[Harp-L] Re: [BluegrassHarp] Dr Banjo's view of harmonica

["rick epping" <rickepping@xxxxxxxxx>]

Back around 1971, Bill Monroe gave a concert at McCabe's Guitar Shop in
Santa Monica, where I was teaching at the time.  Towards the end of the show
he invited anyone in the audience to get up on stage and join in.  I'd been
playing bluegrass harp for some years by this time and, thrilled by the
opportunity to play along with the man himself, wasted no time (and no
shame!) in getting up, along with fiddler Richard Greene, who was also in
the audience.  We were stood over at one end, beside Monroe's fiddler, Kenny
Baker.  You can be sure it was a treat to play along with two fiddlers the
likes of them!  Well, not long into the tune - Old Joe Clark as I recall,
Bill Monroe heard my playing and motioned me over to stand beside him and
use his microphone.  After the show he invited me back the next night to
share his microphone for another song or two, after which he invited me down
to his festival in Beanblossom.  I ended up moving to Ireland instead and
never took him up on the invitation but have never forgotten his kind
gesture of encouragement.



The harmonica is no less a minority instrument in Irish music than it is in
Bluegrass and eyebrows still occasionally rise when I take out a harp for a
session of jigs and reels.  But, at the end of the day, it's only the music
that really matters, isn't it?  Whatever the kind of music, if you love the
stuff enough you'll play it on whatever you can and, with a bit of good
taste, get on alright.



Best,
Rick