[Harp-L] Starting a Harmonica Club (LONG)

[Robert Coble <robertpcoble@xxxxxxxx>]

Here are a couple of resources.

1. The "SPAH CLUB GUIDELINES" was published in 2002. This publication
identifies the various offices of the club and the duties of the officers.

Contact one of the SPAH officers listed on the SPAH Web site:
http://www.spah.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=7935

2. The Harmonica Educator Web site is:
http://hometown.aol.com/heducator2/index.htm

The Harmonica Educator (Publisher: Mr. Richard Martin) offers a book devoted
to the subject. It covers an extensive range of topics. It is oriented
toward the traditional (musically "serious") harmonica club based on the
chromatic and orchestral (chord and bass) harmonicas. Here are the
abbreviated Table of Contents:

Introduction
Part One - New members Information Package
    The Harmonica Club's newsletter
    Additional Concerns of the Harmonica Club
Part Two - Club Activities and Projects
    The Recording Secretary
    Program for the First Meeting
    Sample Agenda for The Meeting
    Suggested Activities and Projects
    Special Topics for a Successful Club
    Sound Reinforcement Systems and Mikes, and Other Equipment for the
Harmonica Club
    Design a Web Page for your Harmonica Club
    Advertising Flyer about the Harmonica Club
    The Harmonica Club Radio Spot Announcement
    Request for Membership Information (Member Profile)
    Application for Membership
    Harmonica Education Program
    What it takes to become a successful harmonica player
    Rehearsal Atmosphere
    Care of the Harmonica
    Harmonica Educators/Instructors and Musical Directors
    Future Plans for the Training of Harmonica Instructors
    Developing Musical Reading Skills for Harmonica Players
    Guidelines for Harmonica Education
    Harmonica Workshops
    The Training Environment
    Program Evaluation
    Examples of the Harmonica Club Workshop Update
    Workshop Registration
    Workshop Attendee Profile Information
    Seminar Evaluation
    Class Syllabus for One Day Chromatic Harmonica Workshop
    Class Syllabus for Chromatic Harmonica 1 (Beginning Level Harmonica
Players)
    Class Syllabus for Chromatic Harmonica II (Intermediate Level Harmonica
Players)
    Class Syllabus for Chromatic Harmonica III (Advanced Level Harmonica
Players)
Part Three: Constitution and Bylaws
    Constitution
    Bylaws
    Supplemental Information to the Bylaws

The book is listed in the Harmonica Books link as:
 
19. Book (72 Pages): A Handbook For Harmonica Clubs For Forming and Running
a Harmonica Club.

Contact Mr. Martin via email: Ri58066217@xxxxxxx



Here is my personal experience with starting a harmonica club.

Prior to moving to NC in mid-July 2005, I was a member of the Harmonica Plus
Club (Newport News, VA) and secretary of the Cardinal State Harmonica Club
(Portsmouth, VA). Both of these clubs were in existence long before I
developed an interest in harmonica playing (about 5 years ago). I researched
and drafted the formal Constitution and Bylaws for the Cardinal State club.
This was valuable experience, but it is NOT the same as starting and growing
a local club. I also helped with the organization and support of the annual
Virginia Harmonica Fest. Again, this was exciting and valuable experience,
but only indirectly applicable to forming and running a club.

After moving, I wanted to continue the fun of playing and learning with
other harp players, so I started a local harmonica club several months ago.
We are now up to 7 regular members (almost totally diatonic stuff). Here are
some of the things I did to get started. I feel very fortunate to have this
many regular attendees; the population of the town is less than 30,000.

I first visited the two local music stores, to determine if a club already
existed, and to determine if there were other harmonica players in the area.
I found that there was not a local club. I did gain some contacts through
the stores. I kept tabs on the local music scene, to find other contacts.
Several non-harmonica musicians provided names and phone numbers of possible
harp players to contact.

After finding at least 5 harp players who had expressed an interest in
having a local club, I started looking for a venue. The local Randolph
(County) Arts Guild already supported a traditional, old time bluegrass
music group. I asked for a possible meeting night and space at the Guild,
and was given permission to start a club. The club was given the opportunity
to meet on the first Thursday of every month at the Arts Guild, at no cost.
If that venue had not been available, I would have tried a local church
fellowship hall.

