Re: [Harp-L] Blow Bends

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

michael rubin writes:
> <major clippage>
> It is my belief that U blocking is the most advantageous way to high
> note blow bend.
I agree and so would my mentor Harry Harpoon, who is a full-time 
U-blocker. (I reserve my U-blocking just for those pesky high note blow 
bends.)

Michael continues:
> <more brutal clippage>  "How's your high note blow bends?"
> "Great!"  Plays a Jimmy Reed style song.
> "Wow!  What are you doing right?"
> "I am U blocking like you said.  It was uncomfortable for 3 days,
> then it kicked in!"
>
> I have seen it many times.
> Michael Rubin
> Michaelrubinharmonica.com

This also reminded my of my old buddy Harry, albeit in a different 
context. It is his technique for dealing with Gus'es and guys who insist 
on sitting in when he's on stage (you know, friends of friends, etc...). 
Harpoon will ask nearly the same question at the microphone, "How are 
your first position blues? Your blow bends?" Trotting on stage giddy at 
being acknowledged by the band leader, the guy will always answer, 
"Great," with a wide grin even if he has no idea what Harry is talking 
about. Harry will promptly count in a Jimmy Reed tune, one that everyone 
in the place has heard a hundred times.

The first time those blow bend riffs come around Harpoon nails them, of 
course (he had taught himself to play harp decades earlier by playing 
along with a Jimmy Reed Greatest Hits album). The second time the famous 
high note blow bends come around, Harry will gesture to the sitter-in, 
with an enthusiastic "OK, you take it." I've rarely seen it fail. The 
sitter-in will almost always fall flat on his face trying desperately to 
duplicate Harry's text-book bends or fumbling around attempting to fill 
in with something musically irrelevant (as you know, nothing else will 
do but a high note blow bend in a Jimmy Reed tune), possibly even out of 
tune (many times the guy won't even have the right harp).

Now, Harry Yates is as nice a fella as you'll wanna meet, but he doesn't 
suffer fools lightly, especially ones who want to cash in on his stage 
presence and his special brand of rapport that he works hard to 
establish with his audience. I've had many a little chuckle witnessing 
Harry exact this special toll on guys who can't cut the harmonica 
mustard on his stage. On the other hand, in all fairness, I can say that 
if the guy can play those Jimmy Reed riffs, he's welcome to stay on 
Harpoon's stage and play as long as he likes.

I get a special chuckle reading Michael's post because when I first 
approached Harry about teaching me a few things about harmonica at one 
of his gigs, he had one stern question, "Can you do this?" (rolling his 
tongue). Fortunately I could or my great 3-year journey with Harry would 
never have started, nor would our lasting friendship. I might mention 
that the next thing Harry told me after accepting me as a would-be 
student based on my tongue-rolling ability was to "Go buy Jimmy Reed's 
Greatest Hits album and come back when you can play all the tunes." Good 
thing for me that I had recently been working out with Gerry Portnoy's 
Masterclass CD's so I was ready to face Harry's challenge (where I live, 
there wasn't another potential teacher within a hundred miles). You can 
guess the rest of the story. I'll just say that Harry now tells me that 
this is also a tool he uses to weed out the poseurs who want him to 
simply imbue them with harp skills without being willing to invest 
themselves in the process.

So thank you, Michael, for stirring up some cherished student-teacher 
memories. Oh, and my apologies for being so heavy-handed in (not) 
quoting your whole original post.

Michelle