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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Christian Marsh interview

January 19, 2024 Neil Warren Season 1 Episode 102

Chapters

Christian is from Australia, just north of Sydney

Plays diatonic and chromatic harmonica, starting diatonic first at age 14, inspired by rock records of his brother

Initially liked the sound of the hammond organ but family couldn’t afford one of those so opted for the harmonica (which he also liked the sound of)

Christian was a surfer and took the harmonica to the beach to play

Self-taught on the harmonica, initially from playing along with records

Norton Buffalo and Charlie McCoy were early inspirations

Joined a high-school band where he learned the role of the harmonica in the band

Perfectionist and always practising during these formulative years

Lee Oskar in the band War was another inspiration and later Christian recorded Low Rider

Started playing chromatic age 17, after first hearing Larry Adler on tv years earlier

Record store owner played Toots Thielemans to Christian, which really turned him on to chromatic

Learning scales was the first step on learning the chromatic

Did the maintenance of Larry Adler’s harmonicas when he was touring Australia with the Glory of Gershwin album

Story of how Christian acquired one of Larry’s silver slides from his Silver Concerto chromatic

I have one of Toots Thielemans slides in one of my chromatics

Started learning chromatic age 17, initially learning different scales

Joined a group jazz class at the Sydney Conservatorium, to improve musical and jazz knowledge

Worked equally on the diatonic and chromatic, and applied scale knowledge from chromatic practise to the diatonic practise. This helped in versatility and getting work

Started learning overblows after discovering Howard Levy, who Christian do perform with at a workshop

Did a jazz improvisation course following the foundation course at Sydney Conservatorium, playing with a range of different instruments

This taught Christian the skills of how to navigate and learn jazz tunes and applied jazz learnings to pop and rock songs he was performing then

Has recorded many sessions in Australia, appearing on over sixty albums, meeting several contacts at a Country music festival over there

Developed the typical fast playing of the Country style, including performing Orange Blossom Special

New album coming out in January 2024 (Christian Marsh and the Imagineers) uses Country musicians in a jazz genre, for a cross-over concept

Being a multi-genre player of the harmonica gets Christian more work, and it’s all music to him

First album release was in 1997, Planet Bound, where Christian experimented with different effects and sounds on the harmonica

Second album, The Sketch, makes more use of the chromatic and has Frank Zappa’s drummer

The Lilting is an album Christian released with a concert pianist and a didgeridoo player, following a tour of Asia

Performed Sven Libaek’s Harmonica Concerto in 2007 & 2008 with the Newcastle Symphony orchestra

Chromatic harmonica was used extensively on nature programmes in Australia through the composer, Sven Libaek

How Christian got the gig playing the concerto

How went about playing a concerto without being a highly proficient reader of music scores

Played Henry Mancini’s Breakfast at Tiffanys with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House, which was terrifying

Both Larry Adler and Toots Thielemans advised Christian to strive for his own sound

Also developed tone by trying to emulate saxophone players, like Stan Getz, Pat Metheny’s guitar playing

Chromatic playing reflects what he plays on diatonic, and vice versa

Likes to play gently to get the best tone, and let the amplification cover the sound level

Recorded bass harmonica with Ed Kuepper, a well known composer in Australia

How got started on the bass harmonica, and playing it in a stage musical, Big River, which also included playing some harmonica on stage

Has done lots of tv work in Australia

Has won some awards, including the Hohner ‘Gold Harmonica Awards’ 3 times at Hohner’s National Harmonica Championship in Tamworth

Competition was great for development as a player, and the prize money was good

10 minute question

Works on getting the overblows and overdraws really clean

Does own maintenance and set-up of harmonicas. Feels it needs to be done for his individual needs

Larry Adler learnt to play his chromatics very hard (in order to be heard in large halls in the early days), so he wanted his reeds tuned to 445 as they would flatten to 442 as he played

Reed gappings that Christian uses and solo from song ‘Hard To Understand’

Tunes harmonicas to 442

Doesn’t need to re-tune harmonicas much now as they stay in tune more than when younger

