Somebody asked me this recently. I don't know. I guess when I started (high school) I thought it would be an easy instrument to learn, didn't play anything else. Now here I am, 40 years later. I have a half dozen amps, mics, too many harps to count and various other gear. I'm not in a band, I never pursued music theory or any other structured training,still play primarily by ear. I guess the only time I play out is the occasional open mic or jam. I'm not particularly good, although I'm usually not the worst in a room full of harpers. So, good question, why do I continue to play and collect harps? I guess I enjoy playing, maybe it's as simple as that. How about ya'll?
I began playing it for my father. I played folk and Civil War tunes that he loves.
Put it down for awhile, then picked it back up as something of a novelty act when I was tending bar. I'd play the harp behind the bar and the folks would love it.
Now, I play harp because (and I may catch some flak for this statement) it really seems to be a dying instrument. I said in an interview a couple years back that there was a time in America when there was a guy on every other street corner, a guy in every Army stick, or an uncle or grandpa in every family, who had a harp and knew how to play it. And today, it's become one of the more obscure instruments.
That's whay I play it. Here in my town, there are honestly only THREE bands that even have a harmonica in them, my own being one of them. Guitarists, bassists, drummers....plenty of those in supply. Harpers....not so much. I'm proud to be a harp player. I'm proud to be one of the few out there today. ---------- Hawkeye Kane
I started the harp because my parents forbided me to play music of any kind but the stuff in the church-which i had no interest in. I tried sneaking guitars in the house I borrowed from friends and my father would smash them. I was listening to the blues alot. For some reason my parents let me buy records and listen the radio and I was digging the harp of sonny boy II. My girlfriend at the time bought me a harp for my birthday. I was talking about getting one because I could hide it easily but she beat me to it. Within a few months I was fronting a band in front of hundreds of people. I had never been in a music store and had no idea there was more than the one key of harp I had. Luckily I found the nerve to go into mannys in NYC and buy one every key. My girlfriend didn't like the lifestyle and travel. She wanted me to stay local. We broke up over that harp she gave me. I would play it my pillow at night and cry. Music was busting out of me and my parents were trying to tie it down. I had to leave my home over it. I would walk down to the bad part of town where it was almost 100% african american. They would all come out, dance, sing, and basically taught me about how to play music. From old ladies to babies, they wouldl all come out drinking and dancing. Luckily Wilbert harrison picked me up in his caddy as I walked down south orange ave blowing it. I was delivering mob drugs to bars as a teen. I got in the car with him and soon I was long gone from my parents house. I still never have played to my parents and it is never mentioned that I play music. This is sad because they are dying and they never have opened their hearts to my music or my younger brothers music. He got big in grunge music. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
About a year and a half ago I got harp-in-mouth disease. A harp came along and just glommed onto my face. Family and friends have tried to pry it loose, but to no avail.
Why not!!! I got pist at learning guitar. I wanted to learn fingerstyle acoustic blues but every body wants to be the next SRV or Clapton and the only advice I got was from electric player saying it's easy put on a backing track and improvise. Bought my first harp almost two years (after discoverind Adam on youtube)to take a break of the guitar I havent touch it for more than five minutes since.
Martin ---------- Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Isaac Asimov
I play for money, but there's more to it than that. I like the challenge of forming and managing a band, and getting paid a good fee to entertain. I insist my band must be very good and in demand, so it has to be made up of pro players. That's where the money comes in. They demand a certain level of compensation, and they won't play for less. So, I get to play cool venues with great players (and I get control over everything) as long as it is about money.
3 main reasons. 1. I love the sound. So simplistic, yet complexly expressive. I've been enthralled with it since I was a young lad. 2. I've always been into & involved with "odd" activities. Things that the majority don't do. I can't explain this fixation for the out of the ordinary. Just wired that way I guess. Like HawkeyeKane says, the harp is not the most popular instrument. In fact it's mostly deemed a toy. And 3. I love its portability. Drop a harp in your pocket and off ya go.
I never was into music, but I started getting into it when I went to college. After a while, I wanted to start making my own (same thing happened with graphic design).
I tried the pennywhistle first, but I felt that I couldn't do much with it. My friend had a harmonica, so I bought one because it was portable.
Funny thing is that the harmy got me into blues, and now the blues is motivating my harmonica. It is kinda circular.
Also, like Hawkeye said, it isn't a common instrument.
