need answer re: use of few notes in blues harp playing

[Harpman]

Hi Everyone, I started on a chromatic harp in 1964, right out of
college, because a man I worked with, who was much older then I at the
time ,was
the New York City Harmonica champion at the age of 16 and got me
started.I stopped playing shortly after one yr. and 30 yrs. later took
up blues harp. I have gigged in a number of places and have had people
come up to me and tell me how great I and the band I was with sounded.
So, now the man, who has been a very close life long friend, visits me
and brings his chromatic. He plays classically and can run circles
around most harmonica players.Here is my dilemma:when he heard me play
blues he had a comment something like this"but you only play the same 4
notes over and over" I couldn't quite come up with a good explaination
for him how first position differs from second position and blues and
classical harp playing are so different. I looked on the internet to see
if i could find something to send him to explain the difference, but to
no avail. Any simple explaination I could forward to him would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Allen

[Ulrich Schramme]

Post by Harpman
no avail. Any simple explaination I could forward to him would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Allen

Hi Allen,

I think that you can´t explain the Blues to him. If he doesn´t feel it
there will be no explanation for him.
English is not my native language. So I hope that I could made my point
of view clear.

Ulli

[Robert Reynolds]

It doesn't matter how many notes you play, it's how you play them. You
can play just one note, and if you do it with soul it's like magic.
Listen to the guitar solo on King Bee by Slim Harpo. It's just one
note, and it works.

I don't know if your friend will ever get it, because some people don't.
My mother never understood rock and roll, but she was a huge fan of
swing. Those are two paths to the same place as far as I'm concerned,
but she never got it. She thought the Beatles were a bunch of idiots.

Robbie

Post by Harpman
Hi Everyone, I started on a chromatic harp in 1964, right out of
college, because a man I worked with, who was much older then I at the
time ,was
the New York City Harmonica champion at the age of 16 and got me
started.I stopped playing shortly after one yr. and 30 yrs. later took
up blues harp. I have gigged in a number of places and have had people
come up to me and tell me how great I and the band I was with sounded.
So, now the man, who has been a very close life long friend, visits me
and brings his chromatic. He plays classically and can run circles
around most harmonica players.Here is my dilemma:when he heard me play
blues he had a comment something like this"but you only play the same 4
notes over and over" I couldn't quite come up with a good explaination
for him how first position differs from second position and blues and
classical harp playing are so different. I looked on the internet to see
if i could find something to send him to explain the difference, but to
no avail. Any simple explaination I could forward to him would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Allen

[Harpman]

Post by Robert Reynolds
It doesn't matter how many notes you play, it's how you play them. You
can play just one note, and if you do it with soul it's like magic.
Listen to the guitar solo on King Bee by Slim Harpo. It's just one
note, and it works.
I don't know if your friend will ever get it, because some people don't.
My mother never understood rock and roll, but she was a huge fan of
swing. Those are two paths to the same place as far as I'm concerned,
but she never got it. She thought the Beatles were a bunch of idiots.
Robbie

Post by Harpman
Hi Everyone, I started on a chromatic harp in 1964, right out of
college, because a man I worked with, who was much older then I at the
time ,was
the New York City Harmonica champion at the age of 16 and got me
started.I stopped playing shortly after one yr. and 30 yrs. later took
up blues harp. I have gigged in a number of places and have had people
come up to me and tell me how great I and the band I was with sounded.
So, now the man, who has been a very close life long friend, visits me
and brings his chromatic. He plays classically and can run circles
around most harmonica players.Here is my dilemma:when he heard me
play blues he had a comment something like this"but you only play the
same 4 notes over and over" I couldn't quite come up with a good
explaination for him how first position differs from second position
and blues and classical harp playing are so different. I looked on the
internet to see if i could find something to send him to explain the
difference, but to no avail. Any simple explaination I could forward
to him would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Allen

Robbi and Ulrich, Good responses. I think I will just let him think what
he wants. Allen

[Ulrich Schramme]

Post by Harpman
Robbi and Ulrich, Good responses. I think I will just let him think what
he wants. Allen

