Re: [Harp-L] Why Blues Jams are Important

[Jesse <jvboden@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well said, Doug - Truth is, I hear a lot of things that knock me out, and
very much appreciate folks who can play solid jazz on a diatonic, or some
guy/gal from the other side of the world from the fields of the Deep South
who can play whoops and hollers, high speed train sounds, a zillion bent and
overblown blues notes per second etc. Great stuff - props to all the great
harp players of the world, but I have to say, on any given day, I will trade
a thousand well played notes for just one long, soulful draw by Howlin'
Wolf.


On Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 11:58 AM, Doug Schroer <dougharps@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>
> I have heard players use much simpler lines played well that to me are
> superior in the context of a specific song than was a display of many
> overblows strung together at a high rate of speed in that song.  The
> phrases
> with overblows may require a higher level of technical skill to execute,
> but
> the song itself may not be well served.  Note and phrasing choices are part
> of musicality.  I don't value technique for the sake of technique.
> Restraint, and choices of when to play, when not to play, and what to play
> that will work for the song can be lost in the "head cutting" process.
>
>