[Harp-L] The Harmonica Collective - Jason Ricci's vision

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jason Ricci wrote the following about the Harmonica Collective gathering in Indianapolis April 24-27:

Hey
everyone: It's finally time I chime in on this amazing upcoming event that I,
among many others, have the pleasure of being involved in. If you want to skip
the hype and register, the info is at the bottom of the post.

I initially conceived
ofthe idea for the Harmonica Collective (H.C.) with Paul Davies (of SPAH fame) as
a continuation of the previous seminars I held in Colorado, called Rockers in
The Rockies. At Rockers in the Rockies we brought in instructors from every
imaginable musical genre we could find. The focus was on the instrument itself,
its layout, capabilities, and applications in any style of music. Additionally
we tried to emphasize performance and band/musician communication in a real
setting where players got feedback in a controlled environment from bass players,
drummers, and guitarists, as well as the other harmonica players. The term
âCollectiveâ is meant to imply a stylistically diverse offering.

The Harmonica
Collective (April 24th-27th) in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a more refined, more
centrally located version of Rockers. 

Currently
organized by Winslow Yerxa (author, publisher, inventor, player and current
president of SPAH among other accomplishments), the Harmonica Collective will
feature some of the most diverse, specialized, famous, and studied teachers/players
in the music industry. Our focus is to give intermediate and advanced
players tools, ideas and stylistic applications they canât find anywhere else.
Beginners are welcome and there will certainly be beginner classes; however, we
feel at H.C. that the beginner has a variety of other seminars, classes, camps,
and retreats where their needs are already met. I have taught at many such
events, and have repeatedly seen the players who have already learned bending,
trills, cross harp etc., yawning in the back waiting for that famous instructor
to talk about what they do. Patiently the intermediate/advanced players wait
for the talk on 3rd position scales, overblows, modal playing, or so many other
subjects they have seen discussed in YouTube vids or in these forums, while the
instructor works with one beginner on how to bend. The sad part is often that
beginner is just there for a getaway/fun weekend and may not even practice
those bends ever again while the dedicated player (often in a lower income bracket)
never gets to learn that scale or those overblows. 

At the Harmonica
Collective we will teach these techniques and ideas all the way through, and
classes will rotate so that everyone has the opportunity to study all the
information from different Instructors. There will be small jam circles, a jam
at an Indianapolis bar, and an instructor/guide show at the end. The Harmonica
Collective is the next step for players who have "graduated" from
other seminars, are looking for more advanced instruction, or are interested in
musical styles outside of blues alone.

=========


Registration for the event is $450, payable via PayPal to harmonicainfopress@xxxxxxxxxx

The event will be held at:

Clarion Waterfront Hotel
2930 Waterfront Pkwy W Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46214
Phone:(317) 299-8400
This is a nice three-star hotel. The harmonica Collective discounted rate of $69 per night includes a breakfast buffet and is available only by phone at 317-299-8400, not on the web.
Â
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance