RE: practise

["Scorcher" <s_c_o_r_c_h_e_r@xxxxxxx>]

sean stephens says:


I appreciate that the harp is, at once ,one of the easiest instruments
to play and one of the most difficult to play WELL.. That, to improve
on it demands keen ears and attention whilst listening to greats
coupled with time spent practising and developing ones own chops.My
problem is and has been ,since I became hooked on Blues harp,
concentrating probably too much on the former ,that is , obsessing
about trying to play a tune rote .eg Rollercoaster by L.W(who else ?)
stands for me amongst the myriad of sublime harmonica performances, as
the hottest harp instrumental, period.So I figure, if I can get a
handle on it I could probably deal with anything . Three years down
the line I still cannot play RC fluently.Yes , I can pick out riffs
and jump in but invariably I'll stumble and fall right back out again.
Can any of you guys out there give me a little advice/empathy on how
long to go after a tune or when to let it go and realise your limits.
I am aware that there isn't much virtue in simply copying classics in
this manner in a performing context but you do need a template to
build upon.Any thoughts on this ,greatly appreciated.
obsessively.
- -------------------------
Scorcher says:
As the saying goes "Never mind the changes, man, JUST BLOW!"

Seriously, though, we all spend some time in the woodshed.
I just went through a whole weekend of woodshedding - It's good for
you - to a point.

Yes, you should definitely LISTEN to the OBGs. The reason for
listening to LW, or anyone else, is to understand the FEEL they bring
to the music -especially with Blues, FEEL is far more important than
technique or chops. Listen to Miles Davis, or John Lee Hooker. Miles
was all about space - John Lee was all about emotion. Don't get me
wrong, Miles could PLAY - but he didn't shove it in your face. Funny,
I was just talking to a friend about (sax player) Paul Desmond. He
said Paul's goal was to be "the worlds SLOWEST sax man". It's a good
idea to listen to musicians that don't play the same instrument as
you. You can lern a lot about phrasing from a trumpet or sax
player...timing from a drummer...harmony from a B3 player (I'm not
sure there's anything GOOD to learn from a guitar player.)  ;-)

I think it's better, though,  to spend your *woodshedding* time with
jam tracks (or even just DRUM tracks) that force you to provide your
OWN solo work. You'll be surprised what you can come up with.  Can't
find a jam track? Ask a guitar playing acquaintance to make you one.

I think Blues is best when an artist "makes it his own" - I've got a
compilation disc I made with 20-odd versions of "Catfish Blues" very
instructive - most versions are profoundly individual.

BUT - here it comes, watch it, now! - Your *real*creativity* will come
out when you start playing in jams with HUMANS! The best thing you can
do with music is share it with others. Get out there, take a RISK, and
stumble, and have fun.

Don't play like LW, or Sonny, or whoever you admire...play like YOU.
- -Scorcher