[Harp-L] Off the cuff

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Not one to question Cara´s musical ability or integrity, I would still say the rule holds generally: Keep your harps at home. An exception should perhaps be made for Cara (but Cara, don´t get drunk and lose your chops, pub´s are a risky environment) and those who are constructively contributing to the instruments reputation -- but they are a small minority.
   Thanks for tips on what to play.

  Mark would love to hear a tuba in the pub; and perhaps once, for approx. half a minute that would be great fun -- if the player could play. Not the case with most harmonicists regaling audiences with sloppy blues clichés.
  Otherwise, in view of the increasing level of insults to our aural environment, imbecile telephone conversations etc that you seem to deplore, is the best reply to this really to take up the harmonica and contribute to the cacaphonization? I dunno ...
  Like it or not, appreciation of harmonica music cannot be taken for granted and it mostly tends to be the crappy players who insists on practicing in public.
  But I shall give "The stripper" a try. Just in case.
 
Martin

harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

*"Generally I do not recommend carrying around a harmonica at all times, 
that seems just to encourage abuse and further confirm the publics low 
estimate of the instrument. The portability of the thing is too often 
confused with some supposed widely felt need to listen to a harmonica every 
now and then. You never see tuba players terrorizing pub crowds with 
recently acquired skills.)"*

I carry a harmonica with me whenever possible regardless of the dangers of 
abuse. It is seldom considered "low" when in my hands. But, then, I am not 
what they expect either -- someone scratching out "Home on the Range" or 
some weakly played blues riff (which might be the common assumption by those 
asking). I, instead, can catch their attention and appreciation with a short 
jig played at an almost undanceable tempo, but clearly enough that they can 
follow every note.

*"As I said, no big thing but it would be interesting to see some 
suggestions. What do you chose? "Oh Susannah"? "Love me do" intro? "Eine 
kleine Nachtmusik"? "Rule Britannia"?"*

I don't have a single tune or riff that I use for these situations. It all 
depends upon the situation at hand. If the conversation is starting off with 
the "low" opinion of the harmonica, I might play "Fur Elise" (Mozart) or 
"Rogue's Dance" (jig) or "Swallowtail" (jig), or anything else that appears 
to be "higher" than their original opinion. Often, I will ask what type of 
music they like and try to find a tune they already know so that they will 
understand what I am playing. If they provide a general genre, I try to find 
a nice tune within the genre that I can deliver without accompaniment. I try 
to play to them so that they understand, but still pick tunes that have some 
fun in them somewhere: a difficult run to widen their eyes; odd mode or 
changes keys/modes in the middle somewhere; was played on "Bugs Bunny" 
cartoons and is latently familiar; etc. "Oh, Susannah" can be a very good 
choice, as can "Rule Britannia". "Dixie" is an excellent choice for simple 
execution and fiddle-type (complicated) execution and is widely 
recognizable, though some folks these days are afraid to play it or are 
afraid to admit that they still enjoy it so you have to feel your audience 
out to see if they would like to hear it.
Jigs are usually the most popular of the generic openers for me because of 
the strong rhythm sense in their delivery and their complexity. I will 
sometimes play Christmas music during the 'season' if I am asked. Once, a 
lady who liked really old music asked me to play a little, so I played her a 
couple of madrigals. While movies like "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" are 
familiar, it can be fun to play themes from them on the harmonica.
I also usually keep a harmonic minor on me, because I love the scale (but 
it is not as much fun to play the scale on a major harmonica as it is to use 
one tuned that way). So, when I have the harmonic minor on me, I can play 
them "Hava Nagila" or "Hungarian Dance #5", or I can really mess with the 
fiddle tunes. The "Chicken Dance" is fun to mess with on a harmonic minor. 
The 'welcome to Hogwarts' theme from the 3rd Harry Potter movie works 
wonderfully on the harmonic minor.
My suggestion for anyone who may find themselves in this situation is to 
identify tunes that are enjoyable to play, enjoyable to hear, and are 
challenging (but can be played well), and keep them as a list in the back of 
your mind just in case you end up in one of these situations. Then pick a 
tune or two from your list to show off the harmonica as best as you can 
whenever you are asked. We will never get passed the "toy" concept as long 
as we are too shy to demonstrate the harmonica's musicality. It is a "toy" 
and is "played" by musicians, just like a violin or trumpet. It is up to us 
harmonica players to demonstrate its musicality beyond the common concept.
Cara Cooke


------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Wed, 04 May 2005 11:55:44 +1000
From: Mark Crowley 
Subject: Re: Fw: [Harp-L] What to play off the cuff
To: cyberharp@xxxxxxxxx, Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: 
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

>>> Cara Cooke 05/04/05 10:49am responded much
too nicely to sumbuddy who said:>>>
*"Generally I do not recommend carrying around a harmonica at all
times, 
that seems just to encourage abuse and further confirm the publics low

estimate of the instrument. The portability of the thing is too often 
confused with some supposed widely felt need to listen to a harmonica
every 
now and then. You never see tuba players terrorizing pub crowds with 
recently acquired skills.)"*

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I would luv to see a tuba or double bass let rip in a pub ....

been watchin "Grumpy Old Men" - the Brit chat series - as well as a
repeat of "Crumb" and its all true...

i mean, it's ok for me to sit on a bus everyday and be forced listen to
six different personal conversations by teeners with their boyfriends
held at the top of their voices on their mobile phones ("I'm on the bus
- where are you!")- as well as six different tick-tick-ticks from
PERSONALwalkmans blatting out some eminem boombox that is anything but
personal.

....wait at the bustop while every passing car is filling the worldy
silence with the doof-doof of its own version of aural dog****...

and be visually bombarded by every goddamn brand name under the sun
everywhere yu look - show me a square metre on this planet untainted
with advertising? Branson announced last nite he is ready to emblazon
Virgin across the goddamn moon (this starry night, proudly brought to
you by...)

as crumb says, humans have become nothing but walking
billboards...there is no such thing as culture outside of product
placement

let some guy sitting by himself pull out a harp and quietly work on
that problem riff...and let's holler all around him and call
tasteless... get real.

'hawaii five o' shuts people up....

if they give yu any crap rip off 'the stripper' - yu can get thru some
of that in 3rd - but i would much prefer a tuba version if i could.

crowley - 




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