Re: [Harp-L] How we learned diatonic harmonica in the "olden days"

[Tom Kearns <tejastk88@xxxxxxxxx>]

you raisd an interesting issue...why don't bands note the key they are playing in? How much more effort can that be? Early on,  it would have saved me countless hours... 

Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:  The Iceman queried:

> How did you other "old guys" learn to play before
> 21st Century teaching aids were created?

Back in the olden days when I first realized I
wanted to play harp (early '70s), I went out and
bought a C harp Marine Band and a copy of "Sonny
Boy Williamson Live with the Yardbirds" on the
advice of an experienced harp player whom I'd
begged for lessons (Eben Ross, you out there?).

I wore that record out, stuggled with my lone harp
and had no idea about keys, positions or nothin.
But Sonny Boy's tone got into my soul. After long,
fruitless hours I finally managed to bend a note.

Later, I bought a Mayall album that listed harp
keys and learned that harps worked better in
different keys than the song was in. Not up to
tackling Room to Move, I returned to my nearly worn
out Sonny Boy album and started to put it together.
The world centered around the 2 draw. 

Made some progress with the song "Pontiac Blues"
and then I got together with some high school
buddies for my first garage band experience. We
played "Soul Survivor" and we sucked, but we were
loud and the girls noticed me. :-)

Being a stubborn sort of cus, I refused to search
out too many harp albums as I thought I wanted to
develop "my own style." When "Whammer Jammer" came
out I refused to study it... but the truth was I
was so confronted by how good Magic Dick was, I
almost threw my harps away.

As a result of my foolish pride, misplaced ego and
stubbornness, my real progress on harp was
painfully slow. I'm talking a glacial pace here. 

It wasn't until decades later (maybe 3 years post
college) that I got together with some real players
who liked my playing, and realized I needed to get
some basics of theory in order to understand what I
was about. By then 2nd position was my natural
place, but I didn't know why. Straight harp (1st
position) was for wussies and I hadn't a clue about
3rd, let alone 4th, 5th or any of the rest. 

That's when I started getting more serious about
harp and began looking for instruction books. Years
later, I found the Internet and discovered Harp-L.
I was seeking information on my first chromatic
purchase. Here I realized how deep the pool was,
how much I needed to learn, where to seek help...
and most importantly, how incredible the harmonica
community is. 

I've made great strides over the last 7 or 8 years,
largely because of this resource and this
community.

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M.

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