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

[Moandabluz@xxxxxxx]

As a harp player who also plays upright bass, I say Hell yeah to this. I know 
some really good bluegrass musicians who struggle when the bass player is not 
there to   keep them in line.

Still a fool for the Harp
Steve 'Moandabluz' Webb

In a message dated 6/18/05 1:30:37 AM, cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx writes:

> 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.
>