Re: [Harp-L] Harp Flashing- was fav key

[Bradford Trainham <btrainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Is it because...
Maybe when we first start carrying harps around, we're not as yet sure
of their status as "real" musical instruments.  We treat them more
like personal affectations, extensions of our appearances?  
I'm roughly describing what happened to me about twenty-two-ish years
ago when, having finally figured out the most basic of bends, I
suddenly had an urge to show somebody, but didn't quite have the urge
nor the technique to last me through even the simplest of songs.
I was most fortunate that my baby daughters, when crying were somehow
soothed by my (equally baby) blunderings/wanderings-around on the
harp. 

Some time around 1990, I somehow crossed some real musician's line
with both the harmonica and the acoustic guitar and somehow became
someone... someone else... would actually listen to. 
Then the harmonica was no longer a novelty and my daughters made their
feelings known with words which novelty or not, no harmonica could
stop. 
Once I began to habituate myself to accompanying my guitar playing
with a harmonica on a neck rack, the guitar's real-ness, plus the
slowly emerging possibility of my being a song-writer made the whole
thing more (strictly to me) profound and I was then not likely at all
to pull out a harmonica in public as I once had. 

Veering off from the question, (like we do) I now see the harmonica
almost in competition with the guitar as "the real instrument" and I
wonder how that'll all shake out... or blow out. 
Brad Trainham
 
On Tue, 01 May 2007 08:01:22 -0400, you wrote:

>Sounds like you're falling into the "I don't play anything for free"
>category! :o)
>
>John Balding
>Tallahassee, FL
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
>Behalf Of Cljdm@xxxxxxx
>Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 7:17 AM
>To: rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [Harp-L] Harp Flashing- was fav key
>
>Hi all,
> 
>  I too years ago would take out my harp and play almost anywhere
>anytime. 
>People would dig it most of the time. Now I flash my harp very seldomly,
>and 
>with much more inhibition. I just can't put my finger on to as why I
>hesitate to 
>pull my harp out. I am a much better player than I was years ago, and
>have 
>many more ideas and songs to that I can entertain with. But i just don't
>pull my 
>harp out of my pocket like I use to.  Wondering if anyone has any
>similiar of 
>reverse feelings about this.
> 
>                      Getting shy in my old age?
> 
>                                    Chris Mastakas
>
>
>
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