[Harp-L] HARMONICA on the big stage....Graham McClelland

[Steve Hayes]

Franze is the person who got jumped on by 10 people here for praising the use of backing tracks over practicing live onstage. I was shocked. 
Play nice!

> On May 17, 2019, at 8:30 AM, Richard Hunter <rhunter377 at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Mike Best wrote:
> <Wow. I?m really sorry to see this kind of smackdown on harp-l. I don?t
> know who <Franze the original poster is or whether he posts regularly, but
> I?m sure he will think <twice next time
> <
> <For what it?s worth I?ve seen Graham McClelland and his band Blue Shaddy
> play a <few times. Ok so he?s not the most polished player in the world,
> but he generates the <kind of energy and excitement from the crowd that
> most of us who play on stage can <only dream about
> 
> In response to this comment from me:
>> Franze wrote:
>> <Amazing blues harp ending ?
>> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FZgd4s-260
>> 
>> What makes it amazing?  He's got the harp in his mouth, and he's huffing
>> and puffing as fast and loud as he can.  Literally anyone who owns a
>> harmonica can do exactly the same and get exactly the same result.
> 
> Not the most polished player in the world?  No kidding.
> 
> If you're out in the public eye, you can expect people to express opinions
> about what you do there.  I've had plenty of bad reviews in my time.  Some
> of them were accurate, and I learned from them.  Sometimes it was painful
> to learn.  But if nobody had reviewed my work, positively or otherwise, I
> wouldn't have learned a thing.
> 
> I don't dispute that this guy is connecting with his audience, and I don't
> have a problem with that.  The fact that he plays like s--- doesn't mean
> much in that context.  Plenty of people who play harmonica worse than
> him--Alanis Morissette springs immediately to mind--have connected with
> their audiences too.  So fine where all that's concerned.  I'm all for
> performers connecting with the audience.
> 
> But he does, in fact, play like s---, and I have no compunctions about
> saying so.  Part of my remit as a serious musician is helping less
> experienced players know the difference between crap and cream, and to that
> end I spend a lot of time listening and promoting the work of harmonica
> players that I consider to be capable practitioners of the art.  The other
> side of that is calling out crap when I hear it.  It's not my job or my
> inclination to applaud everyone who puts a harmonica in their mouth. Most
> people are better off not putting the thing in their mouths in public until
> they know how to play it, and I don't mind saying so.
> 
> I'll be as happy as anyone else when this guy puts in the time and effort
> needed to play competently.  In the meantime, if he can't be bothered to
> learn how to play, I can't be bothered to applaud.
> 
> Try listening to the video without watching the picture and see if you're
> still so excited by what he's doing.  Frankly, I couldn't wait for it to
> end, and I wouldn't listen to it twice unless somebody tied me to a chair
> and put headphones over my ears.
> 
> In short, this guy's obvious incompetence is not my problem, it's his, and
> if he wants to be celebrated for his harmonica playing skills, as opposed
> to his showmanship or his singing or his songwriting or whatever else he
> does, he can learn to play the harmonica.
> 
> Finally, I don't apologize for calling them the way I see them.  Ever.  How
> people react is up to them.  I don't apologize for that either.
> 
> Regards, Richard Hunter
> 
> -- 
> Check out Richard Hunter's 21st Century rock harmonica masterpiece "The
> Lucky One" at https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/richardhunter
> <https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/richardhunter>
> 
> Author, "Jazz Harp" (Oak Publications, NYC)
> Latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://hunterharp.com
> Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
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