Fwd: Harmonica, No Respect

[the Leones <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

>
>   Traveling along on the great No Respect ("stigma") train, another 
>interesting stop.
>   Sooo, I was sitting around with a bunch of "Real" musicians Wed 
>nite after the gig and we got to talking about the harmonica. The 
>keyboard man (Timmy) can play like 7-8 instruments and allowed as 
>how he had "Tried" the harmonica but gave up.
>   The Alt-sax man (Stevie) and Ten-sax man (Bud), then to my 
>amazement the Talmadge Farlow sounding guitar man (Bob) added, "Same 
>here". The drummer (as usual) remained silent. The trumpet man 
>(George) just shook his head.
>
>  So here's MY synopsis: On a sax, Keyboard, Trumpet, the notes are 
>in the same place ALL THE TIME. When you manipulate the keys a 
>certain way, THAT's the sound you get, it doesn't change. Switching 
>keys doesn't matter, the notes are still where they ought to be. 
>There's ONE way to the note. Looking at it as a street address, 
>there is only ONE road to this house..that's it.
>
>  I was asked; How do you keep all this crap straight? First you have 
>a way to the note via a "blow", then via an "inhale", then, as if 
>this isn't confusing enough, there's a way to the note via an inhale 
>COMBINED with a push of the slide, OR, oh my God, Kill Me, even a 
>way to the note via a blow COMBINED with a push of the slide.
>
>  Each and every time you change keys, there is a DIFFERENT way to 
>find the note(s). There is even the confusion of finding the same 
>note in the same song in the same key in TWO DIFFERENT ways while 
>doing the same "Run". AND to add to this insanity, you even have 
>different HOLES to remember depending on if you want to "blow next 
>OR "draw" next.
>
>  Also, if you don't plan your moves correctly, you either run OUT of 
>air OR FILL up with air and can't get rid of it because the tune is 
>moving along too fast. Looking at THIS as a street address, there 
>are a multitude of ways to get to this house. First there's a street 
>out front. Then a street down each SIDE, then an alley in the back. 
>Combine THIS with the TWO sidewalks down each side of the house, AND 
>SEVERAL different DOORS, this house has UMPTEEN ways in and out.

   Diatonic is just as crazy. Even though you don't have the slide, 
NOW you don't have THAT friend. A slide can be a real life saver in a 
crunch. BUT a diatonic must be "Milked" into numerous notes which 
AREN't THERE, which must be "Manufactured", and can "confound" the 
tongue/embochure/airway/breathing pattern. The Diatonic has to 
(literally) be part of your body in order to function nicely, (if at 
all).

>
>  Ed note: See, I had just been sitting there admitting how limited I 
>felt I was due to the fact that they were all "Real" musicians and I 
>was an amateur. I claimed that I was "faking it". Since we had 
>gotten together to discuss what we would do on the up-coming Jerry 
>Lewis Telethon (30 Aug) I was a little apprehensive.
>
>  I was told "You should be pretty proud of yourself, and "smug" too. 
>There aren't very many harmonica players around to begin with and 
>even if you WERE "faking it", the crowd sure appreciated it.
>
>  So next time you're playing, remember this. Harmonica IS getting respect.
>
>  smokey-joe