Re: [Harp-L] harp vs. guitar

[John Kerkhoven <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nice post, Ken.

I'm in my mid-40s and worked on guitar for a few months last winter. Glad I did, though mostly I think at this stage that there's  still plenty enough to learn on harp and plenty of accomplished guitar players around. The time I'd have to put in to become good enough on guitar to satisfy myself I just don't have. (And in my case, if and when I have time for a serious second instrument (or third, since I sing), it'll be piano.) 

I have, happily, found a few guitar players to play with, and I learn from them. I hope they learn something from me, but I do learn from them.

As for the business of faking it till you make it ... there's a humility factor which comes with experience. (Richard Hunter has noted a couple of times that experience is the result of bad judgment and good judgment is the result of experience -- something like that.) My take on all this is that I am better now than I was years ago when I thought I was better than I am today.

John


> And being able to fake your way through a jam is an underrated skill.  If you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing okay, you'll keep going and maybe learn a few things, and maybe even learn lots of things.  I think it's HOW most of us find ourselves in the middle of getting good at something.  We think we're doing well long before that's actually the case, and are heartened to keep going.
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> ...
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> To sum up already, I think it's easier to fake it on harp, and to trick yourself into thinking you're getting somewhere with it, which is the royal road to actually getting somewhere with it.  Sticking with either instrument long enough to actually "learn" to play is the main key as far as I'm concerned.
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> Ken
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