Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Jerry Portnoy and Lee Sankey

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Totally agree, John. Music is a complete auditory experience - for me,  
anyway, since I could play by ear at age 4.  I often play both chromatic  and 
keyboards with my eyes closed.
 
Someone like Stevie Wonder is the easiest example..how could it  possibly 
be a 'visual' model for someone like him? Anyone without sight can  still be 
a brilliant musician despite no frame of visual reference. I personally  
loved Jerry's introductory explanation (hadn't known much about him  before) 
and plan to pay real attention to his methods when I study  diatonic 
Blues...felt very comfortable with his approach. My take is  that despite the strong 
pressure from many chromatic  people who contend 'it's all about reading', I 
now have good  commonsense backup to my own lifelong belief that the best 
sounds of all music  is 'in the ear'. Nice to hear that there are others who 
feel somewhat  similarly.
 
Elizabeth (the first)<G>
 
Come to the Garden State Harmonica Festival!
November 3 - 6, 2011
_www.gardenstateharmonicaclub.org_ 
(http://www.gardenstateharmonicaclub.org)  
 
"Message: 7
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 08:45:16 -0400
From: "John F.  Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Jerry Portnoy and Lee  Sankey
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

I've had the good fortune to play with a  number of very good 
musicians over the years. In my experience, the best  musicians HEAR it. 
Whatever technique they may use to get around or orient  themselves on their 
instrument, a refined ear is the hallmark of every really  good musician I've 
ever been  around.

FWIW.

JP"