[Harp-L] Deconstructing

[mjmeadors@xxxxxxx]

 I'm wondering if any of you have ever been in my position, and if so, how the situation went for you.
 
After many years of playing harp, in and out of bands, I finally got to the point where I was boring myself nightly.  I said everything I had to say in 3 songs and then just repeated the rest of the night.  The audience, of course, always responded positively regardless.  Yet, I knew, as an advanced player, that while I sounded great to the audience, I wasn't getting the thrill of playing like when I was first starting out.  So I quit.
 
It's now about 6 years later and I've picked up a new 410 from Sonny, got my mic and harps back in order, and am ready to play again.  But this time I don't want to rely on just the same old licks and technique.  I was always a BField fan so I always justified puckering instead of blocking (except for some chording), yet I was never TRULY happy with my tone.  I am in the process, consequently, of learning to play harp all over again, but this time with tongue blocking ala Wilson, Piazza, etc.  Its so very hard to stop falling back into old patterns because the muscle memory is still there.  Anybody else ever try just learning an entirely new style/technique after years of playing a certain way?  It truly feels like I'm just starting over.  Did any of you try to change but realize that old habits never go away, or have you made the change and never looked back?
 
m