Re: [Harp-L] Re: An Illustrative Story

"Stanley Yoder Sr" <yoder_doyle@xxxxxxx> · Mon, 1 Nov 2004 10:17:55 -0600

Dan, I'm with you, I'm not sure I've ever met you, but I like the way you think and put it on paper....err... e-mail, or whatever.  (never trust a lawyer that says" whatever")   I got distracted.  I too have run into players that have been playing for ________ years and I wonder who influenced their "style" Of course if you ask them, they were "self taught".   

I, too, am a, more or less, self taught harmonica player, with David Barrett in the tape drive working on everything I could squeeze out, and as often as I was able.  My feeling was, that I had so much to learn, and so few days to learn it.  You see I wanted to play like Buddy Greene, or Charlie McCoy or anyone else that I heard that new how to get all of those wonderful sounds from the harp, that it had to offer. When I first started to Blow a harmonica, and I use that term with purpose, and then heard Buddy or Charlie play I just knew that they were using a specially made harmonica, that was unavailable to a mere mortal as I. It was when I saw my first live "Player" , and went up to him after the show, and inquired about what he used, that I really became devoted to, what ever it took to, learn all I could, with the time I was given, to bring those that would happen to be listening, some of the pleasures that I had when I heard real harmonica playing.   

I have had people come up to me where I play and complement my playing, and will sometimes compare me to some one that, might we say, blows on a harmonica.  My reply is, after I thank them for their kind ness, that all harmonica players have different styles and forms of playing.   

Thank you, Dan, for your addition to this thread.  It has been a pleasure for me to follow, also.

Have fun, and keep practicing,

 Doyle

----- Original 0Message -----
From: Dan000
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2004 9:44 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: An Illustrative Story  

I love this thread, and all others like it.  It's like therapy.  I go crazy trying to wrestle with my own thoughts/feelings/ego-maniacal-harp-centric-personality.  Sometimes it's good to get the frustrations out.  Although I don't know how we'll ever make the situation better.  Here's some thoughts, if anyone cares.

1. Owners vs. Players.  This is my first distinction about harmonica people.  The world is peopled with harmonica "owners".  A basic diatonic harmonica is cheap.  It's just one of those things we can't control.  Perhaps kazoo-l has even more trouble with un-prepared players than harp-l.   Or maybe "recorder-l"  hot cross buns anyone?

2. I call this my "musical self awareness theory"  OK, so I see the path towards musical nirvana stretching out into the infinite.  Along the path, I see many milestones.  Single notes, bends, scales, intro licks, ending licks, positions, over blows.... for ex.  Predictable success at these and a million other techniques or sounds are like mile-markers. Like that long and winding road post, everybody will go as far as they want or can  I believe in doing the best you can, but not everyone does.  So, one of my biggest markers is Self Awareness.

It's that point where you stop and say to yourself....." wow, I really sucked back then.... I'm getting better, but...... man,  I still have a LONG way to go"  To me, this separates those with player-potential from the life-long "owners"    

3. I respect any player who makes progress, and tries.  I have a hard time with the folks who don't.  As a frequent blues-jam-goer, I've sampled all sorts of harp players.  There are many hopeless cases that DO make us all look bad.  It's sad, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it.

The open mic environment is one of "instant fame" for many people.  The clapping, the lights, the music around them gets people off.  Lots of guys see the harmonica as an easy entry into the ego boost of being onstage.  You cannot convince these guys that musicianship matters You cannot "show them the error of their ways" by playing them off the stage or talking shop, or stroking their ego, and gently suggesting some improvement strategies.    

There's no reasoning with the un-reasonable.  No breaking through the ego of these guys.  You know the ones..... "I've been playing for 20....30...X  years....." or "I used to sit in with (insert famous blues guy) all the time back whenever.  Or my favorite, the guy who says,  "I don't need any_____ because people like me already"

4. I try to focus on the positives and block out the negatives.  For every ten poor players, I see about one who actually works on it.  Who actually asks what to listen to, or to be shown a lick or something.  These are the guys we have to live for.  I don't think we'll ever change the other ones.   

Who am I kidding huh?  I want to feel the way I've written above.....I really do...  but sometimes I can't.

I think we should be allowed to slap a harp out of someone's mouth and break it in two (like Bruce Lee might've done) when people abuse the harmonica.  Who the hell are they to defile the thing that I've worked hard on, and studied for years of my life?  Let's start a new harp club.  SPHA   Society for the Prevention of Harmonica Abuse.   It'll be great.   

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