Thanks Diggs. Hard to believe it has been a year. For those that didn't know him he has several good instructional videos on youtube and a lot of stuff here in the forum archives.
As most of you know I have the last set of harps he shipped out. I thought his harps made me better right away, but a year later and I truly realize how good they are. As my techniqe has improved so have the harps. That is what he said would happen.
harpdude61, reading that makes me regret letting mine spend most of its life on the shelf. I usually just pull it out to prove to myself I can overblow well on a well set up harmonica. Guess I've just wanted to keep it new and in working order since I can't get another.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Steven Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
i was just thinking of him... like his posting blues and asking who played it..or posting stoned.. or his dry cutting sense of humor. plus his playing and his custom harps
I found him to be blunt but respected him very highly-there is no doubt if I had met him in person I would have been impressed you fellas have good memories of him
@Ryan....Chris told me to play my custom harps every day,all the time. It just didn't make sense to Chris why anyone would practice and play on something other than the best harps they have. I've played my set pretty much every day for the past year. The only thing I have done is tighten the gaps on a couple of 6 blow reeds. They are still in tune. Playing on his harps have made me better on stock GMs. Especially techniqes like bending the 7 overdraw. I play mine all the time except at work. You only live once. I hope I get to wear all six out.
Thanks for posting this Diggs... It dawned on me the other day that his death anniversary was coming up, and I've been thinking about him a lot since then. A while back I started working on this 12th position riff he tried to teach me and oldwailer once. He was trying to teach how to play along with the great piedmont style guitar playing that Oldwailer can do... I even got oldwailer to cut a track of that guitar. I started working on it, but never got it down to perfection. I'm going to work on that again. I owe it to Chris... ---------- == I S A A C ==
Thanks Diggs - Like many here, I too miss the unique depth of Chris's contribution. He lives on in his music and wonderful instructional material. Hard to believe it is almost a year... R.I.P ---------- KiwiRick http://www.richardshanksart.com
harpdude61, I know I'm getting off topic but did you say you can do overdraws on your Buddha harps? Overdraws are the things that I'm very frustrated with this year. I've been trying to figure them out with no luck. I know my Buddha harp overblows like a dream come true. I wish something I've heard or read would help me make overdraws happen but so far no luck.
I definitely miss Chris. We used to have side discussions about music & harmonica nearly weekly & he never charged me a penny. He made me feel very at home at SPAH the first year I went as well. I had told myself I was going to take him up on the week intensive at his house the following year. His presence was missed at SPAH this year.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Steven Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Buddha's heart was as good as his music, better maybe. He was a friend to me when he had no reason to be. He stepped into my life unexpectedly without an invite or request and turned me from a bad road, when I was on the edge of darkness,standing on the precipice. It had nothing to do with music or lessons. I unable to even speak about it. Only to say he was as wise and kind as the original Buddha himself, and I shall ever be grateful and I miss him. I would like to think that his Spirit remains alive somewhere and knows this. Chris Do you know I am your friend ? I will always be your friend. Thank you Diggs, altho this thread is painful and saddening me deeply at this moment.
@Harpdude: I consider myself a chromatic player on the diatonic now. I would *not* have gotten there without Chris. It was the harps he made for me, but it was also his unfailingly honest encouragement. I still miss the guy and I never even met him in person.
