RE: [Harp-L] On Howard Levy's Style

["Chris Michalek" <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There's quite of his unreleased stuff floating around and if you know
who to ask I'm sure you could get a copy.  

Howard's style is not that difficult - really. His approach to the
harmonica is like it is with any other instrument.  He knows the
theory and harmony, he knows to to string it all together so for him
it's a matter of learing technique.

One of the first things you need to do is do the work yourself. 
Don't ask others for tablature. If you absolutely need to use the
number and arrow system then you should do it yourself.  It is
necessary for you to make the transition to an educated musician.
Knowledge of music theory is necessary to play jazz like Howard. 

Everyone think he's a freak of nature.  I offer a resounding "No"
he's a person with an obsessive nature about all things music.  He's
worked really hard at doing what he does.  He NEVER stops playing.  
Howard spent a few nights with my folks and my father remarked that
he heard the harmonica all the time and often until 3-4am and then
he'd be up again at 8am and playing some more. When I was still
living with my parents, they thought I never stopped playing. My
folks can handle a lot of harmonica and have put up with it for 15
years but Howard was too overboard for them. He NEVER allows the flow
of music to stop.  That's very important.

Howard doesn't listen to other harmonica players. I didn't say never
but he's not into harmonica players the way he's into music.  Wanna
play like him?  Don't listen to him.  Listen to guys like Zakir
Hussain, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Nikil Banerjee, Ali Akbar Khan, The
Sabri Brothers etc... listen to the sounds of nature and other
instrument.  Try to emulate that but don't spend your time emulating
other harmonica players - you'll have a much harder chance of forming
into a full musician.

Learn to play another instrument  ie; piano, guitar or both.  Learn
all of your scales and arpeggios in all keys on all harps. That is
the key to playing like Howard or any other elite musician.  He's one
of the great musicians EVER and he is because he worked at it.



>
>
>
>---- Original Message ----
>From: blork54@xxxxxxxxxxx
>To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: RE: [Harp-L] On Howard Levy's Style
>Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 00:13:47 -0400
>
>>I haven't heard much from this harmonica master except a few awsome
>live shows with Bela Flek found on www.archive.org, but I'm already
>in love with his unique sound and abilities.  Although I have
>nointent on replicating his playing as I only have a year of good
>practice under my belt, I'd love to see some tablature to his work to
>get a better understanding of the basic ideas surrounding his
>intresting hybrid style.  I'm a semi-profficent at overblowing and a
>decent bender so maybe i can work on some riffs of his at a good
>tourtise speed.
>>
>>You know while i'm on the topic I might as well talk about a
>probably slightly more contravorsial player that I admire.  Pig Pen
>from the early years of the Grateful Dead, although not the most
>talented harpist, defiantly had a some decent chops, soul and great
>improvisastional ability.  I'd be intrested if anyone could use his
>work as a segue to explaining modes, a concept I have yet quite to
>grasp, but seems to be an essential element to the Jam band style of
>playing and alot of jazz.
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Chris Michalek
Avenger of the Downtrodden