[Harp-L] Folk disagreement

[Michael Rubin <rubinmichael@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Winslow writes:
  But it sounds like the singer-songwriter thing is what you're thinking
of. For some reason a songwriter plays an acoustic guitar and some
people call it "folk" when folk is the opposite - songs that have been
around and styles that have been around for hundreds of years and are
part of the culture.
   
  I disagree.  I think that concept is one subset of the larger genre of folk music as it is presented by major festivals, coffeehops, clubs, record companies and musicians today.
   
  I am very involved in the Kerrville Folk Festival.  Kerrville is a small city 2 hours West of Austin.  Outside the city is a private campground.  Twice a year, they have a festival, a small one for 3 days and a large one for 18 days.  Volunteers are known to live at the fest grounds for 2 months both before and after the festival insuring its success and improvement.
   
  I go for 18 days straight (except for emergencies and big gigs), camp out and play music till the wee hours, volunteer for 4 hours a day for free camping 2 meals and 4 drinks daily and entrance to the fest.  I see 3 to 10 folk acts a day.  Many of the acts accepted or touted as folk have nothing to do with what Winslow is talking about.  
   
  In my opinion, Folk is a style of music, a feeling, an attitude, a way of life,etc.  This is very similiar to Blues.
   
  Playing folk harp is a relevation, because  there are no hard set traditions dictating what you play for authenticities' sake.  I play in any position, bluesy, minory, campfirelike, use chromatic, use vocal mics and amplifiers, etc.  I am a folk musician and therefore anything I choose to play is folk music.
   
  Now the original poster stated he liked the first position sound but had to learn overblows to play minor.  It is true, to play minor 1st you need overblows or a minor tuned harp.  I agree with Tim that once you start overblowing, the feel commonly associated with first position goes away.  I think 4th position is a great choice, especially if you were to stay on 4 blow and above you will achieve that straight harp sound.  Once you bend, all campfire style bets are off. 
  MIchael Rubin
  michaelrubinharmonica.com