[Harp-L] Getting More Harmonica 'Out There'

["paul" <paul@xxxxxxxx>]

Michael Peloquin and Rosco bring up an all too painfully obvious point:
there just ain't all that much harmonica coming out of the world's 'studio'
output (other than the trademark blues or campfire licks that Producers
occasionally call for) . . . 

 

It's my 'opinion' (which would then have me 'opining' in case Buzzy wants to
do some more dictionary work) that, if we as a community want to have
Producers call us for more than the occasional blues or campfire licks, than
we as a community have to give them a reason to 'hear' harmonica in other
contexts . . . 

 

We, as a community, have to begin hearing and recording harmonica 'parts' in
well-written tunes (in contexts other than that which blues or campfire
enthusiast will want to hear) that establish harmonica as an interesting (or
compelling) 'sound' that will REPLACE the sax or guitar or keyboards that
are getting the 'calls' right now . . . 

 

In short, we've got to get out of our own rut, and we've got to convince the
musical community (and most importantly the 'Producers' of that music) that
the harmonica is an instrument that the public will want to 'hear' playing
'lines' and 'flavors' instead of just solos and standard licks; and to do
so, we've got to become better songwriters (in context other than blues or
'campfire), in order to create contexts within which to 'place' these
'lines, 'parts' and 'flavors' . . . 

 

Not to appear as a cheap endorsement of a friend, but I encourage folks to
listen to projects like Maybe August (Roscoe), that start to take those
steps (using harmonica as part of the texture and fabric of a body of music
rather that the music merely serving a a context for the harp player to
blow), and get to work creating the next generation of what harmonica should
sound like and in which contexts it can be used . . .

 

Comments???

 

Regards, Paul Messinger/Chapel Hill NC