[Harp-L] Reading

[Robert Bonfiglio <bon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Reading is just a tool; the reason I teach it in all my chromatic 
seminars is that it is the fastest way to get to technique and cover a 
lot of material.  Otherwise you have to learn every technical exercise 
from memory and that takes time.  Even with rudimentary reading one can 
cover 50 tunes in an afternoon and figure out what's worth playing.  
It's just a tool and does not make you a good musician.

Richard Hunter was right, reading can get you a good gig!  The keyboard 
player with McCartney played the string parts, the trumpet parts and 
all kinds of other things from his hits.  He can read; McCartney, who 
was one of the Beatles, does not have to know how to read.

Join Rob P. at my Grand Canyon Harmonica Seminar and demystify this 
stuff; this is not brain surgery and every player can be using the 
chromatic on gigs and doing some reading and not feeling overwhelmed by 
the whole experience.

What's important to know about classical music is it's how you play 
what's in between the notes that counts.  Classical players get emotion 
by changing tempi, stretching notes, changing vibrato, tonal color, 
dynamics and phrasing. Remember that some very well known blues players 
will play the same lick over the same changes for 40 years.  The great 
ones never do this!

 The notes may be written by Mozart, but it's how you play them.  A 
good string quartet can sound good playing poor music and a poor string 
quartet does not sound good playing Mozart!!

Harmonically yours,

Robert Bonfiglio
http://www.robertbonfiglio.com