Re: [Harp-L] How one measures success

[moandabluz@xxxxxxx]

I usually keep my mouth out of these threads, but I'm feeling quite 
expansive tonight.
What is success? I'm sure we all have our own standards to apply to 
that word.
  For me... I play because I have to. I'm not very talented when it 
comes to music, but music provides an outlet for me. It lets me express 
some things that I have not been able to do any other way.
  Success, then, for me comes when I have one of those rare moments 
when everything works. When my playing just seems like it is saying 
what I feel. Now, this only happens rarely. Many times when I play, I 
get very frustrated because I can't express myself. I'm sure more 
practice and a lot more talent would help this problem, but I try to 
keep my life in perspective.
  I love the sound of harmonica. There are a handful of players who can 
make me feel what they do. Butterfield has always had something in his 
sound that got to me. But I like many others as well.  Of everyone 
playing today, Madcat is the one that does it for me the most. WHen I 
heard Tom Ball live at SPAH in Denver, I was way impressed and I still 
think he's way underrated.
   THere are many others that I admire. Charlie McCoy, Jelly Roll 
Johnson, Rob Paparozzi, just to name a few. You know, Warren Bee on 
this list played his butt off at SPAH in KC.
  The amount of harmonica talent out there is certainly at a much 
higher level than ever before.
   If people could only put aside their egos and listen and 
appreciate.....
   Wow, this is a long ramble for me. It's late and I'm listening to 
Butterfield's Highway 28 as I write.

Steve "Moandabluz" Webb
a fool for the harp in Minnesota
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