[Harp-L] Re: FLAT!! But Maybe Not??

[BluzeHarp@xxxxxxx]

You gotta' look at intent.  
 
A guitar player asked me to get out an A harp the  other night at a blues 
jam.  Turned out all he knew about harmonicas  was what a harp player had 
told him several months  earlier.  The harp guy had told him how to  pick the 
'right' key harmonica for beginners who didn't  know how to do it for 
themselves.  I don't think there was even a  cursory review of theory, or any 
mention of the  existence different positions.  So it turned out that the  cat on 
guitar thought he was being helpful & in-the-know.  A nice  guy who 
genuinely thought he was speaking the  right language.  
 
We tend to bash guitar players as being an arrogant  lot.  Sometimes that's 
true, lord knows I've met my share... but  sometimes we forget to look at 
where people are coming from  before taking offense.  So shame on us for 
having such thin skins and  for being so quick to judge.  Had I assumed I was 
being  slighted and right away told the well intended guitarist to shove  it, 
then I'd be just helping to build the oft legit prejudices toward  harp 
players.
 
Obviously a different deal when the guitarist is obnoxious by clear  
intent. 
 
Christopher Richards