[Harp-L] Re: the world's fastest harmonica player

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I recall some years back a well known local jazz violinist turning up at a bluegrass fiddle competition here in Australia, and being awarded first prize for his rendition of - I forget what exactly; some jazz standard. Now that, as I understand, wouldn't happen in, say, Galax Virginia, or Union Grove NC,or  where the local traditions are strong and well understood and the fiddle comps. have strict rules about what is played and how it's played (eg no double shuffles)  Rightly so; otherwise the competition would be meaningless, and in the case of the one I'm speaking of (OK - who cares - it was Tamworth NSW, 1983 I think, and the excellent jazz fiddler who should have shown better manners was George W. - that's all!) it was meaningless.
NOW: what's to stop anyone from smearing vaseline over the mouthpiece of a harp and sliding it back and forth in their gob while breathing in and out train-style?
At what point do you say "hold on! that's not PLAYING the harmonica" ?
Youse all get my drift?
RD

>>> "Bill Otten" <harpman54@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 20/02/2009 8:48 >>>
Derwood wrote: 

" To keep killing the topic The world's fastest guy is actually in a band
and

makes money playing harmonica. You might not like his music but he might not

like yours either, but he is calling attention to the harmonica. A 30 second

spot on a TV news program with weak interviewing should not be his only

moment for judgment. I bet at least one person saw the clip and thought,

"Harmonica, I bet I could learn to play that." Then they did an internet

search, found harp-l, read the scathing criticism that lasted much longer

than the clip, and left to find somewhere else to learn."

 

Then again, those same people who searched and found the list and the
scathing

criticism might learn that there are people out there who take the harmonica


as a serious instrument and find said list to be a good place from which to 

learn serious information and serious music on harmonica. I put this fellow
and 

his Guiness record in the same category as eating 85 hot dogs in 3 minutes. 

Sure, it can be done but someone is going to get real sick because of it.

 

bill otten

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