Re: [Harp-L] Harmonicas and respect

[scott <checker758@xxxxxxxxx>]

One of the great things about art - music, poetry, sculpture,
whatever - is that it's completely subjective.  What moves one person
may leave the next person cold.

With that in mind, I'd argue that what the instrument needs is fewer
Howard Levys and more Little Walters.  Not more guys who play like
Little Walter, but more guys whose musical creativity appeals to a
wide audience, beyond a small group of harmonica geeks.  Howard's
technical knowledge and skill may be unmatched, but has he created
any music that brought the harmonica to the masses the way Little
Walter did?

For the sake of this argument, I'll ask a few questions, knowing that
the answers don't prove anything conclusive - these are just for
illustration purposes.

What are the names of Howard Levy's #1 hits?

How many Howard Levy tunes can the average harp player name?

How many Howard Levy tunes have heads that the average harp player
can whistle from memory?

And by the way...

Can you name three examples of jazz sax licks played by rote in
Little Walter songs?

Can you name one blues song Little Walter heard and played back by
rote?

The reason I think we need more Little Walters and fewer Howards is
that the majority of Howard's contributions to the advancement of
harmonica have had to do with technical innovation, and the majority
of Little Walter's had to do with musical innovation.  Not only did
LW think about music differently than any harp player who came before
him, he did it in a way that appealed to a massive audience that
didn't really know or care about the harmonica.  He raised the
profile of the harmonica in ways Howard hasn't.

For the record, I have nothing against Howard or his music, nor
against music education.  But I DO believe that the harmonica is
a "specialty instrument", like a digeridoo or a steel drum or an
African thumb piano, and no amount of polish or music education or
technical trickery is going to make the general public suddenly
believe it's really a piano.
 
Scott


--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Philharpn@... wrote:
>
> Ahah that old "respect" issue is back again.
>
> I think it's interesting to note the extremes of Little Walter and
Howard.
> Little Walter played by rote. Howard probably knows how to play
more varied
> music than most people even know about. Walter knew little about
music; Howard
> knows everything else.
>
> Regardless of whatever you think of Howard, the instrument needs
more Howards
> and fewer Walters. And until the harmonica community deals with
this issue --
> understanding how music works -- the harmonica will regarded as a
specialty
> instrument.
>
> Harmonica is the only instrument where the players take extreme
pride is
> being self-taught.
>
> David Barrett, who has published more harmonica instruction books
with Mel
> Bay than most harmonica players have ever read about the harmonica
is no slouch
> on the harp. He started playing harp when he was 14 and quit
playing sax in
> the junior high band. When he was 16, he was playing in local clubs
and jam
> sessions. He started teaching in Morgan Hill at the Music tree in
December 1991.
> He also has an Associate's Degree in music.
>
> So what's my point? Howard studied music formally in the
conservatory and in
> college, too. Both David and Howard can    play, they understand
how music
> works. And that fact alone separates them from the vast majority of
harmonica
> players.
>
> Music has a long tradition of playing by rote: Somebody hears a
song and
> plays it back. It's been going on for as long as instruments have
been around.
>
> Walter played what he heard in the jump blues tradition. Most of
the people
> who are astounded at Walter's level of playing probably don't know
anything
> about how a sax played in jump blues. Today it is much easier to
make this
> connection. It is only a CD or legal download away -- or a youtube
or tune sample
> from Amazon etcetera.
>
> But this is no longer 1949. For Harmonica players to rely on the
methods that
> worked for Little Walter in 2008 is just shortsighted. Take a few
tips from
> David or Howard. Learn how music works.
>
> Phil Lloyd
> Back to ther woodshed
>
>