Re: [Harp-L] the saddest harmonica story ever told

[Larry Sandy <slyou65@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill, that certainly is a good example of a bad performance but for every inconsiderate/bad harmonica player I have seen many more guitar players dominating and ruining performances of small groups.  And fiddles and banjos and..... It is the player, not the instrument of destruction that is to blame, but a black eye is a black eye.  You shoulda heard the "drummer" a couple weeks ago!  Well, no, neither should anyone.  But I can say he was LOUD.  As was the guitarists.  

I just walk out when it hurts my ears for either bad playing or horrendously loud.  


Lockjaw Larry
Breathing Music quietly daily



--- On Sun, 6/16/13, JWilliam Thompson <landcommentary@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: JWilliam Thompson <landcommentary@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] the saddest harmonica story ever told
> To: "harp-l" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sunday, June 16, 2013, 11:36 AM
> The other night I got a good lesson
> in why other musicians hate harmonica.
> It may be worth sharing.
> 
> I went to a jazz jam/workshop and took another instrument,
> not harmonica,
> but sitting near me was a chap with a set of diatonics, a
> green bullet type
> mike, and an amp turned up high. I thought, "This should be
> interesting."
> It wasn't.
> 
> When we started playing a beautiful Duke Ellington tune,
> this fellow
> started grating on his harp. No relation to the tune at all.
> Pure static
> and distortion. And LOUD.  And even when it wasn't his
> turn he grated on,
>  seemingly oblivious of the other musicians trying to play
> their own solos.
> Fortunately, the jam organizer was able to tone him down.
> But by that time
> the image of the harmonica had already taken a hit, at least
> in that room.
> 
> Harmonica players who try to play listenable music suffer a
> setback every
> time a guy like that
> turns up his amp.
> 
> Bill
>