Norton Buffalo gave advice to play gently and let the amp bring the volume

Hohner endorser, playing Rocket diatonics (previously Meisterklasse and Special 20s)

Started playing a Larry Adler chromatic, now plays the Super 64, only playing four octaves

Owns a DM48 and has used it live for a hammond organ sound, using a Proteus 2000

Doesn’t use the DM48 as a trumpet, etc. because feels he can’t play it to sound like a trumpet (or the other instruments it can emulate)

Embouchre: mostly pucker

Uses AER amp for chromatic and diatonic, with multi-effects processor for the sounds he wants

Favourite mic is Beyer 88

Future plans include plans to record an Americana album with Rory Ellis, as well as the new album coming out with The Imagineers

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Christian Marsh interview

Jan 19, 2024 Season 1 Episode 102

Neil Warren

Christian Marsh joins me on episode 102.

Christian is an Australian who plays both the diatonic and chromatic harmonica. Starting out playing diatonic, Christian drew inspiration from players such as Norton Buffalo and Charlie McCoy, absorbing as much harmonica as he could lay his hands on . He picked the chromatic up a few years later after hearing Toots Thielemans play, and even went on to maintain Larry Adler’s harmonicas while he was touring Australia.

Christian is a mainstay on the Australian music scene, having 60 album credits sessions to his name, as well as a number of albums with Dr Goodvibe, and several under his own name, with a new release coming out in January 2024. Christian has also performed a concerto written for harmonica, as well as performing at the Sydney Opera House.

Links:

Christian Marsh website:
https://christianmarsh.com.au/

Recording credits:
https://christianmarsh.com.au/credits/

Online tracks:
https://www.reverbnation.com/christianmarsh/song/27991199-sven-libaeks-harmonica-concerto

Videos:
Nun In The Back Seat, with Dr Goodvibe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cov-WjwvCp4&t=200s

Roxanne, live with Dr Goodvibe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh136n8OQHY

Live with Paul Robert Burton trio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBMiFbRZYSk

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

or sign-up to a monthly subscription to the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/995536/support

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

Support the Show.

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Christian Marsh joins me on episode 102.

Christian is an Australian who plays both the diatonic and chromatic harmonica. Starting out playing diatonic, Christian drew inspiration from players such as Norton Buffalo and Charlie McCoy, absorbing as much harmonica as he could lay his hands on . He picked the chromatic up a few years later after hearing Toots Thielemans play, and even went on to maintain Larry Adler’s harmonicas while he was touring Australia.

Christian is a mainstay on the Australian music scene, having 60 album credits sessions to his name, as well as a number of albums with Dr Goodvibe, and several under his own name, with a new release coming out in January 2024. Christian has also performed a concerto written for harmonica, as well as performing at the Sydney Opera House.

Links:

Christian Marsh website:
https://christianmarsh.com.au/

Recording credits:
https://christianmarsh.com.au/credits/

Online tracks:
https://www.reverbnation.com/christianmarsh/song/27991199-sven-libaeks-harmonica-concerto

Videos:
Nun In The Back Seat, with Dr Goodvibe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cov-WjwvCp4&t=200s

Roxanne, live with Dr Goodvibe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh136n8OQHY

Live with Paul Robert Burton trio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBMiFbRZYSk

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

or sign-up to a monthly subscription to the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/995536/support

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

Support the Show.

Christian is from Australia, just north of Sydney

Plays diatonic and chromatic harmonica, starting diatonic first at age 14, inspired by rock records of his brother

Initially liked the sound of the hammond organ but family couldn’t afford one of those so opted for the harmonica (which he also liked the sound of)

Christian was a surfer and took the harmonica to the beach to play

Self-taught on the harmonica, initially from playing along with records

Norton Buffalo and Charlie McCoy were early inspirations

Joined a high-school band where he learned the role of the harmonica in the band

Perfectionist and always practising during these formulative years

Lee Oskar in the band War was another inspiration and later Christian recorded Low Rider

