Long time reader first time writer. Figured for all the stuff I have read/learned it is only fair to start inputting. I have been playing for over a year (no where near that great :) ) and got the chance to catch Adam, Todd, and Ronnie in Tulsa. I saw the post on Todd a few days ago and think this video about says it all. So hello to all and enjoy! Thanks, Austin (hopefully i copied right since it is the first time, if not forgive me!)
yea I mentioned how great the show was with all the talent there to the Harmonica online class im in, I Mentioned Todd Parrott cause there's alot of tune players there(Harmonica academy) and Todd was awsome at that kind of stuff ,just over the top ---------- Hobostubs
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2012 2:03 PM
Wow, thanks guys for the nice comments! Glad you liked it. There were a couple of other tunes that weren't captured on video. I'll try and post the audio of them with photos when I get back home to NC.
@Hobostubs Ashlock - Man, I didn't know you were there bro! Would've loved to have chatted with you and talked harps.
I was there as well. It was great to get to talk to Ronnie and Adam as I have been watching them on youtube from when I first started playing 4 yrs ago or so. I've seen RJ Mischo a number of times locally so the big, pleasant suprise was Todd. What a tremendous player and also another nice guy.
@scottb - Lol... the bad part was I spilled it all over my sweater. I usually do this song with my guitar player and he takes the intro - I forgot he wasn't there once the track started.
I'm thinking that Todd is about the most inspirational blues harp player I've heard. So smooth, so soulful, so fluid and musically inventive in the best ways. In my dreams, I'd be happy to sound like him, and have the command of the instrument that he has. Never happen, of course, but like I said: in my dreams. Thanks Todd. And yeah, what about any cd's? ---------- Matthew
One of the cleanest, clearest, audience friendly players I have ever heard. He makes such an emotional connection with this listener. d ---------- Facebook
Well I have not logged in for a long time but have still been lurking, this video however made me log in so I could tell you that it took me away. Unreal.
@Jehosaphat: don't give up; and I take a lesson in the virtue of simply playing the harp really well, feeling it deeply, without any of the bells and whistles you mention. That kind of directness has an enormous appeal to me. Again, Todd is an inspiring example of the highest order of blues harp mastery. Just a man and his harp. Doesn't get any better than that IMO. ---------- Matthew
@harp-er Yeah i was only kidding about giving up. Todd just amazed me with the great sound he was getting with no 'fancy' gear A bit of a lesson to us all maybe?
Ronnie Shellist and I were sitting in the lobby while this was going on, shaking our heads and muttering "Dang!" The sound was even better than on that second clip.
This is my personal favorite. It's playing like this, with a handful of well-placed overblows and overdraws (starting with a big fat 6ob at :38), that makes me wonder why so many people invest so much time in insisting that the can't stand, don't like, and don't need overblows. Of course they're not NEEDED, but they're so much fun! And so soulful!
Yeah, Adam, that one really swings! Wish I could have been there to witness that...
Hey Todd, I'm not sure if you've posted about this before, but I would be really curious to hear your story. Who did you learn from early on? Who were your influences? When did you start playing this damn good? Inquiring minds want to know!!!
I've heard the stuff from a few years back that you have up on YouTube -- and I loved it -- but it seems to me that your playing these clips has transcended some thing. I'm not sure how to say it correctly, but it's something really special. Is that something that you've noticed? I mean, did you ever notice a real turning point in your playing, or has it been a more gradual thing and I'm just hearing a big difference because it's been a few years between those older recordings and this one? Not that it really matters which way, but I'm just really curious about this kind of thing!
Thanks again to all of you for your kindness and your compliments.
@kudzurunner - I am incredibly honored that you enjoyed my harp licks so much. Thanks for all of the kind things you've said. I'm looking very much forward to HCH!
@isaacullah - Well, let's see... I guess I cut my teeth on players like Terry McMillan and Buddy Greene, and a little bit of Charlie McCoy. One of the things that helped me the most was learning about rhythm. Terry McMillan was also an amazing percussionist, which is probably part of the reason his runs were often so smooth and in time. Listening to Terry helped me think of beats and rhythms first, and once a rhythm was stuck in my head I found a way to build a harp lick around it.
The country patterns used by Charlie McCoy and Buddy Greene are very rhythmic as well. Learning these patterns and licks helped me develop a good foundation for fast playing, which later helped me transition those fast licks into blues playing. This is probably why many players initially tell me that I have a country sound, but then they pause and say it's not really country. I think what they're hearing are the patterns I'm playing, but with blue thirds instead of major thirds and so on.... I don't really care as much for country style harp playing as I do blues style, but the country licks will really help you rhythmically and in many other ways as well. Here's another recent upload that may be of help to those wanting to get started on country style, Charlie McCoy licks:
As for my progress, yes, I would say there has been an improvement in my playing in recent years, which I attribute to the many great folks in the harmonica community who have either shared their knowledge on YouTube and forums, or those who have provided me with instruments that have helped me achieve techniques that were very difficult to get on stock harmonicas, such as the overbends. YouTube helped reignite my interest in the harmonica around 2008. It's not that I ever stopped playing or anything, but I'd reached a point where I was frustrated with the limitations of the instrument.
Getting the custom stage 3 harps from Joe Spiers really opened up new worlds in my playing, and for that I am very grateful. That was probably the biggest turning point for me, and since that time (around 2008-09) it seems I'm learning something new every time I pick up the harp to practice. Getting the overdraw bends allows you to truly duplicate the same licks you would normally play in the lower octave of the harmonica, with the same expression
I hope this all makes sense - I'm writing on about 3 hours of sleep.... bed time for me for now...
Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 9:50 PM
Thanks Todd! I really appreciate that you took the time to provide such a detailed response. I haven't really listened to those players you mentioned, so I am definitely going to look them up and listen for sure. It's always interesting to learn about how the pros got to the where they are!
Apologies for my earlier post. Picking up a harp and actually trying it would have been the right thing to do. I posted early morning when my brain was fuddled. I'm sure you guys get very bored of some of our dumb questions. Sorry for my apparent laziness.
That lesson Todd posted up there is a flash back for me.
In the the hotel lobby at last year's Virginia Harmonica Fest (coming this weekend), Todd patiently Taught me and another harp player that lick. I've got it down, but haven't used it to it's fullest. I think of it as a major pentatonic riff rather than blues lick.
I haven't tried it in gospel because....... I play all my gospel in 1st position. I'm too lazy to bend notes to play a melody. So here's a reason to try to make the switch and play those traditional tunes in second, even if I do have to bend a few notes to play the melody
---------- HarmoniCollege March 24, 2012 theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Todd's playing is so inspirational to me! Any day I'm not sure I feel like practicing I'll just throw one of these clips on :) . Looking forward to the record when it drops!
Todd is one of my favorite players, he is in my top five list of harmonica players. Very melodic, very intensive. I really wish he could visit and play in Finland sometimes in the future. I am really looking forward to the record, too.
@Stevelegh - I'm sure they probably captured it all, but I doubt it would all be posted on YouTube, as I suppose this would be a little unfair to the folks who paid to attend the convention. However, I am in the process of making some instructional DVD's and CD's to cover many of the licks I use, which will also be offered as digital downloads. Stay tuned...
