[Harp-L] re: "playing"

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave Murray writes:

"OK, we are communicating, I get where you are coming from, but are  
you saying that the diatonic harp players on and off this list who  
play jazz are not doing that successfully? It sounds like you are  
saying that they are not, and/or that their music is not good, etc.  
You set a higher standard than the people who pay to hear them play,  
or buy their CDs if that is what you are saying."


I set a standard for myself--that's the only one I can set such a  
standard for.  If people then say "so-and-so can do X" and I hear  
audio of it and find that for me so-and-so can't, well, that's about  
all I'm really saying.  I'm then trying to define what and how I'm  
hearing it as not doing X so that we can discuss it.

And no, I am not saying that they are not being successful.  I won't  
name names, but some people are quite successful at playing the  
diatonic in more chromatic settings, others less--for me, of course.   
But, I am saying that most of what I hear in the singular technique  
of trying to use bends and overblows exclusively to achieve this goal  
doesn't seem to be working very well, and then explain what I mean by  
that and why it isn't working.

As for CDs and such, I'd be interested in actual numbers.  It's very,  
very easy to get a distorted picture of what's going on in both the  
overall harmonica community and the harmonica-listening public by  
reading this and other lists.  The list is insular and self-focused.   
That's part of the nature of such a beast.


Dave Murray:

"If they are not shackled by chromatic notes that they can not play,  
and they can draw a audience that appreciates the music that they  
play, why is that not successfully playing chromatic music?. Within  
the context of playing music that requires chromaticism, if they  
satisfy an audience, why is that not enough?"


Again, how big is the audience--frankly, I don't think it's even as  
big as this list.

Moreover, I don't honestly care if everyone else thinks that  
something is great and perfect.  By the same token, I don't care if  
other people think something is awful.  All I can bring to a list  
such as this is myself.  If I am alone, fine, but that doesn't make  
me wrong in my opinions (which is all that they are--I have never  
said otherwise).  Now, I would like to understand why I can or cannot  
hear things the same way as others, and so I try to explain what it  
is I am hearing that makes me feel something is as it is--in this  
case, why I feel the particular "chromatic diatonic" style doesn't  
work as claimed or desired.  Only through that dialogue can I be  
understood and can I better understand those whose opinion differs  
from mine.



 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'