Started playing chromatic age 17, after first hearing Larry Adler on tv years earlier

Record store owner played Toots Thielemans to Christian, which really turned him on to chromatic

Learning scales was the first step on learning the chromatic

Did the maintenance of Larry Adler’s harmonicas when he was touring Australia with the Glory of Gershwin album

Story of how Christian acquired one of Larry’s silver slides from his Silver Concerto chromatic

I have one of Toots Thielemans slides in one of my chromatics

Started learning chromatic age 17, initially learning different scales

Joined a group jazz class at the Sydney Conservatorium, to improve musical and jazz knowledge

Worked equally on the diatonic and chromatic, and applied scale knowledge from chromatic practise to the diatonic practise. This helped in versatility and getting work

Started learning overblows after discovering Howard Levy, who Christian do perform with at a workshop

Did a jazz improvisation course following the foundation course at Sydney Conservatorium, playing with a range of different instruments

This taught Christian the skills of how to navigate and learn jazz tunes and applied jazz learnings to pop and rock songs he was performing then

Has recorded many sessions in Australia, appearing on over sixty albums, meeting several contacts at a Country music festival over there

Developed the typical fast playing of the Country style, including performing Orange Blossom Special

New album coming out in January 2024 (Christian Marsh and the Imagineers) uses Country musicians in a jazz genre, for a cross-over concept

Being a multi-genre player of the harmonica gets Christian more work, and it’s all music to him

First album release was in 1997, Planet Bound, where Christian experimented with different effects and sounds on the harmonica

Second album, The Sketch, makes more use of the chromatic and has Frank Zappa’s drummer

The Lilting is an album Christian released with a concert pianist and a didgeridoo player, following a tour of Asia

Performed Sven Libaek’s Harmonica Concerto in 2007 & 2008 with the Newcastle Symphony orchestra

Chromatic harmonica was used extensively on nature programmes in Australia through the composer, Sven Libaek

How Christian got the gig playing the concerto

How went about playing a concerto without being a highly proficient reader of music scores

Played Henry Mancini’s Breakfast at Tiffanys with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House, which was terrifying

Both Larry Adler and Toots Thielemans advised Christian to strive for his own sound

Also developed tone by trying to emulate saxophone players, like Stan Getz, Pat Metheny’s guitar playing

Chromatic playing reflects what he plays on diatonic, and vice versa

Likes to play gently to get the best tone, and let the amplification cover the sound level

Recorded bass harmonica with Ed Kuepper, a well known composer in Australia

How got started on the bass harmonica, and playing it in a stage musical, Big River, which also included playing some harmonica on stage

Has done lots of tv work in Australia

Has won some awards, including the Hohner ‘Gold Harmonica Awards’ 3 times at Hohner’s National Harmonica Championship in Tamworth

Competition was great for development as a player, and the prize money was good

10 minute question

Works on getting the overblows and overdraws really clean

Does own maintenance and set-up of harmonicas. Feels it needs to be done for his individual needs

Larry Adler learnt to play his chromatics very hard (in order to be heard in large halls in the early days), so he wanted his reeds tuned to 445 as they would flatten to 442 as he played

Reed gappings that Christian uses and solo from song ‘Hard To Understand’

Tunes harmonicas to 442

Doesn’t need to re-tune harmonicas much now as they stay in tune more than when younger

Norton Buffalo gave advice to play gently and let the amp bring the volume

Hohner endorser, playing Rocket diatonics (previously Meisterklasse and Special 20s)

Started playing a Larry Adler chromatic, now plays the Super 64, only playing four octaves

Owns a DM48 and has used it live for a hammond organ sound, using a Proteus 2000

Doesn’t use the DM48 as a trumpet, etc. because feels he can’t play it to sound like a trumpet (or the other instruments it can emulate)

Embouchre: mostly pucker

Uses AER amp for chromatic and diatonic, with multi-effects processor for the sounds he wants

Favourite mic is Beyer 88

Future plans include plans to record an Americana album with Rory Ellis, as well as the new album coming out with The Imagineers