[Harp-L] Shakira on American Idol

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don't know if anyone here caught Shakira's performance of her song "Gypsy" with Rascal Flatts on American Idol last Wednesday night--at least I don't recall seeing any comments in these forums.  Shakira is an exceptional performer by any measure, and this was the first performance of hers that I've seen in which she played the harmonica--a diatonic in standard Richter tuning, from the sound of it.

She played well: strong clear tone, chords and single notes both executed cleanly.  Nothing fancy, but she obviously respects the instrument enough to learn how to play it.  I was reminded of James Taylor, who's put in enough time on the instrument to do a respectable amped-up R&B solo on his recent cover of Junior Walker's "Road Runner."

If this keeps up, peer pressure is going to force world-class singers and songwriters everywhere to play harmonica at least as well as they play guitar.  That'll be good!  And about f---in' time, as Stella McCartney's T-shirt said when her dad was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a soloist.

Regards, Richard Hunter
  

  

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