[Harp-L] re: harp as an instrument

[rainbowjimmy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

So we agree harp is an instrument not a toy. Like any instrument it's not easy
to play. It's not that difficult either. There are not large crowds of
teenagers out there outplaying Hendrix. Hendrix slept with his guitar. He
played every waking minute of every day. Notes may be easy to find on a guitar
but it's not the notes, it's how you play the notes. Look at a piano. The notes
are right there. Should be easy to play Chopin, shouldn't it? Heck there are no
notes on a drum. All you have to do is hit it. How hard is that?

By the end of high school I was able to copy most of Sonny Terry's riffs.I knew
kids in high school that could play Little Walter and J Geils note for note.
Cotton was able with some study (massive woodshedding) to copy Little Walter
well enough to play in Muddy's band in the 50s. Are there many Howard Levys out
there? No. Are there many Yo Yo Mas out there. No. Most people don't have the
drive, the time, and the patience to practice all day every day.

If you religiously practice every day three hours a day (this is a normal
practice regime for any serious high school pianist) you should be able to play
just about anything in five years.When musicians diss harp players, it's because
most harp players haven't put in the time like pianists and violinists. I don't
put in the practice time. I can play Sonny Terry riffs but I'll never be a
musician like Sonny. More like a dilletante pianist that can play some Bartok
as opposed to a serious musician that can really interpret and expand the
music.

There's also a difference between proficiency and talent. Talented musicians can
not only play but they expand the horizons of their instruments.. Miles Davis
expanded the range and the sound of the trumpet. Duane Allman took slide guitar
from rehashed Elmore James riffs out to the solar system. Jimi took electric
guitar and got it to sound like rocket fire and mortar attacks. Sonny could
make the harp cry like a woman or bark like a dog. Little Walter got the harp
to sound like a horn section. Regardless of the instrument that takes
relentless practice, dedication, and talent.

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.soundclick.com/theelectricstarlightspaceanimals.htm