Re: [Harp-L] Did Sonny Terry Do It Upsidedown

["Mike and Beverly Rogers" <mbrogers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am right-handed, and hold the harp in my right hand, right side up.  When
I started in 1954, I had no one to tell me anything about the harp.  I find
it no hinderance, but may be living in ignorant bliss.  About a couple years
ago, I tried to change hands, but it felt so unnatural, I decided to remain
in error.  Bullfrog
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "fjm" <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 10:17 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Did Sonny Terry Do It Upsidedown


> I thought Paul Butterfield was right handed.  If you hold right handed,
> cup left, the left handed way of playing then there is a distinct
> advantage to playing with the low notes to the right.  You end up with
> the low notes in the cup of your hand.  The lower 6 notes are the most
> frequently played on a 10 hole diatonic and they benefit the most from
> being cupped and hand effects.  I play left handed, holding right.  I
> position the harmonica conventionally, low notes to the player's left.
> I consider this to be a significant obstacle in my playing.  There a re
> a couple of things that are made easier by this style, really fast
> triplets for instance but the vast majority of conventional blues riffs
> are made more difficult.  I've had this arguement on another list with
> CJ Tipper/ Vinnie Hall.  He doesn't buy it but he plays upside down and
> backwards so my arguements don't apply to his style of holding.  (plus
> all the blood rushes to his head) I think it's difficult for most right
> handed people to imagine these situations.  I've spent a lifetime
> dealing with a right handed world and the problems it creates.
> Handedness and its implications are something I'm faced with and deal
> with on a literally daily basis.  I was in my early 20's before I had
> the epiphany.  I was working as a janitor and we were mopping wax onto a
> large gymnasium floor.  My supervisor kept yelling at me because I was
> doing the turns wrong and causing the mop to flip and leave spray marks
> of wax.  Luckily for me the second in command guy came over and asked me
> if I was left handed and once I'd said yes showed me how to mop left
> handed in a way that worked for my boss.  If statistics hold true for
> this list 97% of you won't know what I'm talking about.  There are
> approximately 1000 subscribed addresses.  If I'm lucky 30 people are now
> nodding their heads in unison.  fjm
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>
>
>