Re: [Harp-L] Finding your own voice (was:wanna be)

["Carter J. Castor" <cjcastor@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dennis Carelli: OK, lastly. Words of advise. What helpful words of advice
would you give a beginning, intermediate and advanced player?

Mark Hummel: The big thing I'm really going to "HARP" on (Laughs) with a lot
of students that I have is taking the time, putting in the time with
harmonica records. Like a "Another of the Greats"; Like Little Walter, Sonny
Boy Williamson, Big Walter Horton, George "Harmonica" Smith, James Cotton,
Jr. Wells. Putting in that time to actually sit down and work with those
records. Because what I'm finding more and more with people who take
harmonica lessons from me is that they don't seem to want to invest the time
to study the greats. Or to study a lick and learn the lick. They want to
just have you show them exactly how to play the lick instead of actually
developing their ear to learn to play those licks. I mean harmonica, blues
harmonica, is an ear instrument. If you don't develop your ear you are not
really going to get it. And the only way you develop your ear is too
constantly listen to those licks. That's what I had to do. That's what
everybody else of my generation certainly had to do. People like Kim Wilson,
Rod Piazza and Rick Estrin. They all sat down and worked with records to
learn this stuff. And if they hadn't of done that they wouldn't be the
players they are today. That's a must. I think a lot of younger harp players
or beginning and intermediate harp players are not investing the kind of
time they need to invest to really develop. And here's the constant one l
hear, "I'm trying to get my own style man". Well, you can't get your own
style until you learn some other styles to put something together of your
own. Because it doesn't come out of thin air. [emphasis added]

On 1/16/07, 46long Blake <46long@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Forgive me if this is a repeat comment....
>
> ...but wasn't it Miles Davis who said, "It takes a long time to sound like

> yourself." ?
>
>  - BAT


--
Carter

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