Posted by Tuten (209.246.94.48) on July 27, 2000 at 08:00:02:
In Reply to: Do I need to go to classes? posted by Sofia on July 17, 2000 at 11:58:25:
Hi Sofia:
Anytime I hear this question I tend to get hot under the collar. A lot of new players always think they need someone to teach them a boxful of secrets about harp playing and are willing to shell out a lot o' dough to get someone to teach them to use their own mouths. Traditionally harp
playing has never been something teachable- Noone can show you how to play the harp the way you will wind up playing it. Remember that the harmonica is 'social' instrument, which basically means that all the styles of playing are largely
shaped by cultural innovations on cultural themes.
Sound complicated? It only means that the harp is
a tool of expression, not necessarily an 'instrument'- In the same sense as a piano or a
guitar. That may be my personal take on things,but
otherwise my answer is, NO. What you need to do is gain an understanding and familiarity with the music that has made the harp what it is, and moreover, just play the darn thing. That's how I learned. I kept my harp in my pocket and when my mind got upset or bored or whatever, I just started blowin it, and after awhile I started to hear the instrument. This is something important
to grasp about the harp's role in blues- When a bluesman plays his harp, it's not the harp you're listening to- It's the whole person expressing themselves, allowing the harp to say for them what they can't otherwise. The more you play the more you'll realise that what you hear, is you, and noone else. Even the simplest 'tunes' , like 'Mary had a little Lamb'is more than just a simple voicing of notes. It's whatever it'll be by the time you get through feeling the sounds that compose it. Take any tune you like, and play it, over and over, even if it don't sound just right, it won't matter by then because it'll be you- NOT the song. I hope I wasn't long winded about this issue, but it's just the way I feel about this thing.Anyway, yeah, everything as far as technique is here- But only you can teach you how to take all that technique and make it sound sweet.
Later.