[Harp-L] Re: "Confessions of a Gusser"

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Um, since others are being candid about their own Gussing, I suppose I 
should mention a post I made back in September of 2003, titled, 
"Confessions of a Gusser:"

http://harp-l.org/pipermail/harp-l/2003-September/msg00557.html

In it I told of the generosity of my first harp teacher, Harry Harpoon. 
I had become his protégé, traveling with him to each and every gig over 
a two-year period (he was then performing a couple times a week as a 
one-man band Dr.Ross-style, bass drum, high hat cymbal, slide guitar and 
harp). He wasn't a great teacher in the usual sense of the word -- he 
couldn't articulate how to do something, but the great harp player that 
he is, he would demonstrate a point and have me "parrot" it until I got 
it. I learned by example. [I read where Gary Onofrio (Sonny Jr.) learned 
from Sonny Terry in much the same way.]

As Harpoon's protégé I would help him carry his equipment into each 
venue (read bar), help him set up and then tear down and carry it all 
back into his truck. I watched his every move and took careful notes as 
to his harp playing and showmanship, learning volumes along the way from 
an old master (Harry learned studying under George Harmonica Smith 
alongside many of the Los Angeles greats like William Clarke, Rod Piazza 
and others.)

After many months, I came to a point where I could credibly follow along 
with Harry's playing and the next step became clear: playing in a live, 
public situation, comping to other musician's playing, learning to 
accompany a singer, etc. Problem was that where I live in the Western 
Colorado outback, there were and are ~very~ few opportunities to do 
that. No blues bands and very few open mic's (a solo harp player isn't 
often well received at open mic's anyway). So one day I meekly asked 
Harry if he would mind if I played along with him very softly in the 
back of the room at his gigs. Without a moment's hesitation, Harry said, 
"You wanna play harp along with me? Go for it!" So I did.

Then a most curious thing happened. People at his gigs started coming 
over to my table to listen to ~me~ play. At first I was very confused by 
this and wondered what to do -- quit and meekly disappear into the 
background or what. The last thing I wanted was to distract Harry's 
enthusiastic fans. But to my amazement, the folks didn't want me to 
stop; they egged me on. So did Harry. So I embraced the situation and 
obliged. After a while, I started to draw my own little crowd of 
"followers" and made many new friends and acquaintances that I never 
would have otherwise had the opportunity to meet (I'm normally very 
shy). I still treasure the long-lasting friendships of many of those 
kind folks who encouraged a budding harmonica player "back in the day." 
On top of that, I succeeded in getting some terrific real-world 
experience, satisfying my initial goals and more. The whole experience 
allowed my to grow as a harmonica player and musician and even 
personally in ways I never would have otherwise. I still owe Harry a 
huge debt of gratitude. (I might mention that though Harry now lives in 
Utah, whenever he returns the area to gig, I happily play on stage with 
him, and he often defers all the harping to me.)

Anyway, as expected my original 2003 post garnered much attention on the 
"L," initially drawing some harsh criticism and then some surprising 
support. I still rejoice in the fact that the term "Gussing" didn't 
forever turn into "Michelling."  :-)

So that's my "Confessions of a Gusser" revisited.

Thanks again, Harry!

Michelle