Re: [Harp-L] does anybody NEED another book on playing Chromatic Harmonica?

[Rick Dempster <rickdempster33@xxxxxxxxx>]

All too true, John.
RD

On 23 October 2014 05:23, JON KIP <jon@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I've just been avoiding life and cleaning dishes today, by reading some
> posts  over on the chromatic harmonica site, from which I'm gratefully
> banned from posting,  (a great time-saver for me,)
>
> I'm disturbed just a bit about the numbers of people who say "we NEED a
> good book on chromatic harmonica, let's annoy Winslow enough that he
> convinces his publisher to publish another book, even if they lose
> money...".
>
> There is NO need for another book on the instrument. What people mean is
> "Gee I'm not as good as I want to be, instead of logically practicing, I'll
> go look for a book to help me."
>
> That's just silly. Avoidance at its best.
>
> Playing chromatic harmonica is, in theory, a very simple thing. In
> practice, however, it takes......er......Practice.
>
> You find the right hole
> you blow or you draw
> you realize that there are several ways to play certain notes, and you
> figure out which would be easier in the particular passage you're trying to
> play..the other silly things about the instrument, you learn to live with.
> (The "If Toots can do it on the same instrument, then it's possible, so why
> not give it a try,? approach.)
>
> for the adventurous (usually not me), you learn what double and triple
> stops work....(all the chromatic harmonica books have them)
>
> you practice long tones, just like a real musician on most any instrument
> does.
>
> You learn that every piece of music is really just ONE LONG NOTE, divided
> up into tiny, sometimes, annoying, and difficult,  bits and pieces, some
> silent and some less silent....and they all count as music.
>
> Then you practice for X hours a day for ten years and go play you some
> music and hope that some very elderly person in your family, after living a
> great life for well over 96 years, dies and leaves you some money, since
> you won't make much playing harmonica.
>
> But when you die, Nobody will have to say "Gee what a great person he/she
> was, but what do we do with all these redundant books on chromatic
> harmonica?"
>
> Buy any one of the beginning chromatic harmonica books as a reference if
> you want, and then buy some flute or oboe studies....
>
> And do not, under any circumstances, put the little indications on the
> flute/oboe music regarding hole number, wind direction, slide position and
> so on.
>
> Actually, perhaps DO put those hieroglyphics in the books, but immediately
> take the books and quietly (shh! it's a library!!) and secretlly put them
> in the local library's Flute Study bookcase, just to confuse the flute
> players....yeah, that's a good idea.
>
> there is nothing really complicated about the chromatic harmonica.
>
> that's why it's so difficult to master.
>
>
> jk
>
>
>
> The philosopher Socrates, discovered to his dismay that he was the
> smartest person in Athens merely because he, and he alone, recognized how
> ignorant he was.
> http://jonkip.com
>
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