Re: [Harp-L] Inexpensive Diatonics for Give-A-Ways

[Warren Bee <wbharptime2@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tin Lizzie,

Thanks for your thoughts. I am not just thinking kids. Everyone deserves a
smile making machine! The event I am working on is a "Harmonica & Ice Cream
Social". A Sunday afternoon on a local farm here that makes incredible all
natural ice cream. A local hot spot for 30 years. The show will have three
or four acts. 1) bluesy  2) a Chromatic featured act  3) a harmonica Trio
and maybe a 4th. Basically it is a harmonica showcase to enhance the fun of
eating ice Cream and hot dogs and other fun munchables in the sunshine! I
would like to give away a harmonica to anyone that wants one no matter what
their age. I am not looking to teach them or do anything more. I will give
the harps and the universe will take over! My main goal is to share the
many "faces" of the harmonica with the public. Bring back some memories for
the old folks and open the eyes of the young and everything in between. So
that's it. I am on the hunt to see what I can pull off. I still have a few
hundred Blues Bands stashed but I am trying to keep them stashed for my
team-building classes/beginners teaching. Replacing them at new prices
isn't something I want to do right now. A couple hundred $2.00 or less cost
to me harps is the goal. I may have a donation bucket to help defer the
cost and help pay the musicians, I am as broke as ever but I feel that this
is where I am supposed to put my energy right now. Either I pull it off or
I don't. Regardless the show will go on. Stay tuned for the date. Would
love any Northeasterners here on the" L" to stop by. Interested
performers/acts are welcome to contact me but I may already have most
already covered. Then again this is my first of hopefully many similar
events here in New England. feel free to make contact.


On Fri, May 24, 2013 at 7:52 AM, Elizabeth Hess <TrackHarpL@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> Warren, I'm so glad you raised these thorny questions.  I wanted to, but
> was afraid that I might come across as a wet blanket, which is not my
> intent.
>
> I see several contrasts in your query:  Toy vs. serious instrument.
>  Serving people who have little or no prior exposure to making instrumental
> music for fun, or serving "the harmonica world".  Short term entertainment
> for many vs. long-term musicianship for a few.
>
> Bigger questions are:  What turns kids on to music?  What guides their
> choice of instrument?  What quality of instrument does a budding musician
> need at what point in eir development in order not to be held back by the
> instrument?  How will e know?  What is the trade-off between supporting a
> gifted few with more resources vs. the adequate many with average talent,
> who nonetheless derive and give great pleasure with "adequate" music
> making, vs kids who deserve to have fun for a few hours?  How would someone
> who wanted to run with it identify a teacher, in eir preferred style of
> music, no less?
>
> I don't think there's a wrong answer, here, but if you clarify for
> yourself where on the entertainment-education spectrum you want to place
> your emphasis, I think your choices will be clearer and your presentation
> maximally coherent.
>
> Elizabeth H. (aka "Tin Lizzie")
>
>
>
> On May 24, 2013, at 3:56 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > From: Warren Bee <wbharptime2@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Date: May 23, 2013 5:29:05 PM GMT-04:00
> > To: Bill Hines <billhines4@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Inexpensive Diatonics for Give-A-Ways
> >
> >
> > Thanks Bill. Others have contacted me as well. All thoughts appreciated.
> It
> > really is a challenging situation; do I want to, in an affordable way,
> > share the harmonica with people at no charge to them? or am I doing the
> > harmonica world a disservice by giving away marginal instruments?
> >
> > My direction may just be to start by giving away the inexpensive double
> > hole tremolo style harps. They sound fun right away and may be a good
> > catalyst for them to get the "fever" and seek out better instruments
> suited
> > to their musical interests. It seems the diatonic demands some reasonable
> > playability out of the box.
> >
> > With that said; one way to look at a first diatonic harp being leaky and
> > wheezy would be that again they are a catalyst in lighting the fire in
> > their soul.
> >
> > Give 'em away or give 'em a lecture on what to buy or keep the harmonica
> > joy all to myself. Decisions decisions decisions.
> >
> > WB
>
>