Re: [Harp-L] Critical Harmonica Mistakes

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Timothy Kane wrote:
<Harp is somewhat of an obscure instrument these days, it's true. It's kinda faded into the same <realm of accordion and theremin. In a world where electric guitars and R&B and hip-hop arrangements <catch the majority of the mainstream ear, the relatively few people keeping harp alive shouldn't be <discouraged in their green stages. 
... 
<Harp is slowly dying out from the public ear. I've made it my goal to bring it back to the light, <especially to people of my generation. Bailey and Gaunt are doing the same thing, and I applaud <them both for that.

In my opinion, "harp is slowly dying out" because harmonica players have in general devoted themselves to styles that are losing ground in the marketplace, especially blues.

Harmonica is very closely associated with traditional blues, to the point that many harmonica players would fit right in with bands that were active on the Chicago scene 60 years ago.  But the mass audience has moved on from blues, and young people in particular are seeking other styles to learn and follow.  When I sat in with Charlie Musselwhite at Infinity Hall in Norfolk CT, there were very few people in the audience under the age of 50.  That's not an ideal demographic for any art form. 

If we want harmonica to stay relevant, harmonica players have got to put themselves into new musical situations, with sounds and styles that depart from the amped blues tradition.  Many harmonica players are doing so. Many more need to do so to make the instrument viable in the 21st century.

Not that I dislike blues.  It's what I started with, and what I still play every day.  But blues was the dominant music of the 20th century, and the 20th century is over. It's time for harp players to get with the times.  

Thanks, Richard Hunter
 

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