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

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

My age falls somewhere between you old hippies and the
pimple-faced high teenagers. I first picked up a harp
in my senior year of high school in the late 80's. It
was an old style handmade Pro Harp. I think they were
in all respects the same as a SP20 save for the
painted covers. Looked dark and mysterious. I borrowed
Glover's book from the library. I was entranced by
that cover photo of the guy with requisite 'blues man'
hat, suit and tie. He had these big beefy hands that
gently sandwiched the two ends of the harp instead
using of the regular cup grip.

I made progress, played a couple years then plateaued.
I had always been drawn to the harp's earthy sound.
The thing was, I only received it in sound bites.
We've all seen/heard the harp's prominence in
commercials. To really get harmonica required me being
intentional. I didn't know how to go about that; or
maybe I was too lazy. I quit playing and only picked
up a harp a few times a year.

Fast forward fourteen years. Someone asked me to play
for their daughter's wedding ceremony. The bride
wanted the Celine Dion version of Ella Fitzgerald's
'At Last'. In preparation I searched out this list and
boy; what a revelation.

At the wedding I played the intro in 2nd position. I
had planned to squeak out my newly discovered overblow
4 for the lick but thought better of it at the last
minute. I substituted the Blow 5 and just made the
minor into a major.(How's that for cheating?) I
switched harps and played the rest of the song in 12th
position including a simple solo. That was it; I was
hooked.

That was a year and half ago and harp-l has continued
to be my main source of harp instruction as well as
highlighting all the great players I didn't know
about.

Paul

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