[Harp-L] Blinded by Brilliant Parsimony of Mr.FF's Sugestion Re: Harp Solo on ZZ Top's Waiting Fot The Bus

[Gregory Smith]

All kind responses (three sent off-list) and the paying of dues in learning the protocols of proper harp-l would have made my first attempt at making contact with this august community (whose shared wisdom I've followed since the 90's) a banner experience. But reading the ''digest'' of recent activity this afternoon, well, I just had to respond (on-list) to a Mr. ''FF'' whose advice was so ''out of the box'' that I knew it came from both brilliance and good will (and was also thoroughly practical). Man, your suggestion was the bomb. I'd never have thought of it as I slavishly used You Tube's nifty feature of quarter and half speed playbacks (while maintaining pitch). I wore out the dials on my ''Boogieman'' pedal and Bulletini, dialing in the tone. Even bought a cowboy hat for the whole ZZ Top gestalt- no time to grow the beard (and it'd get caught in my harp!). And several days after I master the 12 bars down to the grunts and amplified exhalations (all steam train like), your paradigm shattering vision shows up in my mailbox. I can only say ''pleasure to meet you'' and a humble ''thank you''. And even if the ruse had been exposed, the effort would, no doubt, have been judged so ingenious and sincere, that I've have landed the harp chair regardless. As it is, I'll just go in and blow the lid off, old school, and we'll see. (Reality is, as the big boss man intimated from day one, I'm a shoo-in anyway). But you have opened new vistas and NOTHING impresses like sheer cunning! Sincerely, Westside Smitty