Re: [Harp-L] Reading Music

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

According to the liner notes for one of his classical albums (Vaughan Williams, 
Milhaud, some others) Adler learned to read music in about 1941, when he would 
have been about 30. The notes (written about 1968) stated that he was still able 
to memorize long passages of music after only two hearings.

So he was a strong ear player who had acquired the ability to read music.

Winslow
 Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com




________________________________
From: "MundHarp@xxxxxxx" <MundHarp@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 7:25:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Reading Music


Hello Angus,
I had a long telephone conversation with Larry Adler, on the telephone... I 
was going to drive him from his home in London to the National Harmonica 
League  Festival, in Ely, UK... it was just a short time before he died... We 
chatted  about his book... Well it was more of a magazine style publication 
than a book,  that was published some time  before world war two. In it, he 
explained  embouchure... And there were some drawings showing tongue 
blocking, it also  represented music... In standard notation. 
Well, Larry Adler explained that he was not a great sight reader... And  
that he himself was essentially a "pucker player". OF COURSE.. He tongue 
blocked  for octaves and such..... But in his instruction book he had  simply 
explained the percieved "correct way" to play  harmonica...
He also told me he mostly simply "heard the music in his head and  played 
it." I guess that meant that he... Mostly... Played by ear... As do  I.

Sincerely,
John "Whiteboy" Walden.
English.
But educated in Ireland,
and just now in the Philippines.


In a message dated 2/2/2011 8:28:54 P.M. Malay Peninsula Standard Ti,  
amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx writes:

Thanks for this John and for explaining  the "urban mlyth"
Beannachtai
Aongus Mac  Cana