Subject: Re: [Harp-l] Re: 7-10/ Now - Harmonica players as sidemen

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Well, thanks for that SmoJoe.  Appreciate you realizing I  was focusing more 
on why some harmonica players may be thought of as 'only  sidemen'. 
 
 I in no way intended to 'castigate' your take on harmonica  playing, Bob, 
nor was I remotely 'dragging you to the gallows' for having a  difference of 
opinion to my own....geez...I thought I'd made it clear enough to  you long 
before this that I'm a fan of your definitely outre sense of  humour?  Did you 
perhaps miss the 'smileys'?
 
Have YOU castigated so severely everyone else who takes a  differing point of 
view to an idea expressed in a post of yours, or was this  especially 
reserved for me?
 
....I sought merely to point out that this might well be a possible reason  
why many blues players 'might' be looked upon as 'sidemen' instead of as lead  
players, while using a couple of famous 'other style' harmonica players as 
good  examples of those who seem to function very well indeed in the  harmonica 
world while playing lead quite satisfactorily.
 
It isn't something I'm merely guessing about.  When a certain  young ami of 
some of the List members' acquaintance stayed at my home for a few  weeks after 
SPAH one year, he gave a diatonic class to me and another harmonica  player.  
At one point while the two much further advanced players were  discussing 
something well beyond my ability, I kept myself occupied by quietly  playing "Oh 
Susanna" on the harp I had at hand (basically to see if it played at  
all..since I hadn't used it  before).
 
..(Hey!..does that mean I was 'gussing' them? But then, it was on my patio,  
at my table, so does that let me off the hook?)   ;) 
 
  They both stopped what they were doing and asked me to play it  again, and 
our mutual ami told me that he 'could not do that'. The other  'student' (a 
very good harp-l blues player who didn't really seem to need  the lesson at all) 
said he couldn't either.  And when I  reacted with amazement to something 
that seemed so basic and simple to  me, he explained that it was because they 
really do focus more (as blues  players) on learning techniques, methods, riffs 
and so on...something I know  nothing at all about -  and would very much like 
to  learn.  
 
 Next to either of them, my playing is 'babe in the woods'...yet  neither 
could play such an easy and simple song?  How could this  be?
 
So while I still feel I'm very much at a disadvantage by not having grown  up 
learning any chromatic or diatonic techniques, methods, 'riffs' and very  
basic playing knowledge just about everyone else seems to know... I do  think 
players who focus solely on one OR the other, leave themselves at a  distinct 
disadvantage, and might even contribute to furthering the impression to  other 
musicians of the idea that a harmonica (any kind) is not a 'serious'  
instrument. 
 
And I'm not letting chromatic players off the hook either...a badly played  
chromatic is as much an instrument of torture to my ears as is any other.
 
Elizabeth
 
On Feb 10, 2008, at 11:42 AM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:

>
>  Perhaps part of the problem is that too many beginning blues harmonica
>  players focus only on learning 'riffs' the way their heroes  
>  did...don't want to
> actually learn to play full songs..or instrumental  pieces from  
> beginning to
> end.  If one asks them to  actually play a song..they're lost.
>
> Elizabeth
>
As the  professor said of Eliza(beth) Doolittle..... 'I think she's  
GOT  it'

smo-joe
 





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