There were quite a few songs that I had heard around about the same time which pushed me towards the harp, but one song that I remember vividly was Smokestack Lighting by Howlin' Wolf. The sheer energy of the song and Wolf's growl just captivated me.
It wasn't a song that got this old man playing, it was the gift of a harmonica for Christmas in grade two. I loved it. (This was in the mid '50s). I played with it day and night. I took it to bed, kept it under my pillow, and played when I thought I could get away with it. My Dad would pound the wall between the living room and my bedroom and shout, "Go to sleep!" The songs I first learned? "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night". It was Christmas, after all.
I learned to play in the dark, so I'm definitely an ear player.
The first blues song that got me playing-- "Poor Boy" by Howlin' Wolf. I learned the melody, not the harp break. It's actually a minor key song. By poking around the harmonica, I found all the notes by playing in third position. I had no idea I was playing in a "position". I imagine our revered original players did much the same-- poked around till they found notes they liked.
The first harp song that inspired me to learn it note for note-- the two chorus harp break in Little Walter's "Mellow Down Easy". I transferred the vinyl version to a small Philips tape recorder I had. A real (reel?) workhorse. Play-rewind-play-rewind, etc. till I had the harp break down, more or less.
There's a tricky descending passage in the second part of the first chorus whose notes I can play in the right pitch and order, but whose rhythm eludes me to this day.
though mayals estimable 'room to move' made a serious impression on me, it was the redoubtable paul butterfields 'born in chicago' written by nick gravenites that did it. first butter album, first song, first side. it also bears the dubious distinction of being the first song i ever learned. ----------
MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
MP- I believe "Born in Chicago" was the first song I learned to play as well. The solo was short and fairly easy to learn. While Mayall was what caught my ear, it was Butterfield who cast my fate. All of those who played with Butter left an impression as well. There is a book about Michael Bloomfield "If you love these blues" that details a lot of what happened in that band. Gravenites was quite a character according to the author (still is). If you are a blues nut, I suggest getting your hands on the book. It chronicles the troubled life of Bloomfield, which I'm sure is fairly common among gifted artists of that caliber. Plute
Last Edited by on Aug 13, 2011 8:34 AM
interesting how artists affect players in different walks of life, but in similar ways.
re born in chicago. you're right. it is pretty easy to learn. it's a good exercise for learning your one, four, five, pattern. bloomfield, bishop,sam lay, and the rest were/are total pistols.
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MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
The song that got me playing harp was the theme song from Sanford and Son, believe it or not. Actually it was indirectly and it was also only a reintroduction so to speak.
I first got interested in harp playing back around 1990. I learned some basics and just tried playing along to records but knew nothing about what I was doing. I could do most things but didn't know why and I never even heard of a I-IV-V. After a bit I put the harps away and forgot about them never touching them again. This April, while at work someone played the theme song from sanford and son off of youtube. That got us talking about harmonica (he plays guitar). I was trying to tell him about one of the harps I used to own and I couldn't remember the name Special 20. So to the internet I went.
I was amazed at all the information out there now compared to the early 90's when all I had was a couple of books and some cassette tapes. The next day I was at guitar center buying a new SP 20 and the rest is history. I'm 4 months non stop now and way ahead of where I was 20 years ago when I was just playing along and bending notes thinking I was playing. ---------- Tommy
My dad bought me a harp when I was 10 but I was more impressed with guitar then (1968) Around 1977 I went to a J Geiles show and was confronted with Magic Dick. I had to learn how to do that. I hung on with guitar for a while but soon I was spending all my time trying to figure out the tin sandwitch. If I had to pin it on one song, I'd say Whammer Jammer and I've been trying to learn how to play it right ever since. Thanks to Adam for his you tube vid.
When I first picked it up, I played mainly old folk and Civil War tunes for my dad. He loves that stuff. What really made me wanna grab the instrument and channel my soul through it, was this....
---------- I entertain By bringing a tone to your brain Just like a west bound train You wanna know my name? Well, it's Hawkeye Kane
One of Adam's early lessons insisted on one's getting the 'Harp Attack' album. I downloaded it on computer, so no liner notes and I can't be sure who's playing the harp part, but the song "Black Night" convinced me that real emotion could be conveyed with that humble, handy instrument, and my life has been on a different trajectory since. Thanks Adam.
Wasn't a song for me. Rather a movie that came out when I was eight years old and featured a little boy driven from his home with nothing to remind him of it but a small harmonica. That week I bought my first harmonica. Years later I went to a record store and asked for an album with good blues harp on it. Went home with Icepick's stories, some James Harman compilation cd. I owe the guy in the store a big thanks for that.
Unlike most everyone else, I didn't start playing harmonica because I heard it in a particular song, and had to make that sound myself. I wasn't really even into blues at the time. The song that got me to play harp is one I never liked, and still don't, even though it was the catalyst that got me into my now-beloved instrument of choice.
I was barely 20 in 1989, and had met a drummer in a college class who had a band looking for a singer. Well, hey, I'm a singer. Their band was an 'established' band, already playing gigs a few times a month in various bars. I show up for a tryout, they unanimously accepted me, and I started learning songs for our first gig together, which was also my first non-garage gig.
One of these songs was What I Like About You by The Romantics. I hated this song, but was in my first 'real' band, and was eager to please. So, I learned the melody and lyrics, which was easy enough, and showed up for practice. When the song got to the part with the harmonica part, the band stopped in a bit of a train wreck. The guitarist says, 'Hey' you're gonna have to play that harmonica solo'.
What? I don't know how to play harmonica! But, hey, I'll give it a whirl. So, I get a harp, and pretty quickly figure out the part. I almost immediately was able to play single notes, somehow-lucky, I guess. Of course, I wondered why it sounded like I was out of tune with the recording...I learned the hard way about different keys, and what this 'cross harp' stuff was. I played with the band for about three months-they were godawful, I now realized, and much more interested in getting stoned than playing music. I quit them, but stuck with the harp.
The stoy goes on that a guitarist friend who was into the blues turned me on to this killer music that suited harmonica so well, and also, a new band named Blues Traveler was quite a buzz on the college circuit, a few years before they'd become a household name. I stuck with harp, learned fast and played anything and everything I could. But, it was never a goal of mine-it just fell in my lap.
So, here's the song that I have my love/hate relatiosnship with. It's just too poppy for my taste, but without it I seriously doubt I'd ever had put a harmonica in my mouth.
