[Harp-L] Re: "there's no harmonica in this tune"

[Mike Fugazzi <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Excellent post!  I know you are a good player, though!  That makes
your point a lot easier to make. ;)

I want very badly to find a modern country band to play with but am
always met with great resistance.  I think most times, when "no
harmonica" comes into play, it is either ignorance or ego.  I truly
think a number of musicians know so little about the harmonica that
they are blind to what it could or might be able to do.  I have played
with a lot of students and grads from a local music college, which is
a really excellent college.  The level of harmonica ignorance is
enough to make a person cry, lol.

Thanks for sharing your story and providing some inspiration to check
the local Craigslist for a country band to play in.

Mike

On Jan 25, 8:38 am, Warren Bee <spahpublic...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> As I read this bluegrass harmonica thread it really reminds me of why I have
> always had a problem with "real heady self rightous musicians". The type
> that are so boxed into a frame of mind that they forget what IMHO is the
> purpose for music in the first place: to have fun, to use all parts of the
> brain; technical and creative, to communicate ideas and feelings, to share
> and to encourage listeners to stir up personal emotions and thoughts of
> their own.
>
> Over the years I have been in and out of many musical ensembles. Nothing is
> more frustrating in my world than to be in a rehearsal situation with
> participants introducing new material and the evil words rear their ugly
> head : "Theres no harmonica on this tune...sit this one out" Now I
> understand that if it gets to showtime and the harp doesn't "work" at all
> then that is the time to sit it out. When I have been working with musicians
> that have "open minds" about instrumentation this is where I have
> experienced the most "musical growth" personally. Finding your place in a
> "non harmonica" song makes you think about horn lines, rhythms, SPACE,
> accents, other instruments, different positions etc. Most importantly it
> gets you thinking about being part of a conversation/story and not "look at
> me, look at me, look ma no hands". I am stepping out on a limb with this
> next comment but as usual that won't stop me. Curious what responses it
> generates from y'all:
>
> The reasons that many like to limit "outside of the box instrumentation" is
> FEAR and EGO. The "tradition" cry can make a good smoke screen for the
> truth.
>
> My 5 minute flash of bluegrass fame came back in '93 at the Strawberry Park
> Bluegrass Festival. I was asked on stage by Del McCoury and his Grammy award
> winning band. Back in that time frame I must have been to at least 12
> bluegrass festivals and NEVER saw a non stringed instrument on stage. I was
> attending these events as an avid fan of the music not as an aspiring
> bluegrass harp player. I had no bluegrass licks in my pocket. I was asked on
> stage because Del knew I wasn't a hack and because it was a "fun" break from
> tradition. The stage and the audience of about 1000 was all smiles. None
> bigger than mine! We ripped through a song Del called "Rocky Mountain
> Special". I faked it all the way through and we got a standing ovation after
> the tune. Was I incredible and awesome, nah, just good enough to let them
> shine and me squeeze into some cracks. My point: Del & company had no
> fears and controlled egos on that stage. It was all about ENTERTAINMENT and
> GOOD TIMES. Now that's what I call TRADITION!
>
> WB
>
> --
> Warren "Bee" Bachman
> SPAH Publicity Director
> 631-521-0472www.spah.org