Re: [Harp-L] Winslow Yerza

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve,
I'm sure you've been in a situation where a person blurts out an ugly 
unedited comment that goes over like a lead balloon - and tries to recover 
by saying "Come on guys, I was just joking."  When nobody buys it, the 
speaker just makes it worse with further comments.

Over ten years ago, on the day I happened on Harp-l and subscribed, someone 
posted an "I'm a newbie, want to learn blues harp, got any tips?" 
question.  My very first post on Harp-l contained the following response to 
that post: "Do not bother with tongue blocking."

I absolutely swear that was part of my first post.

A dozen or so harp players responded.  Most of the responses were 
exceptionally civil.  I'd playing 31 years, and I got a schooling.  I wrote 
a sincere apology and made a bunch of friends I still have, along with a 
bunch of new ones.  I wasn't joking, as you were, but I posted some lousy 
advice, which is on par with a joke that didn't go over.

I'll take you at your word, you were kidding with that very un-harp-l like 
post.  The guaranteed wrong tack is to now say "Boy I sure pressed a button 
in Winslow."  I don't have any more right than anyone else to ask you this, 
but it sure would be a community-minded thing if you just apologized for 
making a post that wasn't as well stated as you naturally would have hoped, 
and allowed us to move on.  If you don't feel an apology is due, just let 
it go and this'll all be forgotten in a week -- unless it gets dragged out, 
and I doubt anyone else wants to drag it out.

Best,
Ken

At 10:55 AM 5/11/2008, you wrote:
> It looked to me as though I really got a rise from you,and it appears to 
> me that your tone was worse than mine.The part of the song,{not the 
> artist} "Isn't she lovely",that was being talked about is bland,no 
> vibrato,played as if to your high school music class for instruction 
> purposes.Being a key board player that your talking about,he could have 
> layed it down better on a key board.I think the switching to harmonica for 
> the part was simply a hook to get it on the radio at the time. I also felt 
> that he was making a musical statement that diatonic harp was cheap, and 
> not a real form, In other words his royal interpretation was done on 
> chromatic because it cost more to buy the instrument.I'm sure he doesn't 
> feel that way now,I'm talking about then. That is my story and I'm 
> stickin' to it.I was fishing and I caught one!   may I turn you on to one 
> thing...minimalistic blues harp- Kim Wilson on you tube. That is harp ! 
> thanks for your time,Steve.  PS I  wasn't asking for anything I was being 
> sarcastic! If a thousand people stop to look at a penny on the ground, 
> nothing else is going to happen until somebody picks it up.Then everyone 
> can move on.
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