[Harp-L] Reading Music

[Mick Zaklan]

   Speaking of the Beatles and reading music; here's an interesting and
provocative quote from the new book, "PLAY IT LOUD: An Epic History of the
Sound, Style and Revolution of the Electric Guitar"  by Brad Tolinski and
Alan Di Perna.  I imagine some might be tempted to substitute "harmonica"
for "guitar":

   "And it was arguably the electric guitar itself that helped make this
possible.  Still a relatively new instrument at the time, it didn't carry
the burden of tradition---the intimidating repertoire and legacy of
virtuosity that belonged to instruments such as the violin, piano, or even
saxophone.  Rock guitarists were in the process of inventing their own
tradition, forging their own vocabulary.  As the players crafted their own
guitar parts, an ability to read traditional music notation was of little
or no value, and could even be a detriment to a player's authenticity.  And
authenticity would become a huge issue in the mid-sixties.  The Beatles'
recordings possessed a youthful exuberance that affected their younger
audience far more profoundly than the works of more accomplished session
players "slumming" on a rock-and-roll date."  pp. 162-3

Mick Zaklan