Subject: Re: [Harp-L] A Grand Idea? (long reply, but very harp-related)

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Great Post Steve!
 
....In my brief time in this harmonica world I've only managed to attend  one 
Buckeye and one SPAH BUT I've made so many new Harp friends, got to  
practically sit at the feet of one I consider to be a Master in this field,  Jason 
Ricci and become his friend as well; become friends with and hosted  Froggy who 
held a mini-class in my home from which I hope I retained some of the  
knowledge he tried to impart.  I realize I'm trying to cram what took other  people 
years to learn into my hopefully still-absorbent brain while  playing catch-up. 
The pure excitement at discovering this amazing  world of yours...I wanted so 
much to fit in Jon Gindick's San Diego Jam Class  because of the location and 
the teachers (Jason, Froggy, Michael) who would  be there but the cost coming 
so soon on the heels of SPAH and some  family expenses made it just out of 
reach for me in 2005.  I  will figure out a way to work in some type of Jam Camp 
or Master Class somewhere  along the line because I need it, and I think like 
you that there's no  substitute for hands-on instruction from a good 
teacher....and in being  immersed in the atmosphere...picking up information from the 
most amazingly  talented folks you meet at these seminars/conventions.  It's a 
joy all the  fancy equipment in the world couldn't provide right now (though I 
sure  wouldn't mind having some "gear" as well).  Music has been my 
all-consuming  passion too...and now I'm not just listening, I'm creating and playing 
it,  even if it's only for myself (I'm not yet brave enough to play "out").   
Still, there's nothing more amazing.
 
Elizabeth
 
"Message: 8
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 03:05:40 EST
From:  Moandabluz@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] A Grand Idea? (long reply, but  very
harp-related)
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <e4.771128dd.30cd37d4@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset="US-ASCII"

My first foray into harp 'camps' was a trip in 1998 to David Barrett's  
Masterclass in San Jose. I forget just how much I paid for the class, but I  
also 
had to pay airfare from Minnesota, 3 expensive nights in a hotel, plus  food, 
etc.    I'm sure I spent more than a grand.    But.. I had a nice little 
vacation, I made some new friends, I learned  stuff.. but mostly I got to 
listen to 
Rick Estrin, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark  Ford, Mark Hummell, and other superb 
players in concert and in up-close and  personal gatherings. I got a neat 
T-shirt 
that I still wear, I won a Green  Bullet mic (which I later sold, but thats 
another story) and I had a ball.  
Did I get my money's worth? Probably not, but I don't care. I  met Winslow 
for the first time, I made friends with an undercover cop from  Saskatoon who 
was there to learn as well and we roomed together. I met  several others who 
are 
on this list and it got me even more hooked on  harp.
Since then I have been to the Buckeye Harmonica Festival  in Ohio for seven 
straight   years, I have been to SPAH three  times and I have spent way too 
much money on harps and harp-related stuff.  Again, I don't care.
I don't golf anymore. I don't fish anymore.  Music is basically my main 
hobby. I spend what I can afford (or maybe a  little more) and I enjoy the 
friendships I have acquired.
So.. after this  long digression, the answer to your question lies with you. 
All I know is, I  may not have learned a lot, but I don't regret any of it. 
As  always, this is my subjective opinion. And Chris does get Butterfield, 
he  just doesn't want to admit it.

Still a fool for the Harp
Steve  'Moandabluz' Webb"

In a message dated 12/10/05 3:08:24 PM,  rufus.zee@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> As a breif introduction I've been toying  with harp for a little over a year
> or so. I can do a fair bit of  bending, blocking, octaves and the like, but 
I
> haven't managed to put it  all together to make music. TIme to change that.
> 
> Anyway, I see  this Jon Gindick camp which seems pretty nice. Problem is, 
add
> up the  tuition, air fare, and room and all it and it is a tidy sum just 
over
> a  grand.
> 
> So for a roughly a grand I can:
> 
> 1)  Spend 3 days at Jam Camp
> 2) Buy a 12 key set of SP20s, a bullet mic, and  a Bassman reissue.
> 3) Buy a 12 key set of custom harps
> 4) Put a  serious down-payment on a Sonny Jr.
> 5) A better car (not  really...)
> 
> Obvioiusly it is the practice I need, not the gear.  BUT... that is a heck 
of
> alot of change. Curious what the rest of you  folks might think about the
> value of a "Jam Camp" and what more  affordable alternatives might exist.
> 
>