Re: [Harp-L] Peter Ruth at SPAH (WAS SPAH - who's going?)

[Joe Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jul 25, 2011, at 12:04 PM, Cara Cooke wrote:

> I am glad that you posted that story.  I came into SPAH in the 1990's at
> Lonnie Glosson's request, so I had no idea when the transition began.
> 
> My first convention was 2003 (Dallas) and Paul Davies and others were
> playing "Red Wing" in the hotel lobby as I walked in.  It was different, but
> it wasn't the "harmonica hell" I had imagined it might be.  However, even
> then, there was still a lot of animosity towards the diatonic players.

Interesting. 

> (Many of the chromatic players were not shy about their animosity regarding
> how the blues players had come in and taken over.)

As I recall, Dallas WAS fairly heavy on diatonic. Most of the acts seemed so. (Btw, didn't bother me..as I play both).  

>  I hung with some of the chromatic players at various points and they would tell me that I could not
> participate because I didn't have a chromatic.

I could probably guess who they were. 

>  Then I played what they were playing, and I played some harmonies, and they quit trying to exclude me,
> but they continued to tease me about not having a chromatic, and all that
> teasing became a game.  When they learned that I also played chromatic, they
> stopped teasing me and started asking real questions about why I made the
> choices I did to use the diatonic.

Well there's teasing and then there's busting people's chops. You can take that teasing thing too far. Especially when you see that the person is new to the conventions. These are people I like to call...wrong. 

>  Since then, a few have told me that
> they now see the diatonic from a different perspective.  Change comes one
> step at a time as we learn more.
> 
> Regarding the many years I have been hit by flames and arrows as a bluegrass
> harmonica player, I can imagine starting in that chromatic climate in 1980
> was quite an ordeal.  Look how far we have come!
> 
> cara
> 


Ok, apparently there were complaints from various chromatic players about the abundance of diatonic acts, soooo they (the famous they) got together and did a Sat afternoon matinee with chromatic players. The deal was that someone was to pick the best players there and put on a show. Will Galison and I were't invited. I rationalized that it was because Will was at the top of the food chain...........and I was at the bottom. loll (ffc, ratf, otd, dts, sbgt, ftS)