RE: [Harp-L] re: Improv in Blues

["Bill Hines" <billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I saw Dennis today at Buckeye. He didn't say this specifically there, but
another attendee joked with him about the days when he locked himself in his
apt in New Orleans for ten hours a day. I know that I've heard Jason say
that he learned the licks/songs from the major masters (LW, SBWII) by heart
before he moved on and developed his own style. So I think that is a
requisite. I believe that on Pat Missins' page he says to start by learning
*all* of the LW stuff (after you have the basics, before you develop your
own style). So maybe Chris will put his comments in perspective, I'd say
this is what he meant, this is a good thing to do when you've put your time
in studying the blues masters (if you want to learn blues), get tired of
your sound or consider it repetitious, and want to find something 'new'. 

Bill Hines
Hershey, PA

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Jp Pagan
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 4:57 PM
To: harp-l harp-l
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] re: Improv in Blues

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> Mike Fugazzi wrote:
> >>What are some approaches that you've taken to
improv
> >>that have taken you away from repeating phrases
during
> >>a gig?
> 
> Chris Michalek replied:
> > Stop listening to other harmonica players.
> > Stop listening to Blues
> 
> 
> Unlike Chris' other suggestion, this is NOT a Joe
Filisko exercise.  
> Joe preaches studying the great blues harmonica
players.  I think he  
> is making the assumption that this is what a player
hopes to achieve.  
> 
> I like Chris' approach better, however.  I think a
great example of 
> this in a blues context is Dennis Gruenling, who has
fabulous phrasing 
> and very hornlike lines, despite a more traditional
(than Chris, at any 
> rate) style of music.


sure, but it seems to me Dennis ALSO studied all the
great masters of harp and blues. he runs a blues radio
show, has a George Harmonica Smith tribute site, and
i'm pretty sure i've seen him reply on this list with
some very in-depth knowledge about the playing of
other blues harpers. seems to me he's not a shining
example of Chris' expressed   advice. now, i don't
know Dennis personally, so maybe i'm off base, but
he's on this list, i'm pretty sure, so maybe he'll
weigh in.

Chris' advice may have been put in a rather radical
way, but the idea of listening with "big ears" is
nothing new. i, for one, don't ever plan to "stop
listening to harmonica players" but i do listen to
other instruments as well as to other styles of music
besides blues with an ear towards "how can i
incorporate this?" i can't think of a single musician
that i idolize who didn't listen intently to and
idolize other musicians in his genre and on his
instrument. 

  --Jp

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