RE: [Harp-L] Gear Debate - two cents worth from Sam

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Sam, I also agree with Winslow's approach. Both agee that one needs to strive for  good personal acoustic tone and that one LISTENS to oneself critically.  

Amps ain't per se bad for development, unless one is using them as a screen or crutch to avoid the hard work of listening back and developing personal tone and feel.  And as Sam notes, they will reveal much about one's lackings on harp and music generally, a helpful if painful element.

My central reservations about newbies playing on amps is that the often-prized distortion is frequently treated by newbies as "the sound" itself and some then become adept at using the harp to simply manipulate the crunch/distortion sound, at the expense of the music.   Yet if it's fun, who'm I to say it ain't good?  

-Dave "gimme a dixie cup" Fertig