[Harp-L] Cigar Harp update and breakthrough

[Michael Rubin <rubinmichael@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Months ago I was asked to write out everything I knew about playing cigar harp.  I was watching some kid on youtube who is CRAZY good at it so I got inspired to up my game.  I watched him, but also pulled up a video of Hurry Up and Wait by Little Charlie and the Nightcats with Rick Estrin on harp.  Rick has my vote for one of the best harp players who has ever lived and my favorite cigar harp player of all time.
   
  Anyway, I am not sure if I saw him correctly, but it looked as if at least part of the time, he balanced the part of the harp that is outside of the mouth against the SM57 microphone.
   
  Last night I gave it a try to wild success.  It was unquestionably the easiest and most musical cigar harp playing I have ever done.  It received lots of applause and nearly everyone in the audience found their way to me after the show to tell me how blown away they were.
   
  Now, on one level, I feel like I am cheating.  The whole "look Ma, no hands" element is cheapened by the extra balance point.  On the other side, the whole thing to me seems like a parlour trick, to get the audience excited and help them have fun.  It is not really about musicality.  Therefore, if it goes over well, the trick has done its job.
   
  Personally, I am all for stage theatrics.  If I had turned out to be some musical genius like a MIles Davis, then I could see restricting myself to nothing but music.  Even Davis played with his back to the audience and dressed in chains.  You could argue it was all in the name of focusing on the music and political statements, I could argue it is theatrical.  I will say I have watched harp players do all kinds of things with their hands that I do not believe affected the tone in any way and I am not for that, but a scrunched up face and a dance to get the audience excited visually?  Go for it.
   
  Michael Rubin
  Michaelrubinharmonica.com