RE: [Harp-L] You wanna play harp?

"Marc Molino" <mmolino54@xxxxxxxxxxx> · Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:41:31 -0400

I had to laugh when I read smo-joe's post below. I was a "harmonica owner" 
for about 18 years--I gotta Hohner Pocket Pal when I was about 13 years old 
because a friend of mine had one and it seemed like fun. It came with Jon 
Gindick's book & cassette tape "Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically 
Hopeless" (total price: $12). I played it for about 2 weeks and maybe 
listened to about 1/5 of the tape--then, over the next 18 years, I played it 
about one week every year, give or take a year here and there as I found and 
lost it many times. I found it again last year--almost exactly one year 
ago--and began again in earnest. It was different this time--it really got 
under my skin. I was consistently practicing anywhere from 20 minutes to 
upwards of 2 hours a day. I think I would have stuck with it no matter what, 
but the vast amount of resources I found online really encouraged me and the 
warm community of harpers (here and on a couple of other sites/forums) was 
(and still is) inspiring. I'm probably somewhere between a "novice" and an 
"intermediate" at this point and aim to be able to play along side others as 
best I can in as many styles of music as possible. I am amazed at how much 
the harmonica has become a part of my life--I almost never travel anywhere 
w/out at least one on me. I thought I'd discovered electricity the first 
time I bent the two-hole draw. All this below will sound incredibly boring 
and technical, so I should preface it with the statement that I'm having a 
blast! In the last year, my education/acquisition has gone something like 
this:
PROGRESS

* Single notes by puckering (aka, lip blocking--started out being able to 
play these thanks to being a "harmonica owner" for 18 years)

* Bending (came around month 2 or 3; got the 2-hole first, but the 3-hole 
was much harder for me and I still have a lot of work to do on it); 
Blowbends (came somewhat easy to me around month 4 or 5; still struggling 
with the 10-hole on this one); no overblows or overdraws (yet!!!)

* Octaves (started trying tongue-blocking around 9 months; can hit some in 
stride, some not so much, and sometimes I have to stop to mop up the 
drool... )

* Vibratto (still improving; I have gracefully given myself lots of room for 
this improvement to take place)

* Positions/Ease & Movement Around the Instrument (play mostly in 1st or 2nd 
position; have a few dozen straight harp tunes down by heart; know a fair 
number of blues riffs; got a handful of scales under the belt--memorized, 
not mastered; basically, I sound so-so solo and can occasionally play along 
to recorded music)

* Harmonic Understanding (couldn't sound out crap by ear when I started; it 
wasn't until month 8 or 9 where this started to come a little more 
naturally--I may have relied too much on sheet music and tabs in the 
beginning instead of forcing myself to use my ear or sound things out 
myself; I believe this is a result of practicing scales, having the layout 
and sounds of the harmonica become more ingrained in my memory/muscles, 
etc.)

* Full appreciation for the instrument (now realize I've got a lifetime of 
learning ahead of me instead of one 40 minute cassette tape!)

* Some highlights (my 4 yr. old can now recognize what I'm playing if he 
knows the song; made my wife cry once by surprising her w/ one of "our 
songs"; can make the dog cry with the 10-hole blowbend; now hear harmonica 
almost everywhere--ads, movies, songs on the radio, etc.; occasionally feel 
like I'm expressing something inside of me)
HARMONICAS (total spent: $173 + $25 S&H for 4 diatonics and 1 chromatic)

*August '07 - Hohner Pocket Pal (had since early teendom)

*October '07 - Hohner Special 20 (C): $22 (was not particular impressed; 
perhaps I was thinking the harp was going to make up for my lack of 
technique, but I still don't much like it; the reeds feel so stiff to me)

* December '07 - Lee Oskar Major (G): $26 (louder, easier vibratto sound for 
me, but didn't much care for the larger size)

* March '08 - Hohner Marine Band (Bb) & Hohner Golden Melody (A): $20 & $22 
(I like both of these harmonicas a lot even though they're very different 
from one another)

* June '08 - Hohner Super 64 Chromonica: $83 (e-bay; I love this harp both 
for it's sound & feel, and that it makes learning to read music/music theory 
easier having one instrument which I can play chromatic more easily)
CDs (Total: $53)

* Hazmat Modine (Bahamat): $10 (iTunes)

* Chris Michalek (Monk Alters Chi): $12 (CDBaby)

* JJ Milteau (Blue 3rd, Memphis): $13 & free (part of free e-music intro 
download)

* Jason Ricci & New Blood (Blood on the Road): $10 (iTunes)

* Son of Dave (O2): free (part of free e-music intro download)

