Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Ode Challenge Revisited (was Augmented)

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Mar 20, 2009, at 5:21 AM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:

> SmoJoe writes (snipped):
>
> "What I have always done was to take a tune and envision the singer
> (or instrumentalist) who did this tune the BEST

sj
> This is Great! ...Monsieur The One. ;)    (I did hope that sooner  
> or later you'd finally admit you were one of a kind <G>)

Yeah, luckily (for Earth) they broke the mold.
> ....because it's how I've consistently approached my playing, on  
> harmonica or keyboard.  It's always about the song and the vocalist  
> for me...and the version of it I liked the best (although we do  
> differ a bit as to whether it should be the version most popular,  
> since my personal tastes do tend to differ with the taste of the  
> 'majority', more often than not.

Oh, wait a minute. I do all tunes in TWO versions. The most popular  
version (for the proletariate) and then there's my own version. So,  
you're not wrong. :)
> I have a different approach to instrumentals. Can't explain at all  
> how I get those...but it isn't about positions//keys....more all  
> about feeling/hearing the music and trying to make it come out of  
> the harmonica as I hear the music inside my head.

As a young child in Trieste, the only music we could get was 1..local  
Italian (too many mandolins), 2..G.I. radio out of Heiderberg (all  
swing from the 30s & 40s), and if you had a short wave (we had), MY  
favorite 3..Balkan radio (Praha, Buda-Pesht, Wien, Sofia). Lots of  
minor stuff. Gypsy stuff. My favorite is still zyther music..... to  
this day.
> Your chromatic (and diatonic) playing is light years (nay,  
> Centuries!) beyond mine

Not true, I fake a lot.

> although I keep hoping some of your mentoring will still rub off on  
> me at some point in time, despite your being a tongue-blocker and  
> my absolute inability to play that way.

You can do it (maybe better) with pucker. Toots & Stevie don't seem  
to be having a problem... :)

>   I truly am so very grateful that you think there's enough innate  
> talent there for me to be worthy of your time.  Hopefully at this  
> next SPAH I might just be brave enough and get a small opportunity  
> to show what I've learned from Mr. Le-One.
>
> Elizabeth