Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Train Time tab by CREAM... does it exist? Please help???

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Mike responds:
 
"Elizabeth:

Thanks for your thoughts.  However, I think  was I was reacting to was my 
perception of the writer's clear bragging on  himself and name dropping.  If you 
listen to the song (which I hope  you'll do someday), you'll see what I was 
talking about, in that, it is  not something that someone with just a "good ear" 
will be able to pick up  and play in a week, never having played harmonica 
before.     

However, as to why such a thing would bother me, I  don't know.  Maybe it is 
a weakness in my own personality.   

You're right, he didn't say he mastered it.  He just said he  learned it "in 
its entireity".  That, to me, however, means you've  learned, at least, all 
the breaks and changes and accents from top to  bottom.  It's a complicated 8 
minute harmonica and drum piece.   If I say I've learned something in its 
entireity, I don't mean I just know  what key the thing is in.  I mean I can play it 
dead on, very, very  close to the original.  Maybe Doug's wording just threw 
me off and he  meant something else.    

Also, I guess I just have the  greatest respect for the real thing, and when 
I hear people (so often)  make uninformed claims or put it out there that the 
real thing was  something very simple to achieve, to me, they demean the 
artist or the  piece and the effort it took the artist to develop that talent.   
Take, for example, Sonny Terry.  There are plenty of people who think  they have 
his thing down, but they are missing the nuances and the back  rhythms, etc.  
It's like someone saying, "oh, Sonny Terry, hell, man,  I figured his stuff 
out in two weeks!"  Or someone saying about Jason  Ricci, "geez, he just plays 
a bunch of fast notes, I can do that, what's  the big deal?"  Why that bothers 
me, I don't know, but it does.   

All in all, Elizabeth from Scotland, I'm  probably an ass for even bringing 
this whole thing up.  I admit  that.  I'll take the blame and apologize.  Doug, 
you and me all  share a love of the harp and we should always stick together 
and not  attack each other.      

However, if, as you  describe yourself, you were a piano prodigy at 4, maybe 
you and Doug  should form a duo.  :)  Again, I'm being confrontational, so  
I'll just sign off and stop rambling and go learn Traintime in its  entireity.  
See you in a few months or more.

Best wishes -- (I  mean that, not being sarcastic)

Mike
Gainesville"
 
...Okay, Mike.  that's cool....and I'd certainly like to hear  Traintime...if 
you have a link, youtube or anywhere where I can, you  or anyone else, please 
point me to it.  I just didn't think he was  "bragging"...more talking about 
when he was an excited 17 year old....and  expressing (as many have done here) 
what their first breakthrough song was  on harp.  We've all pretty much 
talked about which song was the first  one we played....as I've said, my first song 
was Scotland the Brave.   The only reason I mentioned being in Scotland was 
to explain why  that particular song would be my "choice" at age 4 (since 
otherwise it  makes no sense). 
 
 Just to clear something else up...I don't believe I was in any  way a piano 
"prodigy"...lots of kids can do what I did.  I  think my family got the old 
second-hand piano the following  year, when I was 5, but yes, I could play any 
song in my head as soon as I  was shown the keyboard, though no one else in my 
family could play a note.  I just think there's something else at play...what 
people call having an  "ear" for music, that's all.  Maybe it skips a 
generation or  two?  My left hand stinks anyway...the lessons I took later didn't  
"stick" very well, so I mostly fake the chords, though I can still play  just 
about any melody I know or hear. 
 
 It's not "bragging"...because I take no credit for it, since it  isn't 
something I "earned", rather just a quirky fact of life....a genetic  toss of the 
dice as it were (at least that's how I've always viewed  it).  Maybe I'm 
completely off track, but that's how I saw Doug's  initial mention of his playing 
Traintime as well. Sometimes not  knowing we aren't supposed to be able to do 
something, enables us to do  it.  And yes, perhaps he didn't mean it the way you 
interpreted  it...since he simply said he could play it in it's entirety...to 
me  that meant playing the song all the way through without error...not  
necessarily with all the flair of the original artist.
 
 I was able to play Robert Bonfiglio's version of Sleepwalk on  my chromatic 
within a couple of tries the first day I heard it  on his CD.... but I assure 
you I don't sound remotely as good as  him, and never will.    
 
Ergo I completely agree with your take on people claiming to be  able to play 
as good as a "Sonny Terry" or any other of the greats,  without having a clue 
as to how much work went into them achieving their  greatness...that would 
probably tick me off as well....it's apples and  oranges, imho.  
 
And...my intent wasn't to be confrontational..just to query why  his 
reminiscing about his teenage excitement (which seemed kind of cute  and innocent to 
me, anyway), upset you to the degree it did.  No  biggie.
 
Best wishes to you too.  I'd certainly like to hear your version  of the song 
"in its entirety"  at some point.
 
Elizabeth