Re: [Harp-L] virtuoso (vs crap?)

["Chris Michalek" <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>
>>> A beginner who has had a harp in hand for 10 minutes and can just
>about
>>play
>>> 4 blow is not crap.  A 6-month player who has invested in
>Portnoy's
>>> masterclass and is struggling through it is not crap.  A guy who
>has been
>>> playing for a while and writes a worried post to this list asking
>how to
>>> bend notes is not crap.  Someone who has been working at playing
>well,
>>gets
>>> up in public for the first time and screws it up is not crap.  

These people do not fit under my statemtent.  These people are not
musicians.  A guy who's been playing for 10 minutes is not even
considered a harmonica player. A person who gets up on stage for the
time and screws up is a beginner/student not a musician.

A
>limited
>>> player who plays well, but stays within his limits, is not crap. 

This is true.  We all have limits. Even guys like Bonfiglio,
Paparozzi, Levy, Wonder etc...have limits,  the things that makes
them great musicians is what they do within their limits.  These guys
and many others have open minds and a willingness to extend their
limits.  


>99.5% of
>>> us are not crap, and it's worth remembering that a lot of us
>(most? ALL?)
>>> are on this list because we want to better ourselves, so on this
>list I
>>> think you'll find a lower proportion of "crap" players than in the
>world
>>at
>>> large.  

True. But...lets say Paparozzi, Bonfiglio, Levy, T. Morgan or Juke
Logan writes a note to the list saying that he needs an emergency sub
for a TV/Radio/CD project.  You have get to the studio, put on the
cans and listen to that dreaded click and play whatever needs
playing. Let's say this particular gig would pay $1,000,000 how many
of you could actually do it at a moments notice? I'll bet almost
everyone of you would either walk away from the $$ or actually and
get kicked out of the studio because it takes a full day to get a
minute of useful stuff....  The bottomline is; would you make the
producer think better or worse of the harmonica?  


Smother me privates in runny honey and bring on the
>dancing ants
>>if
>>> I'm wrong.




Don't think that I am saying that I AM better than 99.5% of you.  I
easily fall into the catecory of crap musician as defined by me.

Honey and Ants to Moorcottage asap.... :-)



Chris Michalek