Re: [Harp-L] Re: Howard Levy School vs. David Barrett School?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ansel wrote:
<Maybe elite musicians like yourself wouldn't benefit from any form of proper
<instruction (although as I said, there are such elite musicians on Howard's
<site who have). But for those who aren't virtuosos, which is 99% of us, we
<have a lot to learn. 

I find it hard to believe that even "elite" musicians wouldn't learn something useful from Howard. Many of the elite have already assimilated a number of lessons from his work.  

Virtuosity, as you've noted, is something that comes with lots and lots of hard work and careful listening to oneself and others, not to mention genes that bestow topnotch nerve synapses.  But anyone who thinks Howard's music is about sheer virtuosity is missing the point.  As he showed in his playing on the soundtrack of "A Family Thing", Howard at 1/4 speed is an overwhelmingly powerful experience.

Anyway, it's unnecessary to defend Howard's playing.  History is certainly going to place him among the top harmonica players of the late 20th/early 21st centuries. People on this list can decide for themselves whether they want to take advantage of his teaching while they can. 

Regards, Richard Hunter





  





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