[Harp-L] skiing and harping

[cljdm@xxxxxxx]

Hey everybody,

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Thought I would share a "harmonica moment" as I call them. Every once and awhile I have an experience that makes all the years of practice worth playing our little instruement. Non gig experience. Flashing a harp and playing on the spot is something I do less often than I use to, but this time I am glad I did.

I was in Whistler, Canada, a Great place to ski by the way, when I had an opportunity to combine my two passions, skiing and harmonica at the same time. I was going up a lift with three other younger guys? (20's I am 50's). They started telling jokes, and then started to sing together. When they were finished singing, the dude next to me said " aren't you glad you're on a lift with the likes of us". I responed by saying they have inspired me to try this, and I started to search through the pockets of my ski jacket for my harp.They said what ya?looking for ?a joint? Not anymore, but I have this, and I flashed my A Marine Band. In unison they shouted whoooa! Play that thing. So I started to go into a boogie riff and build on that,?and the dude next to me started to sing again.?The guy?next to him started to video it on his camera.The lift we were on was in a natural bowl area, so the accoustics were great. For the next three minutes we jammed. As we ended, and started to get off the lift, there was a spontaneous round of applause and screams from other lifts. It was a "harmonica moment". This is just one of the things I love about playing our instruement. Being able to share it at any given impulse.?The guy started to ask me a lot of questions about how to learn? to play, and I tried to encourage him. Then I continued on to my other passion, sking deep and steep snow. Beat working back in Jersey by a Universe.

Happy harping,

Chris Mastakas

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