Fw: [Harp-L] Harp as toy (young vs older generation) (Protracted)

[Pierre <plavio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Open window wide to fix formating, re-posted to harp-l



> Armstrong was the longest lived of the above.  His style changed over
> the years, but I don't think anyone would argue that what he did in the 
> twenties was underdeveloped.

Trumpet is a single note instrument, all the notes are there, you just have
to purse your lips, blow and move three fingers (never suck). Of course you
do need vibrato and lots of other tone techniques (growl etc and phrasing
techniques) which take lots of practice (10 years) and skill, but they are
quite finite.

Guitar is a piece a cake, you have all the notes and you can change octaves
by simply moving up or down a fret. There are probably hundreds of teenagers
who outplay Hendrix today. Now find me a single harp player who can play
a De Ford Bailey tune note for note with exact phrasing.

Technically speaking, Winton Marsalis on the trumpet can probably do
anything any player has done before him and I would guess so can tens of
other trumpet players. On most instrument, technical prowess is achieved by
age 25. On the harp, real progress and prowess begins at 25.

Now find me a single player than can do all of the technical tricks of:

Little Walter
Sonny Boy II
Sonny Terry

Impossible, no one alive can do that, fake it maybe but not for real.

... and I'll be nice and not include Howard Levy.

Another example, find me a single person who can do all the tricks of Stevie
Wonder or Larry Adler. Adler is a monster of harp tricks. Although I admit,
not strictly a classical musician or jazzman.

Most guys would spend a lifetime just learning Sonny Boys tricks. You listen
to his Keep it to Ourselves CD, primitive music, not the greatest musically,
but the chordal playing and rythym playing on there is awesome. There is
just no equivalent on any other wind instruments.

Now why is it a lot of great harp players never develop their musicality? I
think its because they allocate all their time on technique and on "sounds"
rather than music, notes and phrases, there is just no end to making cool
sounds. They in some cases become more showman than musicians. Were talking 
pirouettes
here. Some musicians laugh at these guys because they are not very musical,
but of course they cannot begin to do what they do sound and expression
wise. Its just a different direction. The great ones certainly deserve the 
utmost respect.

To call the instrument a toy is so ridiculous, so unfair. The toy is only
limited by the player, it would take 250+ years for a talented harp player 
to
learn what blues and folk players have learned to do on that toy during the
last century.

We should always carry a sampler CD and when someone mocks the instrument,
we should tell them proudly and with assurance that it is the worlds most 
versatile
instrument and the absolute hardest to master and give them the sampler CD 
as an education.

Actually Spah should launch a challenge with a big prize to the musical
community to find an instrument that is more versatile than the harp.
Perhaps Bill Gates could provide a million dollar prize. The piano
would surely come at best second because it cannot bend or growl notes. The
violin cannot play chords, hey we win!

Every instruments has its genius, but I believe the harmonica has more
genius than any other. We should be proud, we (our forefathers) deserve
respect. One day, it will come...

Pierre.







































----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Fritz" <jfritz666@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "harpl" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Harp as toy (young vs older generation) (Protracted)


> Don't know if harmonica is any different from other instruments, but here 
> are a few names:
>
> Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Blanton, Charlie Christian, Louis Armstrong, Robert 
> Johnson, Billie Holiday, Clifford Brown....
>
> Armstrong was the longest lived of the above.  His style changed over the 
> years, but I don't think anyone would argue that what he did in the 
> twenties was underdeveloped.
>
> Maturity brings a different point of view, but monster talent is monster 
> talent at just about any age.
>
> BTW, the conventional wisdom in math is that no one does their best work 
> after thirty.  It may not be true but a lot of mathemeticians who did 
> significant work did it all before thirty.
>
> sean stephens wrote:
> > Hi y'all
> > just wished to add my two euros to the question of
> > whether younger players (can) have what older players
> > possess in terms of chops,feel etc.Having been
> > fortunate enough to catch him here in Ireland last
> > year,I was blown away (almost literally) by the
> > sublime/mercurial (really no superlative is
> > OTT)playing of Matt Priboyski.
>
> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  Snip >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
> --
> Hear Barrelhouse Solly on the internet--that's me
>
>  http://www.soundclick.com/barrelhousesolly
>
> Yes, it's what everyone has been clamoring for--pictures of the cats:
>
> http://ratemykitten.com/my/?gallery=willie_mctell
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