RE: [Harp-L] New Ways to Play Blues was Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 22, Issue 44

["Mike Reid" <mreid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I always find it interesting that people treat music like a sport, like it's a competition. it's an art, we don't fight about who is a better painter, why can we not just enjoy all of them and stop trying to decide who is the best.  Not sure what ODBG means but I'm assuming something like olden day blues guys or something like that.  Anyway I think there are some wonderful harp players out there today and I am privileged to know some of them.  The one thing I have to ask myself is why we think that someone who obviously toyed with a great many different things, to get different sounds on the harmonica, who probably stayed up nights trying to get his harp to sound like a trumpet or sax or organ whatever, who was in my opinion a musical genius (Little Walter) why is it that we think that he did not open his harps and modify them,  Also I find it hard to believe that someone as innovative as Walter was, would not try to draw bend the 8,9,10 or blow bend the 1,2,3,4,5,6 etc perhaps he did do it and did not like the sound it made and chose not to use it in his playing "who knows!" some people don't like the sound of OB and prefer not to try and learn or master it, not me of course, but I've heard people say that.  all I'm saying is, this is one of the guys who invented the wheel.  I would be hard pressed to play anything if could not try to copy something that Walter used as would he if he could not copy sonnyboy or big Walter etc.   as far as people being tired of the same old same old if that's the case than why is it they always come back to it when they get lost.
    

-----Original Message-----
From: icemanle@xxxxxxx [mailto:icemanle@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 2:00 PM
To: rok68@xxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] New Ways to Play Blues was Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol
22,Issue 44


Sunnyside in Vienna, I understand that you would have no interest at all in such a discussion. Feel free to not join in. :>)
 
However, it may open the minds/attitudes of others caught in the "since the ODBG's didn't do it, it is not valid for today's blues", moving beyond the archival "recreate what was once done" into the "creative today" evolution. Perhaps "Blues" is on a downward curve right now because listeners are tired of that same old same old.
 
Rhetorics aside, might this not stimulate some interesting discussion of opinions?
 
I feel that the ODBG's that combined TB with single notes would have embraced a way to increase their choice of notes had it been exposed to them early on to where they did not have to relearn a new technique later on in their careers. 
 
I also feel that is is OK for the blues to evolve beyond the historical museum status it seems to have. Paul DeLay, Carlos Del Junco (and any other harmonica player with a "Del" in between his first and last name) seem to play blues with a forward attitude. Having heard them play and been totally moved (as well as the audience around me) by their music, I feel that this is all the validity needed to promote a forward sounding blues music evolution.
 
The Iceman
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Koch <rok68@xxxxxx>
To: icemanle@xxxxxxx; Aalprice@xxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 18:24:24 +0200
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 22, Issue 44


> A more interesting debate would be, living in today's world, would LW > embrace this newer concept as an exciting opportunity to open the creative > side with more note choices? 
  This reminds to an old joke: "How many harps players are they needed to change a light bulb ? Three. Two to hold the ladder and one to figure out how LW would have done it". IMHO, the above is pure rethorics. With no interest at all. Sorry, Iceman. 
  Sunnyside in Vienna (Austria)  
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