Re: [Harp-L] Respect for harp

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Haka Harri" wrote:
<...There have been frequent posts on how the harp is 
<underestimated as an instrument. And other musicians calling it a toy. On the contrary,
<as in Ev's example, folks crave to hear some harmonica. Guitar is a beautiful
<instrument but there are 13 guitar players to the dozen. Not near as many harp players
<around. Harmonica is an added value to almost any performance, be it live or studio.
<
<Although I'm just an amateur player, I have still received only positive response
<from both musicians and audiences. Most of which is due to the fact that very few
<have heard really good harp players like West Weston.
<
<More of that level of playing and the harmonica will surely keep it's place 
<as an important part of music.

All of us on this list of course feel that the harmonica is important.  The composers I work with also feel that it's important, at least for certain musical and emotional contexts, or they wouldn't write for it every once in a while.  But it is nowhere near as important to them as guitars, drums, bass, piano, etc.  Few if any session players now make a reasonable income (meaning enough to support a decent middle-class existence) from harmonica work alone.  Few harmonica players (compared to guitarists, bass players, keyboardists, etc.) make a reasonable living from performing, either.  And as blues clubs shrink in numbers and bookings--which they rapidly are, according to no less a harmonica hero than Charlie Musselwhite--an important source of performance opportunities for harmonica players is drying up.
  
Audiences don't crave harmonica.  They like it when they hear it, especially when it's played to a level that's above their expectations.  But they don't demand it from the bands they see or the records they buy.  Otherwise they wouldn't be surprised to hear "really good harp players like West Weston."  They're certainly not surprised to hear really good guitarists.  They hear one or more of those in almost every band they see.  

I repeat: we're the ones who crave harmonica, not the masses out there.  If it were otherwise, every band and every record would have a harmonica player.  The absence of harmonica on the vast, vast majority of recordings means simply that producers don't need to put a harp on the record to make a hit.  

That all may change.  I hope it does.  Playing really, really well, and playing music that modern audiences relate to, as Maybe August does, will help.  

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
latest mp3s always at http://broadjam.com/rhunter
harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp