Subject: [Harp-L] music theory

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

FINALLY!!!  Someone who "gets" it!
 
thanks, Michael!  Not that I'm all that interested in theory..having  studied 
it for piano lessons as a child and disliking it even then...much  preferring 
to play my harmonica (and keyboard) by ear, for which I seem to  have some 
innate ability.  
 
But I've been away from harmonica for a very long time, coming back to it  
only 4 years ago.  To my mind, I'm never going to be a professional  or gigging 
musician...have no ambitions to go into a studio to record  at this particular 
stage of my life...so why force myself to 'study'  something which leaches 
all the enjoyment out of my new (old) found hobby  -  my reason for which is 
simply to make music to  please myself on my harmonica...and perhaps not frighten 
away  friendly animals or other humans ;)    
 
 I'm at a point in my life and an age where I find studying  theory boring 
and a waste of my very limited time....when I'd much rather be  playing instead.
 
Hanging around those harmonica  people I am comfortable with  however, I hear 
those terms, and while they don't think of them as "theory" per  se, they 
leave me lost, and them frustrated because I'm neither "speaking nor  
understanding" their language.  So your premise is extremely  sound...and for that reason 
alone I'd love to hear more about your approach, and  would most especially 
be interested in a DVD series.
 
Elizabeth  
 
"Message: 13
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 08:51:17 -0700 (PDT)
From:  Michael Rubin <rubinmichael@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] music  theory
To: d d d _harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx) 


I recently went  to a harmonica workshop with our hero Tom Ball as an 
instructor.  I learned  a lot and had a great time.  

Throughout the  workshop all three teachers repeatedly stated that the 
students did not need to  worry about knowing theory and that the teachers rarely 
used theory in  performance or in communication with other musicians.  Within 
the next few  sentences the teachers would invariably use words like Flat Third, 
the four  chord, etc.

Everything they said was within my theory  vocabulary and I was not lost 
once.  However, it was clear that many of the  students were lost.  The teachers 
took the time to explain it.  The  students understood it for the moment.  
Perhaps some of them understood it  and are now able to converse or think about 
the ideas while playing music.   I would guess that some of them threw the 
knowledge away and will again get  confused when someone uses this jargon to speak 
of music.

My analysis of the situation is this; the teachers (representing the  
standard bar musician's use of theory) are so used to discussing music using  
theoretical jargon that the simple aspects of music theory (or what seems simple  to 
the working musician) seem like common knowledge.  Common knowledge is  in 
this way translated into NOT REALLY BEING music theory, because it is not  
difficult for them. 

However, most people who do not  study music theory know nothing about it at 
all.  How many harp players  have you met with a cheat sheet list of cross 
harp keys that they got from a  book or harp-l?  When they hear the most basic 
music theory terms the  speaker might as well be speaking in another language.   
 

What I propose is that there is a substantial amount  of music theory that 
the average bar musician has gleaned without going to  school as a music major.  
Nearly all bar musicians converse using this  theory without being aware that 
it is theory.  For the beginner to become  versed in this he can either read 
books, comb harp-l, get teachers or immerse  themselves in the music 
performance pool, dog paddling until he can  swim.

Therefore I put my intention out on the  internet to create a DVD series 
entitled "Meat and Potatoes Music Theory for the  Performing Harmonica Player".  
Now, to create the money and time to do  it.

I do give phone and webcam lessons.   (Hopefully that plug is within the 
rules of harp-l, it is the only time I have  done it and I will not make a habit 
of it.)  

Sincerely,
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com
PS my lessons are free at SPAH "






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