* Sonny Terry (Wizard of the Harmonica, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee at 
Sugar Hill): Free (public library)

* Little Walter (A Proper Introduction to Little Walter): $8

* Sonny Boy Williamson II (Essential Sonny Boy Williamson Collection, One 
Way Out): Free (public library)
LESSONS/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS (Total: $40)

* Jon Gindick's "Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless" (had 
since teendom)

* Kim Field's "Harmonicas, Harpers, and Heavy Breathers" (free--public 
library)

* Jon Gindick's Bending & Tone Workshop ($25)

* Adam Gussow's blues harmonica lessons (free--YouTube)

* Catherine Schmidt-Jones's online course: Understanding Basic Musical 
Theory (free online)

* Dave Barrett's "Scales, Patterns, & Bending Exercise #1" ($15)

* A bunch of different websites (Pat Missin, Planet Harmonica, Harmonica 
Sessions, HarpTabs, Diatonic & Chromatic Reference Pages, etc.)
After all this: Yeah, I wanna play harp.
-marc molino

From: Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] You wanna play harp?
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 02:00:12 -0400
So...you wanna play harp eh. Lotsa luck
Listed below will be several things to consider when thinking of  playing 
harp. They are not necessarily in order of importance because  I'm just 
going to let it roll.
One thing to consider is: "Where do I sit on the lunch box or food  chain of 
harp"? Am I:

1.. a harmonica owner? A harmonica owner is one who buys a harmonica,  
toodles around a little bit and then relegates the poor lonely little  
'krome klondike' to a drawer.
2.. A beginner? A beginner is one who is actually spending some  semblance 
of time in an effort to play. Their progress may be  hampered somewhat by 
their ability or inability OR it may just be a  matter of only having been 
at it for a short time. They may be able  to swawk out a semi recognizable 
tune or two.
3.. A novice? A novice is one who is able to get some pretty sounds  and 
possibly tunes out of the 'Tin Tootsie Roll'. To the point that  an 
impromptu 'Happy Birthday' played at a party won't bring too much  pie 
throwing.
4.. An intermediate? An intermediate is at the point where they might  go 
from gussing to the bravery of trying an open mike stint. Some  mistakes are 
evident but not enough to ruin everyone's fun. There  might even be 
clapping. You WISH.
5.. Advanced? Advanced means that you may be able to pull sunshine  out of 
your anus and do an evening slot at a harmonica festival. You  have now 
arrived at the point where playing with a band is not out of  the question.
6.. Expert? You don't make many mistakes, you do some fast +/or  difficult 
stuff and have enough 'snowjoberol' to pull it off.
7.. Professional? You are good enough to get paid...regularly
8.. Master? You are one of the 2 dozen or so getting the commercials,  
jingles, movie sound tracks, and sitting in on other people's records.
9.. Virtuoso? You are one of a half dozen who can write your own ticket.
Then ask yourself: What do I expect from the harmonica and Where do I  want 
to go with it.
How about budget? If you are in the lower branches of the salad tree,  
buying expensive harps doesn't make much sense, BUT, I WOULD suggest  this: 
Always get harps that are 1 eschelon above your position on the  ladder. 
Leave some room for advancement. Playing a harp that's  lousier than YOU is 
a drag and will bring dis-allusionment.
Just tossing some figures out on the table and seeing what they do,  if you 
make (say) $41,895.84 per year, and allowing 1 per cent for  harmonicas, we 
come up with $418.96. That's $139.65 for a chromo (we  only need one...for 
now), and 12 (min) diatonics at $23.27 each.
Now it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to see that if you only make  
$27,930.56, you are POOR and have to adjust accordingly. $93.10 for a  
chromo, and 12 (min) diatonics at $15.51 each.
Now naturally, we don't blow harps out all the time..(DO we?) But ,  we can 
see that what with buying food, making mortgage & car  payments, utilities, 
insurances, taxes, clothing, medical, gasoline,  etc. we can't spend ALL our 
money on harps.
As to whether a harmonica is worth the price. It's only worth the  price IF 
we can afford it. It's worth the price if we love to play  enough to adjust 
somewhere else. Can our playing amortise (justify)  the expense? Some (like 
me) use harp for therapeutic purposes. Mental  health, so to speak. There 
was a time when (in the words of Jerry  Adler) I lived hand to mouth. Lived 
from pay day to pay day. Since I  was paid every other week or every 
fortnight,  I was oft to say: "  I'm Only 13 days away from being homeless".
Now, I can get whatever I want. And remember, most harmonicas today  are 
beyond the capabilities of the players.
smokey joe said it

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