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

["Dave R. Fertig" <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

What a lot of great histories!

I'm sure no pro, not even a truly serious student of the 
harmonica,let alone music, but since 1970 I've tried to play blues 
harp whenever I can, it's in my blood, if not my brain.   I was 
raised in Chicago and then DC hearing true blues and jazz all over, 
lots of live music by serious players from since before I can 
remember.   My dad says Big Bill Broonzy bounced my diapered butt on 
his knees, hope I got more than I gave there.

My first harp was one left behind by a visiting cousin (Doug Cole now 
in Berkeley, still a very fine blues harp player) when I was 14 in 
'70.   The next year I paid 364 pennies for an MB in C, leaving me 35 
cents to hitch from DC (to Boston or LA?)

Then I roamed the countryside for several years with Logan "Butch" 
Glascoe III from DC who was a truly natural player and bluesman, and 
a determinedly unemployed bipolar musician.  Among other things.  I 
suspect he's in N. Cal. now.   We jammed endlessly and he, mostly, 
taught me what little I know.  Also I found plenty of amazing live 
shows to see and truly great players to buttonhole,  but I really had 
no records to listen to and I never read books about harp, or even 
took lessons, til recently and even then just a couple, it ain't 
really my way of absorbing it (but Gindick's JamCamp is great!!)

So, see?  Some of us old farts didn't develop our tone or approach by 
books or copying licks off records or lessons.  For me it was mostly 
just jamming with others and playing by myself in wierd 
spaces.  C'est la vie.   And vive la difference:  It's really great 
to see what seems like a surge in harp instruction and seminars and 
such, and thus in players and quality.

Especially I'm glad some of you really old geezers (I'm a mere 50) 
are able to make a few hard-earned dollars while promoting harps and 
blues!!   Keep up the good works!

-Dave Fertig
http://elmtreeblues.org/



At 12:32 AM 4/25/2006,  Iceman wrote:

> A lot of us older, more experienced players and pundits grew up in 
> an era when the only way to learn diatonic blues harp was Tony 
> Glover's book and listening to records, figuring it out yourself. 
> There were no camps, workshops, videos, teachers, etc, in the old days.
>
> So, how did we actually learn to play? An interesting question ...