Re: [Harp-L] Don G. !st pos.

Yep! You have a good point. Over the years I have tried to put forth the effort to play in 2nd position, but I never really put forth "enough" effort towards that end. Now, one year away from 70, I find taking on a whole new way of playing more than I am willing to step-up to. I was hoping to just add a few new moves and possibly gain a bit more confidence in the blues end of harp playing. Re: The list! ( And I might add, It's working )

I have mostly played for my own entertainment with the exception of the bluegrass experience which lasted over a 12 year period and included some stage time. It was all good!
To more adequately explain my position, I might say that I don't really limit my playing to any one position, it's just that I play mostly in what I think of as "first." Being retired now, with all the Kids well on their own, I feel like it may be time to expand the experience and thought it would be fun to find out about all these other positions, bent notes, and harp manipluations.

I agree with you completly. We should never put any limits on any of our artistic endevors, and I do appricate your well recieved opinions. I will make efforts in that direction. :}:}
Best regards.... Don






----- Original Message ----- From: "chris smith" <harpshredder@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2005 10:24 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Don G. !st pos.


  Hey there was one more comment I want to make Don
G.
you're a self -described "straight -harp " player
.Rather  than
accomodate your request (akin to" enabling" an
alcoholic) I
have to ask you why do you coose to describe yourself
this
narrow way ? Far be it from me to alter your style
since after
all it's yours and people much,much,much more famous
than
me play 1st pos.( e.g. ,Bruce Springsteen,Bob Dylan
and Neil
Young) but  these guys are all incredible songwriters
and really pretty lousy harp players.  You're writing
to a blog of harp players who I presume be generally a
few light years
ahead of these guys (at least)  .I love Chicago style
1st pos.
blues playing but  it's really for variety that most
players use
it. The great advance in harp playing is the
development of
2nd pos. with the capability of note-bending in the
tonic chord and ,of course, as many of harp-l' s harp
maniacs will
gladly tell you.there are many other
positions,tunings, and
chromatic harps out there. If you like playing harp.
why not
use the full palette ?
                                      Chris "Big
Mouth" Smith

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Today's Topics:

   1. Carey Bell , Black Eyed Peas (Steve McIver)
   2. Re: The way I see it; [and the rest of us]?
(Chris Michalek)
   3. Re: making my own "melody maker" - question
(G)
   4. Re: The way I see it; [and the rest of us]?
(icemanle@xxxxxxx)
   5. Re: New to the list HELLO!!! (Mojo Red)
   6. Re: Stevie wonder's new cd (Chris Michalek)
   7. Re: Stevie wonder's new cd (Slim Heilpern)
   8. Stevie Wonder's New CD (Slim Heilpern)
   9. Re: Harp-L Digest, Vol 25, Issue 48 (Richard
Hunter)
  10. Re: The way I see it; [and the rest of us]?
(billannette)
  11. Re: this recent thread on positions, notes,
colors etc...
      (Richard Lister)
  12. Re: New to the list HELLO!!! (Jonathan Metts)
  13. Opps I did it again. Pop is for the week.
(Chris Michalek)



---------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 17:27:45 -0500
From: "Steve McIver" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Carey Bell , Black Eyed Peas
To: "Harpl Post" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:

<MJEAIPFCKCFAJJHLLECJCEIGCCAA.steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hey gang,

Sittin here doing inventory listening to the above,
Some very cool harp
going on, rhythm all most sounds accordion like.

Steve
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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 17:40:48 -0500
From: "Chris Michalek" <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The way I see it; [and the
rest of us]?
To: icemanle@xxxxxxx, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
<380-220059530224048799@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


>
>
>
>---- Original Message ----
>From: icemanle@xxxxxxx
>To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [Harp-L] The way I see it; [and the
rest of us]?
>Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 17:18:31 -0400
>
>>If only Chris would add "IMO" at the end of
sentences such as "NOTES
>and Position do not matter".

I title my subject THE WAY I SEE IT


>>
>>I've been moved to my feet by one perfect
sustained note played by
>Albert Collins at a live show. I've been moved to
tears by one
>perfectly placed note w/gentle vibrato in a trumpet
solo by Chet
>Baker. I've been moved to wonderment by the one
unexpected choice but
>somehow perfect note played by Miles Davis in many
of his solos.

Miles was a very sloppy players and BTW thought in
terms of colors.
Read his books...

Note choice is cultural.  What you think is cool
others around the
world will think you're an idiot. You are reacting
to the emotion he
is putting into that note. Simply playing an Ab or
Bb etc is
meaningless without the context of shape, tone and
color.


 Neil
>Young still excites me with his one note choice
solo during "Cinnamon
>Girl".
>>

I'm homophobic so I'll stay away from that :-) IMO
etc etc...

>>Listen to the power of a well placed note in the
harmonica playing
>of Big Walter or Jerry Portnoy - very accessable
stuff to any level
>of harmonica player.
>>

Again it's the emotion. I'm willing to bet these
guys didn't even
know what note they were playing at the time.  It's
a coloration,
shape etc  they are using coupled with emotion.


>>Note choice (based on knowledge of scale degree,
relation to the
>harmony, timing and a feel for the rhythm
underlying) will make an
>audience react.
>>

No Way Jose.  It's delivery and in most cases
delivery is charged by
emotion, shape and color.


>>Nothing wrong in thinking this through while
learning, practicing,
>and (gasp) even during a performance, IMO. It works
for me and many
>of my favorite musicians.
>>

Everything is wrong with thinking. The zone is like
being in love. No
thought required and it's useless anyway.  Live the
moment and feel
good. IMO



>>The Iceman
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Chris Michalek <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>
>><The most important thing I have learned is people
react to emotion
>>and rhythm NOT note choice. Notes mean nothing and
rhythm joined by
>>emotion is everything. Don't believe me?  Take a
simple tune like
>>Jingle Bells, play any note other than the correct
note BUT play the
>>rhythm and you along with everybody else will
still be able to
>>identify the song. NOTES and Position do not
matter.>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
>>Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
>>http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>>

Chris Michalek


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