I can't believe that I've never seen these videos before. I haven't had a chance to watch them yet, but one teaser for unexpected things you'll find in them might be Jeff Grossberg's stuff at the 4:30 point in this one:
I've seen these videos before but I enjoyed watching them again. It is an amazing gathering of a veritable Who's Who of harmonica talent.
One part that struck me on Part 3 at about the 7:20 mark, the blonde guy with the pony tail (I'm sorry, but I didn't catch his name and I don't recognize his face) plays a song on a diatonic, using overblows and overdraws by reading sheet music. I've seen lots of people play chromatics reading sheet music but I've never seen anyone on a diatonic read. And, it was the first time he had ever played that particular piece so he was sight reading it. It was a little bit rough but overall very very good. When Howard asked him to play the song by ear without the sheet music, even though he was familiar witht he song and could sing it, he struggled a bit. This is in no way a criticism of his skills. Far from it. However, I have read stories about classically trained musicians who have a hard time stringing together a riff if it is not printed on sheet music and of course, I dare say, most of us are the complete opposite in that we play be ear and would be lost trying to convert sheet music into the proper corresponding notes on a diatonic haro. I find it all fascinating. ---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com