[Harp-L] A Word From Jon

["Mark Wilson" <markwilson53@xxxxxxx>]

To Harp-L, Dennis, Iceman, Bill and others-



I am forwarding this e-mail through my Jam Camp partner, Mark Wilson, 
because I am not a member of yahoo.



First of all, thank you for all the positive attention.  I appreciate being 
the topic of a complimentary thread.



I want to correct or at least contest some erroneous statements that have 
been made.



 1.. That you get more bang for your buck at the West Virginia festival 
than you do at Jam Camp.  That depends on how you define bang for your buck. 
We limit attendance to 35 campers and we get to know you. What's your next 
level? You and I discuss it.  This is about you. We rent three conference 
rooms, bring four or five world class teachers, a band, guitars slaves, give 
every camper one on one lessons, group lessons, group jams. By phone I give 
a free  advanced consultation that many harp-lers can testify improved their 
tone by 100%.  The camp itself is crammed with teaching talent, usually one 
great teacher for every 5 campers.  And there's follow up too. It's more 
than a weekend. It's a  relationship.  I know the West Virginia experience 
is terrific, but I am not happy the Ice's statement that you get moré bang 
for the buck there.  Jam Camp is a great value. It has been described as a 
peak experience by more than one harp'ler because of the sense of community 
limited to 35 people can build.
 2..
 3.. That Jam Camp is for beginners. That's absurd. Our last Jam Camp had 
Dennis Gruenling, Jason Ricci,  Larry Isenberg, James Day, Mathew Shelton, 
Carlos Capote as well as myself for 35 people Our small groups are for 
beginner's, intermediates and advanced, and our teachers will work closely 
with you on any level you are ready for.


.    4.  That my first book, The Natural Blues & Country Western Harmonica 
succeeded because Tony Glover's book was lousy. Tony Glover's book was/is 
terrific. But it is hard to learn technical musical information out of a 
book. Especially when you know nothing. Another great book from that time is 
Richard Hunter's Jazz Harp. It showed you what could be done. But to my mind 
it had the same problem.  It was hard.  At that time, harping was my hobby, 
writing was my profession.

I wasn't going to write no hard book, and I was going to write a music book 
in way that had never been done before.



So my books have always started from the premise that it is really hard to 
learn technical music out of a book.  (Admit it, folks, you might be a a 
really smart analyst type of person, but someone talks about scale degrees, 
your eyes glaze over.) So, in 1977, I made a homemade looking book with 
cartoons that had for it's goal just getting the sound and jamming a little 
bit.  It had a very usable but limited little theory for understanding the 
harmonies of harmonica. Then I made a cassette on which I played guitar, and 
showed you how those notes always worked.. It put them together and 
advertised them in Rolling Stone magazine for $13.95.



That it became the best selling harp book of it's time is not because there 
were only two books, and one was bad, but because my approach and my writing 
was good. I know that sounds like bragging, but how could it be otherwise? 
It was based on showing you where the Notes of Resolution, Stepping Stones 
and Wailing Notes were, and it was cleverly presented.  It also used humor 
and imagination in ways no other music instruction book has ever done. 
Off-putting to some, but that's my style. I deal with fear of learning. I 
teach by humor, experience, as well as  easy ways to grasp systems.



This book was then redone as Country and Blues Harmonica for the Musically 
Hopeless, came with a tape cassette that I played harp and guitar. That book 
was distributed to the world at large and sold over 1.5 million copies 
between  1984 and the year 2000. It was translatede into several languages 
and Braille..  I don't think that happened because there were no other good 
harp books on the market.



5. That Jam Camp is like a St. Bernard licking your face.  I love dogs, but 
I would not go to a harmonica experience that was described in that way. How 
can a Jam Camp with guys like Ricci, Gruenling, Filisko, Costa, Yerxa, 
Iceman himself, Holmes, James Day,  Adam Gussow, John Costa, Frankie Moates 
Mark Wilson, Jon Gindick  plus the hottest regional blues band be a dog 
licking your face.   We send campers home with handouts, cds, inspiration 
and instruction to last a lifetime.  That ain't no dog kiss. I don't people 
thinking it's a dog kiss. I won't be able to get coaches or campers. Hell, I 
wouldn't come myself.



 6.. That my old stuff is my only stuff. As many harp-lers can attest to, 
in the last five years, I have made new advanced instructional cds taking 
you further into the arts of improvisation, tone, chugging, articulation, 
the  7 Positions of Diatonic Harmonica Gospel Songs played cross harp.  I 
would think my 7 positions CD would be of particular interest to players who 
have mastered 2nd position and are ready for more. In addition, while I no 
longer sell anything remotely close to the 100,000 copies a year I averaged 
in the 80's and '90's, my revised Rock n' Blues Harmonica book and CD has 
been Amazon.com's best selling harp book since published in 2000.


And while I am at it: I am proud to announce that I have a new book at the 
printers. It is Cross Harp Songbook Book and CD, Jazzify Your Melody. In 
this book and CD, I notate 90 public domain songs, for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 
5th, 6th , 12th and 1st positions, provide Guitar chords. On the CD, I 
perform each song as transcribed on C harp.  Song categories include gospel, 
cowboy, Romantic, Christmas, blues.  It will be available in your local 
music store, Amazon, and http:www.Gindick.com in early May.



 7.. That I should be nominated for the Bernie Bray award. I appreciate it, 
but I would much rather you buy my CD
of songs I wrote , Banished Moon,  write reviews at Amazon.Com, buy my 
books, tell me how much you love my playing

and come to Jam Camp.  Bernie's award should go to people who donate their 
time. I do this for money. I NEVER

do this for free.  I'm a doctor, a pro. I can get you bending in 5 minutes 
over the phone.



Also, what's this post humous crap?  I am 56 years years. My mom is 89. My 
Dad passed at 86.  I am in two bands, have a great new book coming out, 
countless jam camps, thousands of harmonica friends, a business I love, a 
musicial instrument that I'm really good on,  a family that lets me jam, 
countless people yet to meet, I've started working out again..



So, thanks for the great thread and the sweet comments. But now I've got to 
figure out the next Jam Camp.  Where will it be after St. Louis? New 
England? San Francisco?  Orlando?



Folks, I hope to see you there!



Jon