I contacted the local newspaper, and asked for a permanent entry for the
club in the weekly Current Events section, which is free. That gives me 4
free advertisements per month for the club.

I printed up 4x6 advertisements, and posted them at the music stores and
other locations which had customer bulletin boards. I also had business
cards made up with the club meeting information along with my contact
information. Each time I made a new contact, I would give out one of my
cards and ask for contact references to other harp players. It's amazing how
many "closet" harmonica players are out there, just waiting to have an
opportunity to play! BTW, by asking around at my local church, I found a
bluegrass gospel group in the church that was willing to let me play along
with them on a regular basis (and I had never played bluegrass music on
harp!!)! That led to more contacts at each venue we play.

I am very fortunate to have my older brother to provide musical support to
the club. He is an outstanding gospel pianist, and agreed to bring a
keyboard for accompaniment. He also provides explanations of APPLIED music
theory, on an "as needed" basis.

Currently, we do not have any formal organization. I have a draft
Constitution and Bylaws ready, but, so far, there has been little interest
in formalizing the club. Most of the members are in agreement that if the
club grows to more than 10-12 members, we will probably have to formalize
the club structure.

We usually have a general chit-chat session for a few minutes at the
beginning of each meeting. If there are new people in attendance, I ask them
to fill out a contact sheet during this time. Players of all levels
(including brand new players) and of all "persuasions" of harmonica are
welcome. After the initial gabfest, we usually will pick a song and begin
playing, using the piano to set the tempo and key. We usually will play
through at least 3-4 verses of the same song before changing songs. This
gives everybody a chance to warm up and play. Sometimes, I take my bass
harmonica and stumble along with I-V accompaniment, just for the fun of it.
I stay close beside the new people, so that they are encouraged to play.

At our first couple of meetings, everybody played at one time, without
really listening to the other players and to the "groove". After a lot of
soul-searching and trepidation, I brought up the subject of music
"etiquette" when playing with a group: LISTENING a lot AND either (a) laying
out during someone else's "break" (solo) or (b) playing rhythmic support
(chugging, for example) BEHIND someone else's melody. Most of the players
were used to harping without accompaniment, so this was a very important
"lesson" to get across to everybody. To their credit, they paid very close
attention and "got it" immediately. The musical quality went up tremendously
as a result.

In the last half hour, I usually introduce some simple harp "theory" (using
positions, modes, simple riffs, etc.) and demonstrate it on a simple song.
This is where my brother on keyboard is invaluable. He can take any part of
the music, isolate it, and combine it as needed to illustrate my points,
even if I can't nail them exactly right on the harp. (I'm an intermediate
player.) For example, last month we used "Red River Valley" as the example
song. With my brother's help, we wrote out 4 different harmonica parts, with
separate piano accompaniment. Part 1 was the traditional melody, part 2 was
an alternate melody, part 3 was a chugging rhythmic background, and part 4
was a set of little fills at the end of each phrase. By isolating each part
using the keyboard, everyone could hear how the part was supposed to sound.
This is very important, because (other than my brother) none of us are sight
readers. Each person is then encouraged to try at least one of the various
parts, and more if desired. Everyone was given a set of sheets with the
notes in traditional music notation and also with tab for harp.

For new people who have never played, I try to get them to put the harp in
their mouths and blow the major chord during the song session, even if it
doesn't sound all that great. I think this is very important, because if
they just sit and listen to more advanced players, they will not overcome
their fear of sounding bad in front of the rest of the club, and will
eventually drop out. For those who are a little more experienced, I try to
get them to hit single notes on the I, IV and V chords in the song. If a new
player only has one harmonica, we play at least one round of the song in
that key, so that they get a chance to play along with the group. Inclusion
is the name of the game!

So far, everyone seems to be having a good time, and that was one of my
primary goals. As my friend Buddy Wakefield (founder and President of
Harmonica Plus) said, "When it stops being fun, I'm OUTTA here!" If you keep
that in mind, you'll look for ways to keep it fun, even when discussing the
dreaded music theory stuff. BTW, a little music theory goes a LONG way; when
you see their eyes glaze over, it's time to let it go. Having fun while
playing and learning together is THE goal of our club.

I hope the experience given above will help those of you who are looking to
start a local club. Please provide a description of your experience as it
happens. We all can learn from each other!

Good luck!
Crazy ('bout harp!) Bob