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I have ALWAYS loved its sound. Of course, it didn't dawn on me until I was almost 20 that maybe I could try playing one. 25 years later, I have learned I will never take Magic Dick's spot when he retires, but I still love it, so on I play.
In some ways I can relate to some of the above. I started over 60 years ago but because of allergies to harps (nickel) I was unable to touch them for 50 years. Modern harps, which I discovered after retirement, do not give problems.
It's a hobby extending beyond just the harp & combining it with photography, travel & recording technology its an interest I really enjoy.
On the harp I'm not good but I'm not comparing or complaining. I'm happy with where I'm at but still learning. I don't play in a band but I do attend fortnightly Bluegrass jams which I really enjoy.
Easy instrument to play badly but difficult to play well. Convenient in size with lots of opportunities to practice.
I recently purchased Band In A Box & wished I had done so years ago. Its a fabulous tool & one that is forcing me into learning more about music. I don't read music.
When I was a youngster (I'm now in my 70's) I vividly remember the parties with all the oldies singing and playing Fiddle, Accordion & Harmonica. All popular. One of the tunes from my boyhood that I can see the oldies singing & playing was the 1929 hit "Vagabond Lover' sung by Rudy Vallee. Little did I know that back then I was playing it in 12th pos as I had no instruction just ears with somewhat selective hearing.
I recorded my version of Vagabond Lover complete with lyrics a couple of days ago. Please excuse my wobbly vocals and wobbly start.
I started playing harp seriously at the suggestion of a bandleader--I was replacing another guitarist who played harp in the rack. I had encountered harp many years previously when I was in a band with John Frazer (Harmonica John) in the early 80's . . . These days I like harp with the guitar because I can play melody and play accompaniment on guitar--and I like Chromatic because I can play accurately with no loss of tone. I'm still studying overblows and using alternate tunings--but chrom rules when it comes to modern harmony. Too bad it's so hard to play in the rack (and yes, I have a Hand's Free Chrom too--some help but not enough).
Because I was given one by a friend for my birthday many years ago, I like R&B/blues & it makes a good double with my tenor sax on gigs... I can also play it while stuck in traffic. Plus Live Full House by the J Geils Band was one of the first albums I got really into back in the day.....
When I was a kid, my Dad, his 2 brothers and my Grandad would all get together and play music. Grandad played the fiddle and harmonica, my Dad and on Uncle played harmonica (they all called it a french harp) and my other Uncle played the jews harp. Like any kid, I wanted to be a part of it, so I started bugging my Dad for a harp when I was 10. He gave me one of his, an old standby in the key of Bb. I 've played ever since then. I can't do to well on the blues stuff. I play mainly old time music and an old time style. I've been playing now for 53 years.---------- Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
I picked up the harp first of all cause I needed a melody voice. Couldn't get one from my guitar or my voicebox. Now I kind of wish I had spent all the learning on voice instead of harp....nah
It helped me stop smoking,gave me some thing to focus on kept my mind occupied now i'm hooked on this amazing instrument good and proper ---------- norman g
Hey has anybody ever tried to amp there harp?I just did it this morning! I was up around 4 am listening to Doctor Gussow and got the Idea. I hav,nt got the final product idea in my head yet but,I got the rough working amp harp to play without a mic!I have been buying mics off ebay I have about 5 but,I don,t like the way they feel in my hands, while trying to play.I have played mostly without a mic since I started,so it is hard to get used to them.So what I did was buy some piezo elements off ebay and attached one to a Bb big river it don,t sound bad, and now all I have in my hands is my harp with a mic cord sticking out from beetween my ring and little fingers.So what do you,all think?
I got into music as a teenager singing doo-wop and r&b got into JAZZ sax and organ listening to john coltrane and jimmy smith being from Philly.then I got hip to Chicago blues harp been playing since.also after playing a few years i had to play some guitar , hearing Albert King and Jimi Hendrix
because I got an A MB when I was 6 yrs old in my stocking at x-mas. my grandad was into the blues he always had them playing on his HIFI when we would come over for the holidays, and besides it's the one hobby that I have where I don't have to be serious about...when that day comes I'll put it down and sell my amps and stuff.
