[Harp-L] Re: Casual harmonica players ...

[Bob Loomis <miltloomis@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hate to admit it, but I'm one ...

Reasons are many but mostly boil down to time and preferences. My favorite music activities are:

1.) Singing and playing, which pretty much limits me to some form of stringed instrument -- uke, guitar, autoharp, plectrum banjo -- unless I use a rack. I am working up some tunes using rack that I'd hoped to have ready for our SF Bay Harpers Quarterly Jam on Wednesday, but because of the holidays and other complications, that ain't gonna happen. I'll play guitar as backup for Peter Sproul, the harp player in our band Awed Ducks tmorrow night at Armando's in Martinez, CA.

2.) Flute playing ... my best ax, really ... 

3.) Harpin'

With a limited amount of time, I've been busy since retirement in 2001 trying to memorize tunes so I don't have to use cheat sheets at gigs ... I now know around 80 songs by heart and am working on polishing them up instrumentally and vocally, while still adding new tunes. I have a folder of about 30 to learn. My goal this year is to polish up my guitar playing so that I'm comfortable beyond fret 5 ... and to use electric rather than acoustic guitar most of the time. So I will have that as a practice priority no matter what my other favorites are. Ideally, I'll channel Jerry Garcia ... ;^)

That said, I still do play some harp, always take 'em along when traveling, a set of Celeste tremolos, a chromatic and a set of diatonics ... Got a nice little case for all of them ... wife and I are heading up to WA and OR to visit family and friends on our annual trip to Wintergrass at the end of February, so I'll take 'em along for that one. Normally I also carry a uke if flying, but we'll be driving so I'll take an acoustic guitar. And a rack (but I have to be careful not to drive wifey crazy with too much playing on vacation time) ...

I am playing also with two wonderful people in Berkeley about once a month and there are two tunes I play tremolo harp breaks on, both ballads, On My Way to You and (oops, I forget the other one). So I try to keep my hand in, however much I can.

One of the best players I know is a casual player by his own limitations, which have to do with fear of performing. He plays best in his own home ... I love playing tunes with him there because he comes up with great stuff ... but if you put him in front of an audience, he is prone to freezing up ... I've given up trying to change this after almost 15 years of futile effort ... So he's a casual player, but I love to hear him play, just as I love all harpin', casual to virtuoso, anywhere along the scale. I get as great a kick out of hearing a kid take his first try at harp as I do out of hearing Winslow Yerxa or Damien Masterson play masterful tremolo or chromatic ... I always remember what a thrill it is to play harp for the first time and realize you can actually play something on it without 10,000 hours of practice.

My favorite players? Sonny Terry, Larry Adler, Big Walter, Sam Hinton ... and Winslow with his trio ... sorry if I left anyone out ...

My favorite casual player: Me.

OK, that's my harpin' .02 worth ...

Cheers, Bob Loomis
SF Bay Harpers (Casual Mode)
Concord CA USA