Re: [Harp-L] Recent Thread Thoughts...Just Play

["Abner Galdos" <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

you touch me in a good moral way. 
I'm not trying to make light of what you wrote. I really do mean what I meant.  We all do our best in what ever we do. We all are here to encourage each other not just in playing the harp but in life itself...

abner (blueyes, an infant in the blues)
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Warren Bee 
  To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 7:34 PM
  Subject: [Harp-L] Recent Thread Thoughts...Just Play


  The magic of the harmonica is reflected well in all of the
  controversy/discussion that it seems to stir up. The harmonica is one of the
  most unique and the most "human sounding" of all musical instruments. The
  only instrument that creates music with both the inhale and the exhale. No
  other musical instrument has the "range" that the harmonica has. The
  harmonica is the "everyman's" instrument world wide. The harmonica has a
  magical place in this world. It truly is a "smile making machine" even in
  the hands of the "unworthy" Personally I am very happy that the roots of the
  harmonica are in the "toy realm". How magnificent it is to hear Robert
  Bonfiglio make such incredible music on a toy. I would have loved to have
  been there when Little Walter took out his toy in those rough and tumble gin
  mills of old Chicago. Pianos, guitars and other "popular" musical
  instruments come with great expectations. Music is a blend of intellectual
  and emotional factors. The harmonica was designed to be "easy" to play, even
  for children, a "toy". This makes room for a much higher percentage of
  emotional factors to be involved instead of intellectual to make the
  instrument sound "acceptable" or interesting or at the very least pleasant.
  You need a much higher percentage of "intellectual stuff" going on when
  playing the guitar and most other instruments than "emotional stuff" to even
  begin to make it sound pleasant. Why would anyone be upset if Bruce
  Springsteen huffs and puffs through a harmonica and makes an elementary
  sound? How in any way does that affect any other artist/player? One thing it
  does is that it makes you sound pretty good if you have a just above
  elementary grasp of the harp. And again if you are Robert Bonfiglio or Joe
  Filisko or Howard Levy you just shake your head and then proceed to shake
  the planet with your wonderful talent. The word respect comes up a lot in
  these discussions. I just don't get it. We live in a world that is so full
  of disrespect. The disrespect of humans to each other on so many issues is
  so rampant around us. Who cares if someone respects your instrument of
  choice? What exactly is respect any way? I mean if you love your instrument
  and people listen to you play and enjoy it isn't that the ultimate respect?
  How much respect do you need? Why does the world need to respect you?  When
  I go to a SPAH convention I see some of the most incredible displays of
  respect between human beings that this world has ever seen. Then of course
  we can now get into the money issue. Is money a form of respect? How does it
  matter and how much does it matter? If you are trying to feed your family of
  course it matters. But how anybody else on the planet plays cannot and
  should not negatively affect the way you play or how much money you make.
  Sour grapes make whine. As far as the legends and who's best it just makes
  me think of the old "my dad can beat up your dad" or "my dogs better than
  your dog" stuff. What the "f' is better? Again this is the most human of
  instruments.I will never sound exactly like Little Walter and if he were
  alive today he could never sound exactly like Warren Bee. So what? What is
  "better"? If some person sitting on their couch is listening to the new
  Springsteen CD and they hear that harp and it makes them feel something in
  any way; mission accomplished. If Madcat Ruth played in the forest and the
  natives didn't like it does that mean that he is no good? Ears, opinions,
  assholes; we all have them. Who cares? The best of the best rarely give a
  hoot what other people think. They just play. The chips fall where they
  fall. In this crazy messed up world that we live in we only get so much
  "passion" time in a day to express ourselves. I choose to take those
  precious moments of passion and just play. To passionately despise or be
  disgruntled by lesser players is not practical. Play and let play. Be all
  that you can be. Drinkin' beer and playing with my toys. I hope I never grow
  up. You too Bonfiglio.don't grow up. Let them piano guys play those big
  bulky adult thing-a-ma-jiggies. 

   

  Warren Bee

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