I was watching a movie and Heard a harp in the background,And it sounded so good,this was about 3 years ago,about the same time,I started messing around with recording and was needing something to add to my acoustic guitar, ,and hadnt a clue,as to what,I was thinking about getting a eletric guitar ,then 1 night I was watching this movie and heard the harp and was like thats what I need,But I didnt realise how hard that sound is to get though;-) ---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 7:49 AM
Augest Rush.Where Robin williams is playing the harp in the ally.Its a tune im not sure which one but It wasnt blues,Now i hear cool blues harp and tunes being played all over the television and movies.I guess I just never notice it befor ---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 8:36 AM
Its allright not the best movie,but its ok,And it was the reason I bought a harp to try and get a sound like that to back my guitar. ---------- Hobostubs
I play harp now because I was classically trained as a trombone player, and people just don't care for trombone. Oh...other musicians like it because it gives their band a fatter sound, but as for being a hit at a party and possibly getting laid, don't count on it. The harp has some things in common with the bone, limitations on technical expression for one, but people like the sound of it. Me, too. You can be a marginal harp player and people will like it. You can be a bone player in the 99th percentile, and people will say it sounds "okay."
that is the song 2chops,I googled it and listened to a version after you said the name and it was it,I have been wondering for awhile,what song it was,It sounds good in the movie,I took and watched it again awhile back and when I did I noticed they had a background music playing the melody ever so lightly barley noticable,And the harp is playing the melody over that,At 1st I thought it was just the harp but they had it backed up,It sounded great though. ---------- Hobostubs
Yes Van Morrison at least the utube of van Morrison I just heard, is the same song as the movie,I dont know if its the same artist playing it in the movie,but its a version of Moondance. I just found some harp tab for the song I think I might play around with it.They had a version for the chormatic and another site has a diatonic,heres the song I heard that made me buy a harp
---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 10:08 AM
Thanks 2chops I had heard the song befor but didnt know where,I had no idea it was Van Morrison I just listened to it Wow that would be a hard song to duplicate,lots of stuff going on just magic;-)
Because the reeds let me laugh, cry, scream, yell, talk, whisper, moan, throw temper tantrums, rant, stomp, punch, tickle, tease... All this and more in public, one person or larger groups. Yep, I can carry on and act out or act up. All the above, without the harp, would get me arrested. With the harp, I get applause and get to do it again!
Oh I for got. I play harp because I suck at everything else. I use to be really good at smoking pot. To bad that wasn't an olympic sport when I was young. I would have made our country proud!
Walter. I am blown away by what you wrote. What a story. It sounds a bit like Neil Diamond's The Jazz Singer. I can't help but think that your parents would be proud of today if they heard you play.
I grew up playing the clarinet. I was very fortunate that my school had a very good music department because I feel like I got a great music education. I was extremely diligent with my practicing. I played for at least an hour every night after school, sports, homework etc. It just never occurred to me not to. I'm just the kind of person who, when I take up something new, I figure I might as well do it well. And so far the only way I have figured out how to get good at something is to practice, practice, practice. But I digress. In 1972 I went off to college and playing the clarinet for an hour a day (even though I played in the marching band and the concert band) became somewhat inconvenient. Somehow, somewhere I picked up a harmonica and the rest, as they say, is history. We are surrounded by music every day and I think for all of us, it is not enough to just be a passive listener. We want to participate - to contribute - make it our own. So why do I play? The music is inside of me and it has to come out and the harp is just a magical instrument that lets me express what it inside. It's a right brain thing I think. ---------- ">
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 1:11 PM
florida-trader: Thanks. Your story and others I hear about where parents supported their kids music is very moving for me. I tried to join the school band and choir in middle school. I had created homemade drums out of garbage cans and lids (would put the trash back in them before my parents got home from work) and also made some string sounds on my bike spokes. My imagination took me to sounding like Cream! I figured if I made the school music programs my parents would leave me in them. Both teachers told me I had no talent and to go away. That crushed me for a bit, but I was determined to make music and nobody was going to get in my way. It all turned out to be a great gift. I am so thankful I never learned music. I knew no rules so it was all a wide open world for me. I would be terrified to play to my parents. I am going back home to NJ for thanksgiving. I will bring a couple harps and maybe a guitar if there is space in the van. If they ask I would play but I highly doubt they will. They are pretty overwhelmed with failing health and not having the skills on how to embrace the process. Anyway, Spontobeat was born of the many that refused to let me play music and I am eternally thankfull for them. I now teach high school special education and it gets around some of my musical backround. I end up with a few kids each year that are outcasts from the school music system. They hang around and I encourage them to follow their musical dreams and play some for them if they ask. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
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Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2011 1:11 PM