"Theres a TON of young bluegrass, blues and roots based band going back to basics with guitars, horns, banjos, accordions, harps alike. I mean shit theres a damn tuba, upright bass and trombone resurgence happening right now!"
All the heroes aren't dead....I wrote those words to Jason awhile back...If we look at relevance...yeah he has played awhile....he has also fought personal demons during that time that would have driven many artists to suicide, to quit music entirely or just plain give up on life. This is based on videos he himself has released reaching out to help others. Not my opinion or observation.
A relevant hero within the music world today? What more could anyone ask of the man besides he is so good it's insane.
I'm not a big name player...maybe I never will be...I certainly don't have the talent many here have. Likely I never will.
As I stated before in a previous post I was a full time paramedic for a very busy metropolitan department before I became disabled. I had played the harp some as a child and a teen...some at Christmas for my kids and Church.
I was laying on the couch one day thinking hell I may as well give up...and browsing my phone as we all do today and a Jason video came up. I did not know who he was and thought who is this wild looking dude with a harp and what's he think he's gonna do with that? Then I listened and watched....watched him interact with his crowd...the real deal with his lyrics....I dusted off my old harps...tried and failed. Of course. But I contacted him for lessons which he no longer did at that time.
Light bulb came on....someone taught him, so find that guy or guys....enter Adam Gussow.....I was watching them both and reading everything I could from both long before I came here. They both, along with some others...brought the music back to me. I cannot help but believe if they impacted me, they have not impacted thousands of others.
Relevant? I'm sorry but I'd have to respectfully disagree with anyone who says the harp needs a new hero....we have them.
There is now, always has been, and always will be instrument and music heroes that do more than just blow into a harp to get that way. There are many more than two I named. They care about what they do and from what I've seen they care about sharing experiences and helping people. That keeps it all as real and relevant as it will ever get.
Again, just my opinion, and all due respect if this offends anyone.
Harmonica? I have to ask if music in general is as relevant as it once was. Granted,I'm an old s.o.b. but I have a hard time finding new music that moves me.
I agree with Tuckster! I don't think music is as relevant! I think the harmonica was more relevant 60 years ago and prior to that. How many harmonica players are big time stars talking about the harmonica? When is the last time you saw someone on TV talking about playing the harmonica?
Relevant? To those who play it or like it, yes. To blues, yes. To popular music, no. To the military (once standard issue to troops), no.
Relavance doesn't really seem like the issue. Pop music has typically changed about every 10 years - so pianos, sousaphones, clarinets, saxaphones, harmonicas, guitars - have each had periods of greater or lesser importance in the popular music of the day.
But relevant or otherwise it's much harder to get the sound of Little Walter, Sonny Boy, or Muddy's band without a harmonica.
BnT posts "Pop music has typically changed about every 10 years"
I heard an interview or read an article recently in which this very topic was discussed. It seems that this used to be the case up until the last 15 years or so. It was pointed out that one can pull pop music from, say 2003 and compare it to 2017 and the sound is pretty much the same - very unlike pulling pop music from the 50's and comparing it to the 60's, comparing 60's to 70's, etc.
Have we reached the end of the line in pop evolution? ---------- The Iceman
"Have we reached the end of the line in pop evolution?" Yes, I think we have. I think the same is true of film. As each new style is created future efforts seem to be a slight tweaking of the old idea. At least that's the way it seems to me. That's not a criticism of today's younger generation. As time passes don't we reach a point where everything has been explored for the most part, and what is then written, has less and less room to be fresh and is more a slight variation on what has come before?
I say this completely independent of whether or not you like what is considered today's pop music. What would be the considered the most recent major new musical innovation? Rap/hip-hop (started in the 80s no?)? Electronic music (is that the right term)? I don't even know the answer to that question in all sincerity, having stopped listening to FM radio a long time ago. Even with radio, hasn't the DJ who could help shape musical tastes been replaced by corporate dictated play lists designed solely to squeeze the absolute last marginal ad dollar out of sponsors?
I am certainly no musical historian, and I realize this is a particularly cynical view to hold. I expect total pushback from younger members of the forum who no doubt will claim today's new music is every bit as fresh to them as what we thought was fresh in the 50s, 60s and 70s. So I would ask them: What musical innovation in the last 25 years would they say rivals the invention of the electric guitar? Digitization and file sharing? Auto-tune? Pro-tools? I would genuinely like to know what they think is the coolest new thng. Finally, where will music be 50-100 years from now? Created by AI? That thought makes me alternately sad and ill. Luckily (for me), I'll be long gone by then.
Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Jul 17, 2017 6:29 AM
@Komuso I am glad you found the link regarding participatory vs. presentational music interesting. The link you posted about why people sing was interesting. ----------
Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Jul 19, 2017 9:58 PM
There's image from google trends. Till 2004 harmonica gets less and less popular in search. Especially it is noticeable comparing to explosion of ukulele popularity. Note increase of interest both for harp and uke in december of each year.
When I started on harp[1968] there was only a hand full of people interested or playing harp, and most were doing beatles or Dylan harp.When they heard Chicago blues it blew their mind.they couldn`t believe a little harp could sound like that.Today there`s a ton of harp players and a subculture to go along with it.So I`d say harp is bigger now than ever.....
I've been playing harmonica on my electronic music, run through various kinds of digital processing, and have been getting some pretty exciting results.
something i find interesting . it seems to me,that,usually on the radio,harmonica blues have to be blues police certified. i rarely hear any of the great modern players. it does not seem as though the same standard is set for guitar. i believe this could be holding the public perception of harmonica back. ---------- www.shakeylee.com
