Jorge Jane
28 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:13 PM
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I spend a lot of time in my car through out the day between patient visits. I mean all day, i find my self practicing most of the time in the car. I can't seem to put the thing down it calls for me from the passenger seat the minute i sit in. Is this normal or should i slow down i love it and really enjoy it and i'm glad to have so much time to practice does anyone feel the same way. With an intense urge to play all the time.
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Tommy the Hat
240 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:16 PM
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"it calls for me from the passenger seat the minute i sit in."
As soon as my harmonica starts talking to me I get worried!
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Tommy
Bronx Mojo
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Jorge Jane
29 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:18 PM
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Your funny Tommy you know what i mean.
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KingoBad
864 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:20 PM
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When it calls, does it sound like Little Walter or Jerry Lewis ?
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Danny
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Philippe
140 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:20 PM
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No. Enjoy yourself, have fun, do it as often as you like. Don't push yourself if you don't feel like playing at a certain moment. That's what hobbies are for - having fun! The more time you invest, the better you will become at your craft.
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groyster1
1312 posts
Aug 24, 2011
5:23 PM
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@Phillppe
effin ay!!!!
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Tommy the Hat
242 posts
Aug 24, 2011
7:28 PM
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"Your funny Tommy you know what i mean. "
Of course I know what you mean....I was joking. ;)
I can't begin to tell you how often I put my harp away and swear "that's it for the day" only to be fetching it back 10 minutes later. When I'm home I take my case of harps to the basement and get on the computer playing to backing tracks and after an hour....2 hours...3 or whatever I pack them up and bring them back upstairs. 30 minutes later I'm going back upstairs to get them. This happens over and over.
Sort of like drugs.
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Tommy
Bronx Mojo
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KingBiscuit
95 posts
Aug 24, 2011
8:26 PM
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I keep 3 or 4 in my car...I'm almost always playing if I'm in the driver's seat. I keep 1 or 2 pretty much anywhere I'm likely to sit down in the house. My poor wife endures me practising while I watch TV (MOSTLY during commercials), when I'm at my computer, pretty much anywhere. For some reason, I don't always have one in my pocket...that's about 50/50. I have a friend that is never without a harp. He'll start playing in stores, restaurants, church, anywhere...he is totally possessed!
I'm sure, at some point in time, someone started Harmonica Anonymous but it didn't work so they disbanded! (no pun intended)
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BronzeWailer
234 posts
Aug 25, 2011
12:15 AM
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Sounds normal to me JJ. A traffic jam is just a chance to do some more woodshedding. Has anyone ever said, 'I practiced too much and I am now just too good?'
I am aware of my wife's tinnitus, which is an extra incentive to go out and busk, jam, whatever...
Enjoy!
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kudzurunner
2664 posts
Aug 25, 2011
3:44 AM
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It depends on how you're situated vis a vis those patient visits. Are you the doc, or the patient?
Then again, either scenario is worrisome.
Seriously: you've got bitten by the bug. You're in love with the sound of the instrument and the feel of the instrument. That's a good thing. I'm pretty sure that anybody who ever got good on the harp felt the same way at some point, along with a whole bunch folks who never got very good but just hadda whole lotta fun with it.
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Jorge Jane
30 posts
Aug 25, 2011
4:49 AM
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No not the patient i do home health as a nurse, but yeah i'm in deep glad to see i'm not the only one it's normal behavior thanks guys.
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jbone
626 posts
Aug 25, 2011
5:01 AM
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it will grab you. the more you hear stuff that you'd like to be able to do, the more you will work to achieve those goals.
in my first year or two i was pretty annoying frankly. i had no dynamics,little tone, and knew so little about what and when to play. no manners either.
i was basically kicked out of where i lived- rented a room at a friend's house- because every time my friends would get together there to rehearse their fledgling band,i'd try and sit in. which was atrocious. i was told to get lost when they were showing up.
