[Harp-L] Little Walter

[SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx]

Hello group, would just like to pass on something these videos kicked in  
for me, as well as watching Sugar Ray and many other of the pro level players 
to  have had the honor to play with. If you watch and listen closely, 
notice LW does  not use blow notes during his playing just a normal reaction to 
release air, and  if he does, he uses the 3 blow instead of the 2 draw 
effortlessly. Each exact  note has a meaning, a purpose, which explains a good 
portion of his phrasing; he  will use that half beat to exhale rather than just 
play a blow note due to  muscle memory or unconscious thought. Now that we 
are able to physically see him  play, watch his mechanics, it may give even 
more insight than any slow down  machine could ever do. In my interview with 
Ray after we played some, which I  will be posting as well as other things, 
one of the key points he made about Big  Walter was he had to watch him, 
nothing was really showed point for point. I was  very fortunate that Sonny 
tried to show me as much as I could absorb when  playing only 2 - 3 years, as 
his method was, Do This... While the rest of my  life will be spent pulling 
information from those days, listening to the  cassettes, much of it was 
being able to watch him while he taught; look at his  mouth, throat, body, and 
his performances. Besides listening back to recordings  of myself which 
continually has me working on playing lighter but with the same  attack, 
watching in the mirror I find also helps with different aspects. As I do  not spend 
a lot of time in front it, my first impression is always, Hey, I'm 25,  
who's that old guy in the mirror:).. I feel as long as one stays open to  
learning new things, and become a better technical player, then seeing and  
understanding something like just happened with LW's video's allows me anyway to  
try and get the feel and understand what he may have been feeling, rather 
than  focusing on machines and specific notes.. A long time friend and SJ1, 
Cruncher  owner Don Zeller and his friends stopped by today on their way 
through, nice to  see you Don.. The way I can physically see what someone is 
doing, where their  air comes from, and try and give them an understanding of 
the mechanics of the  chamber, pipe to diaphragm, I owe to Dave Barrett and 
his help from 1998, the  Masterclasses, Tone Seminar in 2004, and yes Dave, I 
was listening while you  talked..  
Many thanks to all.. Sonny Jr..