different tunings

Embouchre: mostly pucker

Amps and pedals and mics

Uses wireless mic a lot

Lightweight rig uses at jam sessions

Has travelled internationally to perform and future plans

Info

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Richard Hunter interview

Nov 26, 2022 Season 1 Episode 74

Neil Warren

Richard Hunter joins me on episode 74.

Richard has immersed himself in harmonica ever since he first picked it up at age 15 and has been pushing the boundaries of the instrument ever since. His first release was a solo acoustic harmonica album, composing most of the songs himself and making extensive use of alternate tunings and counterpoint, followed up by a second album along the same lines.

Richard is a true innovator of using effects with harmonica and has created some great sounds using them on his later two albums, including the use of Digitech multi-effect pedals, for which he has created patch sets that are available to download from his website.

Richard is also the author of one of the first harmonica transcription books: Jazz Harp, that was released in the 1990s, becoming a staple publication on many a harmonica players’ shelves.

Links:

Richard’s website:
https://www.hunterharp.com/

Chris Turner:
https://christurnerharmonica.bandcamp.com/album/chris-turner-harmonicas

The Lucky One posts:
https://www.hunterharp.com/the-lucky-one-is-here-check-out-the-songs/

Solo acoustic harmonica tracks to buy:
https://www.hunterharp.com/all-hunters-downloads-in-one-place/#Sbuy

Tunings used on solo recordings:
https://www.hunterharp.com/harp-keys-and-tunings-for-my-recorded-solo-repertoire/

The Lucky One breakdown of each song:
https://www.hunterharp.com/the-lucky-one-is-here-check-out-the-songs/

DaBell harmonicas:
http://en.dabell.co.kr/home/bbs//board.php?bo_table=product&sca=Harmonica

Videos:
Richard’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/lightninrick

Put The Lever Down, from 1982:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnDPNyimg5o

Recent Electric work:
https://www.hunterharp.com/category/audiovideo/?fbclid=IwAR0bozS97Y4lZwKmGk230CmVEknErhY0rEuvEYQ19mOJOqCRMAi84wi3cVk

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

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Richard Hunter joins me on episode 74.

Richard has immersed himself in harmonica ever since he first picked it up at age 15 and has been pushing the boundaries of the instrument ever since. His first release was a solo acoustic harmonica album, composing most of the songs himself and making extensive use of alternate tunings and counterpoint, followed up by a second album along the same lines.

Richard is a true innovator of using effects with harmonica and has created some great sounds using them on his later two albums, including the use of Digitech multi-effect pedals, for which he has created patch sets that are available to download from his website.

Richard is also the author of one of the first harmonica transcription books: Jazz Harp, that was released in the 1990s, becoming a staple publication on many a harmonica players’ shelves.

Links:

Richard’s website:
https://www.hunterharp.com/

Chris Turner:
https://christurnerharmonica.bandcamp.com/album/chris-turner-harmonicas

The Lucky One posts:
https://www.hunterharp.com/the-lucky-one-is-here-check-out-the-songs/

Solo acoustic harmonica tracks to buy:
https://www.hunterharp.com/all-hunters-downloads-in-one-place/#Sbuy

Tunings used on solo recordings:
https://www.hunterharp.com/harp-keys-and-tunings-for-my-recorded-solo-repertoire/

The Lucky One breakdown of each song:
https://www.hunterharp.com/the-lucky-one-is-here-check-out-the-songs/

DaBell harmonicas:
http://en.dabell.co.kr/home/bbs//board.php?bo_table=product&sca=Harmonica

Videos:
Richard’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/lightninrick

Put The Lever Down, from 1982:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnDPNyimg5o

Recent Electric work:
https://www.hunterharp.com/category/audiovideo/?fbclid=IwAR0bozS97Y4lZwKmGk230CmVEknErhY0rEuvEYQ19mOJOqCRMAi84wi3cVk

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
and Blows Me Away Productions: http://www.blowsmeaway.com/

Support the show

Richard was born in New York and has been based around the North East US all his life

Piano was first instrument before deciding on the harmonica (age 15) to get out front and impress the girls

Saxophone was an option but the less costly harmonicas was the choice after having heard Paul Butterfield

Met his wife while playing the harmonica

Had formal piano lessons when young and has taken piano up again recently

How piano playing has influenced harmonica playing

There are many more great harmonica players now than when Richard was young, helped a lot by online resources

Now is a great time to learn to play harmonica

Found a community of harmonica players in Boston

Charlie Musselwhite was a big influence on the young Richard

Had been a devoted harmonica disciple from the age of 15

Met Chris Turner, an English harmonica player, during his time in Boston and started writing solo harmonica pieces during this time

Winter Sun In Nobska was Richard’s first solo composition

Golden Mel song

The Act of Being Free in One Act was Richard’s first solo acoustic harmonica album

This album was one of the first, if not the first, solo harmonica album of this type

Keith Dunn released a solo harmonica album, but that was more blues based

Richard composed most of the songs on The Act of Being Free in One Act

Hymn For Crow song came to Richard in just 20 minutes

Richard uses a lot of different tunings on this album, using Lee Oskar’s at that time

Information on the tunings used are available on Richard’s website

Need to use the correct tunings to be able to play those songs

Chords available on alternate tunings are a big part of the tonality of those songs

The Act of Being Free in One Act album is entirely acoustic, no effects added

Lots of killer ‘licks’ on the album

The Second Act of Free Being album, with almost all tunings used available out of the box

Billy The Kid, Bela’s World and How Long Have I Loved You songs

Recordings available on Richard’s website of him playing several of these solo pieces at SPAH in 1997

The solo pieces are mainly set pieces played from memory (not improvised)

Next album (The Lucky One) was released in 2016, almost twenty years since the previous album

Performs tracks from The Lucky One using backing tracks from the actual musicians recorded for the album

Makes extensive use of effects on The Lucky One

First Digitech multi-effects unit bought in 1997 or 1998, which is when Richard really started getting into effects for the harmonica

Saw that effects pedals could replace an amplifier

Current kit Richard uses

Richard provides ‘patch sets’ for the Digitechs where he has selected effects that work well with harmonica

Bought a Fender Mustang amp later, and has patch sets for that and the Line 6 multi-effects unit

Role of effects in the modern harmonica players arsenal

Some of songs on recent two albums and how they use effects

Put The Lever Down from The Lucky One album was used as the music for a harmonica radio show

Blue Future album from 2019, using harmonica in a different role than the traditional blues band

Uses the Fender Mustang amp on most of the songs on the album, a computerised amp

Some of the lyrics written by Richard on Blue Future

Has spent a lot of time developing singing

Website contains a blog with lots of information on how songs on last two albums were put together

Since releasing the last two albums has released some videos and now is working on music for licensing purposes

Likes to push the role of the harmonica beyond just being a soloist, something that Magic Dick did with The J Geils Band

How approaches layering harmonica so doesn’t play over singer

Jazz Harp book, released in 1980, which was originally written as a book called ‘Harmonica For Musicians’

Was one of first transcription books for harmonica, although Richard still thinks harmonica players should learn to red music

Sold quite a few of Jazz Harp and made a little money from it

Chromatic harmonica, and recorded some classical pieces and studied some jazz on chromatic

Two chromatic songs on The Lucky One album

10 minute question

Harmonicas of choice (everyone going!)

Buys most of the tunings he uses, doing a little tuning himself

How does Richard find switching between different tunings

Overblows

Embouchre: mostly pucker

Amps and pedals and mics

Uses wireless mic a lot

Lightweight rig uses at jam sessions

Has travelled internationally to perform and future plans