Re: [Harp-L] Music encyclopedia (Long. And a bit of a rant as well.)

[Cara Cooke <cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx>]

*"Don't most musicians regard harmonicas as toy? As do most non-musicians? 
The statement does not necesserely convey the oppinion of the author. It 
says that the harmonica is largely regarded as a toy. It does not say that 
the author also regards it as a toy."*
** 
Actually, to a musician -- who *plays* music -- his instruments can be his 
"toys". Taking a musician to a music store is often like taking a kid to the 
toy store. My toys include guitars, flutes, a mandolin, dulcimer, french 
horn, my uncle's trumpet, and my grandfather's sax. My upright bass is also 
a wonderful toy, and a piece of musical furniture. I know this is not the 
interpretation intended by the author who wrote "*in spite of virtuosos like 
Larry Adler, the instrument is largely regarded as a toy!*" and it would 
have been nice if he had given more time to the harmonica, but, in truth, it 
isn't that far from wrong either. What we as musicians who play harmonica 
should do is present the instrument in its very best light as often as we 
can. If it is played with skill in a wide range of music by a variety of 
musicians, common concepts that it is not an instrument -- it is a toy -- 
will eventually fade to acceptance in general as an instrument. (In the 
hands of a beginner, everything is a toy.)
 By the way, in the folk/bluegrass world, the harmonica is not the only 
instrument considered in "toy" status. It is a common concept to place the 
least skilled and knowledgeable player on the upright bass to keep him out 
of trouble. However, without a strong bass line foundation, this music 
suffers greatly. (It often does not include drums.) Is the bass a toy? The 
really good bands usually have an extremely skilled and knowledgeable bass 
player and his "toy" is the driving force over which the rest of the band 
plays its music. The bass player plays half the notes and has twice the 
impact -- and his 6'x3' "toy" almost needs its own zip code. Yet, every 
year, the bass is taken up by another beginner musician who wants to play in 
a band.
 Oh, and has anyone ever watched a drummer set up and tear down and found 
themselves reminded of erector sets, tinker toys, or legos? How about a 
pedal steel?
 Cara