Hi Allen,

Robbie had much better words for the same thing. You are on the right
way! Let him think what he wants to think and enjoy your music :-)

Ulli

[Harpman]

Post by Ulrich Schramme

Post by Harpman
Robbi and Ulrich, Good responses. I think I will just let him think
what he wants. Allen

Hi Allen,
Robbie had much better words for the same thing. You are on the right
way! Let him think what he wants to think and enjoy your music :-)
Ulli

Thanks. Ulli, What country are you from?Allen

[Ulrich Schramme]

Post by Harpman
Thanks. Ulli, What country are you from?Allen

Hi Allen,

I´m from Hannover/Germany.

Ulli

[Harpman]

Post by Ulrich Schramme

Post by Harpman
Thanks. Ulli, What country are you from?Allen

Hi Allen,
I´m from Hannover/Germany.
Ulli

Thanks Ulli. I guessed Germany, so I was correct. I am 66 yrs. old and
in both high school and college I studied German. Haven't spoke it for
over 40 yrs.
However a yr. ago I was walking in my mother's neighborhood and two
women were behind me, speaking German to each other. I turned around and
in German, told them this was the first time since college I spoke
German. I remembered enough to tell them this and they were shocked as
they said I did a good job with it. Thanks . Allen

[Ulrich Schramme]

Post by Harpman

Post by Ulrich Schramme

Post by Harpman
Thanks. Ulli, What country are you from?Allen

Hi Allen,
I´m from Hannover/Germany.
Ulli

Thanks Ulli. I guessed Germany, so I was correct. I am 66 yrs. old and
in both high school and college I studied German. Haven't spoke it for
over 40 yrs.
However a yr. ago I was walking in my mother's neighborhood and two
women were behind me, speaking German to each other. I turned around and
in German, told them this was the first time since college I spoke
German. I remembered enough to tell them this and they were shocked as
they said I did a good job with it. Thanks . Allen

Hi Allen,

I´m 47 years old. It´s strange that is possible to remember a language
for such a long time. I studied English and French in school. I liked
English but French was hard for me. Some years ago I had to talk some
French and suddenly I could remember some words and phrases. Not perfect
and I guess it sounded funny but it worked.

Ulli

[Polarhound]

For those that understand, no explanation is necessary.

For those that do not understand, no explanation is possible.

[RawFoodGuy]

Post by Polarhound
For those that understand, no explanation is necessary.
For those that do not understand, no explanation is possible.

I don't agree. I used to hate opera until I dated an opera singer and
she took the time one evening to teach me a little about opera -
singing key parts as she explained them. I was blown away. For those
that don't understand, explanation may be difficult, but is never
impossible. You just have to decide if it is worth the investment of
your time or not. Finding common ground is a way to start. There are
several examples of great, profound and moving music that doesn't use
a lot of notes. My favorite, and it sounds great on a Chromatic, is
George Gershwin's Summertime - which consists of only six notes. If
you're playing it in the key of A minor, it uses just E, C, D, B, G
and A. It's an incredibly pure and simple melody — but there is
nothing else like it. It is a classic, not because of how many notes
it has but because of how those notes are conceived, arranged, played
and, of course, felt. Here is one of many examples you can find with a
search on YouTube:

I used to play a lot of notes myself years ago (diatonic) until a
played some gigs with an old time delta blues singer and guitar player
who taught me to be more economical with my notes - he called it
playing the spaces. I learned, when the time is right, to play one
note more powerfully than the whole strings of notes I used to put
together. More recently I became friends with a harp legend in South
Florida. I didn't know who he was, but he was invited up to jam with a
band I was watching one night and he played two notes - the most
amazing two notes I ever heard. Those two notes blew away the room.
Then he stepped back and played in the background. I went up to
introduce myself and we have since become great friends.

Though I can appreciate the skill and talent of harp players like
Sugar Blue or John Popper, who are famous for playing blues with a
whole lot of notes - even using chromatics (you can tell your friend
about them if he wants to see that it is possible), I can't even play
that way now if I want to. Sometime one note is all I can play.

Ciao,
Robert
www.RawFoodLife.com