An interview with Victor Bøsling

Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Victor is currently studying at the conservatory of music in Amsterdam. At 26, his approach to jazz on the chromatic harmonica is already cutting a mean form in the genre. That said, as I hope will come across in the full interview, which you can see online, he is one of the most modest and mellow players I have had the good fortune to interview.

How did you come to harmonica?

When I was a child, a friend of mine in the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir had a harmonica (a diatonic) and I became fascinated by the instrument and would practice relentlessly. With my abilities as a singer in the choir, I then started AN INTERVIEW transferring hymns onto the diatonic and really developed my ear. WITH VICTOR How did you progress? From there I really got into the blues and BØSLING roamed the blues bars. I didn’t even pick up the chromatic until I was 19. Honestly, the most important thing for players to progress is to go Around the on stage at a jam and don’t feel afraid to make mistakes. world with What made you want to pick up the chromatic? I got very interested in jazz and developed an almost aggressive 80 great interest in learning it and understanding its various forms. What are you working on at the moment? harmonica Alongside my studies in jazz at the conservatory, one of my players technical focuses is improving my corner switching. It’s like taking your embouchure to the gym! The classic study piece to develop Sam Spranger Editorial Team corner switching is Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 Prelude, which is always fun to play! Tell me about your favourite performances? I really liked

one of yours online called “Victor’s Dance”.

For me, I think any performance where you “lock in” with the other musicians and everything comes together as a group is always a joy. It’s so important to support, and feel supported by, other musicians. And yes, Victor’s Dance is a homage to the great Victor Feldman. It was New Year’s Day - I recorded my version of that song with a fantastic Ghanaian rhythm section. I think I first heard Toots Thielman’s version on the Chez Toots album and had wanted to record it ever since.

How did you get into the conservatory, and how are you finding it?

I wrote to them saying, if Toots is one of the greats, surely there must be space for harmonica players at the conservatory! Funnily enough it was someone from the guitar department who gave me an audition and helped me get accepted.

As a teacher, do you have any tips and tricks for our readers?

Absolutely, something that is often overlooked even by professionals is tone and embouchure. Putting more of your mouth onto the instrument to get a fuller tone can give you a range of sounds to work with. Likewise, it is important to intonate the note properly on the chromatic by making sure your embouchure produces the right pressure on the reed. There are so many different tones available on the instrument, for example you can even learn how to make the chromatic “whisper”. Secondly, even when playing legato, one must properly articulate the notes and activate the reeds appropriately. Indeed, if you play without proper articulation there can be a delay as the reed takes time to activate.

Is there a piece of music you never get tired of playing?

The Days of Wine and Roses is an absolute favourite. Bye Bye Blackbird was also the first standard I tried to play and still like to go back to. To hear more of Victor, follow his YouTube Channel @Victor Bøsling Watch the interview in full @mybrokenharp