Re: Finding your "Niche"

[Snaruhn@xxxxxxx]

Hi Smokey-Joe,=20
the man who delivers the boxes.

Well, you wrote about a point I forgot to mention in my "On sound=20
differences"=20
but that had gone exactly with the subject.

< .......one should go that extra step and develop your OWN sound.=20
< Don't be a copy">

I have trouble to keep Harpie calm but what his father had liked to say=20
concerning=20
the "personal style" is like to slaughter a holy cow. I=B4m abolutely aware=20=
of=20
stitching
into a hornet=B4s nest but I=B4ll defend my point of view to the best of my=20
ability.

I=B4ve never understood why an artist has to develop his "moniker" by all=20
means.=20

An example from the harp scenery: When Hendrik Meurkens started his career
as a harp prof his playing style was hardly distinguishable from Toots style=
.=20
I have
still  Winslow Yerxa=B4s funny report in one of his HIPs in mind.=20

Winslow sat in a hotel room and heard a harp player in another room and was=20
impressed. He was wondering that Toots had obviously booked the very same=20
hotel and was going to say hello to him. Woooh, Toots looked like Hendrik=20
Meurkens there was no doubt about it.=20

That Hendrik played like Toots was no wonder because he choosed Toots as=20
his harp idol with all consequences and nobody criticised his copying. By th=
e=20

time Hendrik=B4s playing changed gradually until the folks applauded:
Hurrah, now he has found his style, all is OK now, we can sleep in peace=20
again.

Note: I say consciously "Hendrik=B4s playing changed .." and not "he changed=
=20
his=20
playing". I come back later to this essential difference.

BTW, the term "own sound" if taken literally is in a certain sense a=20
contradiction=20
to the constant efforts to find "another" sound. Yeah, I know that "own=20
sound"=20
isn=B4t the same as "harp sound".=20

What angers me is the inconsequence of human opinions or conventional wisdom=
.

On the one hand, people are pleased when the kids do exactly what they are=20
taught=20
or praise the national heroes as "shining examples". There are thousands of=20
warnings=20
in countless situations to avoid own activities by all means but to call for=
=20
the experts.
"Why haven=B4t you done as I have told you. Why did you search for your own=20
way, do
you mean your predecessors had been idiots?  ect.  ect.

But when it comes to arts, everybody expects that artist have to be=20
recognized by=20
their style. Generally, artists copying others have a bad reputation.=20
However, there
are examples where it is an issue what is more remarkable, the original or=20
the copy.

Years ago there was a scandal in Belgium about the painter van Meer who was=20
able to copy the famous Dutch masters, Rembrandt, Rubens ...so exactly that=20
the best art experts had been deceived for a long time. van Meer not only=20
used=20
the same colors as the masters but even took over their brushstroke. Anyway,=
=20
the question was discussed in public whether van Meer or Rembrandt performed=
=20
the "better" art.=20

In this connection a German saying is interesting which unfortunately can=
=B4t=20
be=20
translated into English because it=B4s a play on words: Kunst kommt von K=
=F6nnen.

I=B4ll try it:                                  Kunst =3D art   =20
                                       kommt von =3D is derived of      =20
                                            K=F6nnen =3D be able to; be capa=
ble=20
of=20

As is to be seen, it doesn=B4t work in English - "art" isn=B4t derived of "a=
ble",=20
but it=20
surely shows that artists do things, normal people aint capable of.=20

OK, here=B4s an example where the art of copying is an art par excellence,=20
namely,
the making of wrong banknotes. During WW II the nazis forced several experts=
=20
they picked out from the concentration camps to forge English L-notes. These=
=20
poor people (they were all killed afterwards) did such an excellent job that=
=20
even=20
the Bank of England considered the duds genuine.   =20

Back to the problem to find the "personal moniker". It is easy to say " you=20
have=20
to find your own sound but not to give the slightest hint how that should=20
work.

Therefore, I said "Hendrik=B4s style changed gradually instead of " he chang=
ed=20
it".

Here, I can=B4t keep Harpie calm any longer. Hey, what=B4s the matter, Harpi=
e,=20
don=B4t
you see that I=B4m going to find my own style?=20

Orrrps, Dad, excuse me that I interrupted your searching but I just got an=20
idea
how your "musical identy" can be found, it=B4s very simple. If you play alwa=
ys=20
the=20
same way, you got it. Recently, one said to another: "Did you hear that guy?=
=20
Yes,=20
he plays as terrible as usual, it must be Harpie"

Well, Harpie, that=B4s you but what about me? Suppose you hear my playing bu=
t=20
can=B4t see me. Would you recognize me too? Of course, Dad, when you try=20
"Bluesette" for the 100th time you always play the same wrong notes at alway=
s=20

the same spots, and that=B4s you. OK, Harpie, you should shut up again.

Finally, among all my question marks about the "Niche", what disconcerted me=
=20
most is this "you have to find". I say: I play my harp for my very own=20
pleasure and=20
nobody can demand that I have to find a typical sound and that goes also for=
=20
the=20
case I played on stage as a prof.=20

Siegfried

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