Re: [Harp-L] Miller is a 12-Year-Old Harp Monster



I think LD seems like a very nice kid and he's obviously fearless. And I loved his emotional "No!" when Simon Legree suggested that he ax his brother from the act. But at some point we (as listeners) do have to set aside the personality factors and look at the music.

The young man certainly has technical facility and knows his way around the harp, but there is a distinct lack of musicality in that style of playing. Of course, he IS only 12-years-old, and at that stage it's quite understandable that his motivation would center around the positive feedback he's receiving for his speed, flash and showmanship. In other words, I don't think we can really blame the kid for giving the (oft-times simplistic) public what it wants...

How many Blues Festivals have we all been to where the crowd goes wild over some cheap trick like a guitarist repeating an ultra high note, ad nauseum? Or controlled feedback that lasts for two minutes straight? For better or for worse, crowds are made up of non-musicians who, for the most part, don't relate as well to musicality or taste as they do to flash and showmanship. <shrug> T'is just the nature of the beast. There are plenty of grown men (and women) who rely on this tendency to a fault, so how could anyone think poorly of a 12-year-old for taking advantage?

I guess it just remains to be seen whether young LD will discover that there are musical solutions other than an endless sheet of notes. Will he develop taste and musicality as he matures? Will he discover the virtue of phrasing and negative space? It wouldn't surprise me at all if he does, once a few years have passed and all this hype has faded. Meanwhile, if he was my son I'd be proud as hell of him. Then I'd slip him a Valium. :)

cheers,
TB




This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.