[Harp-L] Post Augusta Blues & Practice

["Timm" <Rapidashes@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    I was at & had the wonderful Augusta experience. On the way to Augusta I
played Grant's cd so my car mates would have a reference for his playing.
That night at the Harmonica concert Grant asked Phil Wiggins then asked Joe
Filisko to accompany him by playing the songs that they had recorded with
him on his cd a year or so ago. On each song both of the duo's played just
like the cd was recorded, we were floored, & it was just Sunday night the
beginning of the week!!
   So how is that possible? Practice. They must know these songs inside &
out. In Joe Filisko's class he presents a song tabbed out as close to the
true song as possible and tells you were the song is recorded and that you
should get the song and listen to it and learn to play it from the source.
The significance is that your approach to play the song probably is
different than whomever you're listening too. Learn to play their song
completely with all the embellishments they use, play it in their style.
Take yourself out of the mix. I'm not an accomplished player, so the level
of study I experienced in Joe's class showed me the detail that can be
pulled out of a song. As harmonica players we reconstruct great songs and
styles, grab a different player and see what you can learn, then learn it as
truly as it was made, then make it your own it you need too.
    Thanks Allen, Grant, Phil, Jackie, Joe, Dennis, and of course Iceman,
for making my Augusta experience. I really feel that I went to Harmonica
school for a week. How cool is that!!!

>From the Rapids,
Tim Goodrich


From: icemanle@xxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Augusta Blues Week Epilogue


Not mentioned enough in my reports was the wonderful work done by Grant
Dermody.

We both taught night classes at the same time and I wasn't out and about for
late jamming, so I missed a lot of his playing. However, I did sit in on one
of his classes during the late afternoon. We gave his class an example of
how responsible harmonica players join in a song when unfamiliar with it,
supporting each other while the other one soloed.

I got a chance to hear Grant play some great pre-war 1st position stuff and
experience his brand of teaching, which I think is great. He controls his
class with a gentle firmness that I have often modeled as an effective
teaching technique.

Grant had to leave early Friday and wasn't around for the Blues Dance. We
all missed a chance at hearing a world class harmonica player jamming out. I
remember backing him up a few years ago at the dance on keyboards when he
played a tune at high velocity. It felt like I had grabbed ahold of a
passing train and was hanging on for dear life.

The Iceman