Re: Harp Experience & Lessons

[GREENWAY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

For Peter in Toronto who asked about the merits of taking harmonica
lessons:

If you can find a player who (1) plays in a style that you would
like to pick up on and (2) is not only a good player but a good teacher
(this can be a hard combination to find), definitely take lessons.
I've taught harmonica, and you would be surprised how many bad habits
I've seen harmonica players develop--even with things as basic as how
they hold the instrument. I'm all for individualism (one of the great
things about the instrument is how it can be approached successfully from
so many different directions), but there are methods of playing that are
more efficient than others or that will help ensure that you don't pick up bad habits that you'll have to unlearn later--which is always very difficult.
For example, for the first three or four years I played the harp I
puckered to get individual notes. Then I had the good fortune to take
a few lessons from Paul Oscher, a great player who worked with Muddy Waters
in the late 1960s. In about five short minutes he made it perfectly clear
to me that I was never going to get that Chicago blues harp sound unless
I started tongue blocking. I nearly had to start all over on the harp,.
and it was very frustrating for a few months until I fought through it.

You may have been lucky and/or talented and done it all right the first
time, but even so lessons with good teachers can bring you along
faster than you could manage to move on your own momentum. Especially
early in the game. Don't forget also that a teacher can also provide
help and inspiration during those tough times when you're stuck on a
plateau, and an honest one can sometimes do you a lot of good by you
reminding you that you don't quite have that last thing he showed you
down yet.

The harmonica can be tricky, since it all happens inside the player's
mouth. Anybody who's trying to learn any new instrument should take
at least a few lessons during their formative years. It's not as if you
need to make a regular routine out of them; often just a couple of sessions
will give you enough to work on for quite a while. But good teachers are
hard to find. Good luck.

--Kim Field