that was early on and it did spur me to get by myself and work the harp a lot. it still took me a long time to get where i wanted to go. but working alone when i had the opportunity was a good thing. there was also a time when i had a harp ready when something decent came on the radio. i lived in Dallas and community radio had some good blues shows on. so i had to be ready to jam along, and this is where i began my blues education for real. i was a big chicken about going out to any real blues jams, but i did hit some fringe type jams where anything went. it took me much longer to zero in on what i really wanted to do because of that, but along the way i did learn quite a bit by working alone with the harp.
if you want something badly, you put every available minute into it.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
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HawkeyeKane
90 posts
Aug 25, 2011
7:12 AM
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I go through spurts of obsession when it come to harp. There are days when it's all I can think about the whole day, and then there are days when it's at the back of my mind. Is it wrong? I would say no, not if it's your passion. I have many passions in my life though, so I divide my obsession time accordingly. LOL
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Hawkeye Kane
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Tuckster
870 posts
Aug 25, 2011
7:20 AM
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I think obsession with anything is the way to get good at any skill. As long as it doesn't start affecting your personal life,it's cool.
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BronzeWailer
235 posts
Aug 25, 2011
3:18 PM
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I have a two-harp car. They think of everything these days...
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chromaticblues
981 posts
Aug 25, 2011
4:00 PM
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I do the same thing. It freaks people out at red lights. I roll the windows down and play as loud as I can in the summer at red lights.
I know, God I need to get a life!
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BronzeWailer
236 posts
Aug 25, 2011
4:12 PM
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@chromaticblues. Far preferable to the 'doof doof' pounding out from the yoofs' cars. You are doing people a favour.
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Michael Rubin
234 posts
Aug 25, 2011
8:23 PM
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Just remember, the woman you are talking to doesn't really care about harmonica. Be excited and sparing.
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Rockerduck
21 posts
Aug 26, 2011
5:34 AM
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OCD is required to learn. It also creates a path to something else. Like, wow, cool riff. What if I amp it, then what if, what if. So, OCD is good. Creativity invents.
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BAG
87 posts
Aug 26, 2011
2:58 PM
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If it is bad to be obsessed with harmonica, then we all BAD. Harps yell at me all the time in the car. "Why you listnin' to sports crap radio when you could be playing scales?!" So I play some more scales.
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Steamrollin Stan
59 posts
Oct 01, 2011
9:46 AM
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Phew!!!.......i'm not alone then?
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oldwailer
1732 posts
Oct 02, 2011
9:43 AM
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Sometimes I'm obsessed with playing guitar--sometimes I'm obsessed with playing lap guitar--sometimes I'm obsessed with playing the harp--sometimes I'm even obsessed with playing instruments I don't have yet.
But my old friend the harp is the only obsession I can take with me while driving--except of course, singing, which I also get obsessed with.
I have found that I can fall in and out of obsession--but I only really get better during the obsessive times--the rest of the time I just play for the fun of it. . .
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Oldwailer's Web Site
Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
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Tommy the Hat
366 posts
Oct 02, 2011
9:48 AM
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The only problem I've had with obsession is that I usually end up buying a lot of stuff I may not really need. Otherwise it's all good!
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Tommy
Bronx Mojo
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CarolynViolin
49 posts
Oct 02, 2011
12:22 PM
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I would say that it's fine to be obsessed with harmonica or any other musical instrument. We all need to be passionate in order to be our very best and communicate our emotions to the audience. When the obsession becomes destructive and leads to drugs or interfering with the responsibilities of family and daily living, then it's not okay.
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Aussiesucker
927 posts
Oct 02, 2011
11:47 PM
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An obsession in the Aussie Macquarie Dictionary is defined as 'a dominating action or influence on ones life'.
For me Harp playing is a hobby & a fun thing to do. Am I obsessed - well I certainly miss it if I don't play for a few days. But it's relatively unimportant compared to family & health but on top of my list in hobbies.
I am careful to no longer let myself get obsessed as it does takeover ones life. I used to be involved competing in a number of sports eg Sailing, Sailboarding and Triathlons. I took all these sports up in mid life purely to participate & become fit. But, I was reasonably good, particularly at Sailing, very competitive, to an extent that these sports really dominated my life and ended up like a second job. But at my age and stage in life there was no real future no matter how good one was. Hard work, lots of costs , no tangible rewards and the fun wasn't there anymore.
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HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
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