Re: [Harp-L] what goes through my head?

["bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Chris,
What you show is what being a real musician is all about, not just another riffing fool you see all the time. Too many players don't develop really good listening skills like you have shown here, and most really good ones generally listen to a lot of different stuff outside of the genre(s) they're known for playing, and it's usually the fan/hobbyist that gets into the snobbiness. It also shows that one size does not fit all and too many players think that they can riff thru everything and sound correct, but the truth be told, that sort of one size fits all approach usually leads one to sound more often out of place more than anything else, and things like what the average player does NOT do, like listening to the groove, working with the groove rather than off or against it, understanding that you don't need the throw the kitchen sink to show how much of a virtuoso you may think you are, understanding how real subtlies actually work, even to the point of a single, very gently played note or just basically just mirroring the vocal melody can often times contribute far more to a tune than just the usual mindless riffing that's at times far too common. Again, this is real musicianship and thinking that mindless riffing to stroke one's ego thinking virtuosity is the main thing about real muscianship  as the end all/be all is just really pretty clueless.
 
Awesome stuff!!
 
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte


---------- Original Message ----------
From: Buddha <groovygypsy@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] what goes through my head?
Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 08:35:56 -0700

I recently uploaded a new video with me playing a Sting's "Is Probably Me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ATHYxDkA8

for some reason, the playing seems to strike a chord with lots of
other harmonica players who have been asking me what I did to be able
to play the way I do and what goes through my head when I am playing
music.

To be good at anything requires lots of work, passion and dedication.
To be great at anything requires the same but you must also have a
little nuttiness to yourself. Every great musician I have met is a
little "off" in at least one area not to mention being more on the
"extreme" end of one spectrum or another.  I've found the better I get
at music, the level and depth of my emotions increases. Being an
emotional extremist has many drawbacks but I wouldn't trade it for
anything. I love living on the edge of creation.

How did I get to play the way I play?  It's not as difficult as it
would seem.  What I play is actually very simple and the technique I
employ is within reach of everybody on this board.  The most beautiful
things in life are usually the simplest things.  I'm all about what
sounds good and what is musical rather than being flashy or
demonstrating the greatness and depth of my technique. My goal is to
play good music not to show people how good I am.

The difference between me and most is I listen to everything and
anything. Some of my craziness comes into play here, if I don't like
something, I will listen to it more and more until I understand what I
don't like about it.  There are rules to everything and I generally
believe if you don't like somebody then its because you don't
understand the rules for that song or person.  And, once you figure it
out, it becomes a thing of beauty.

So what goes through my head when I am playing?  Everything is like a
movie soundtrack and I just play what I think is appropriate for that
bit of the movie. While you are playing, if you are grounded in the
music and yourself, you can step out side of yourself and the music
and direct yourself.  When you do this, you hear everything and in a
way it's actually traveling a few seconds into the future where you
are actually creating the moment to be displayed  to your audience.
Creating music with others is to me, proof of a multi-dimensional
universe where many beings and energy units can exist in the same
space in time yet we are all having our individual moment of creation.
Many voices converge to become one beautiful moment.
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