A fine and interesting interview with Charlie Musselwhite on playing harp in different positions. Has connections at the end of the interview with Franks recent post on finding your harp voice .....'You're music is always going to sound like you.......
gotta love charlie he was young caucasian like paul butterfield who went to chicago to play blues harp and was very successful...hope he is around a long time
for those of us who are "self taught", this is especially rewarding to listen to, Walter Horton's two harp switch. Slicker than a puppies pecker. ..gotta try that. "..welcome to the club, I'm pulling for ya".
I agree Ray. Charlie always comes across as being a great guy. Like toga7t says too, Charlie is always smiling. He really is a great ambassador for the instrument and the music.
As coincidence would have it, I saw the Musslewhite video yesterday and was playing with a singer-songwriter out of Chicago by way of Nashville the same night. The guy is pro to the bone and is really very good but there was no rehearsal and, despite my asking, he never gave me the song keys. He just went on auto pilot. To complicate matters further he plays with a capo a lot so I had to try and transpose what I was seeing from the chord shapes. Then to top it off he was doing songs in Db, Eb and sometimes keys I never did figure out where he was.
Now I no longer carry a full compliment of every key and didn't actually think I even had an Db with me but luckily I discovered I had slipped one into the case. Now I'm kind of okay in 1st position so I got by with that for a couple. But then he'd change keys and I didn't have a harp for the usual positions or couldn't figure out from his hand what key he was in straight away. So I'd quietly and quickly hunt and peck through my bag but I always seemed to come back to the Db.
Charlie Musslewhite is one of my very first influences and I've always loved how he puts harmonica in unexpected context. It wasn't long before I remembered Charlie's words and thought, "How ironic I find myself in this position." I swear I used that Db 75% of the set regardless of what key the song was in. I just managed to find notes that worked in various sections of the instrument.
During the course of the show people were shouting out, "Who's the harp player?", sometimes with no or very short solos, just fills and ambient stuff.
Later several people sought me out with compliments. There was a local guitar hero who sat in for a few numbers who was giving me thumbs up and grins and bought me a beer after. The singer-songwriter booked me for another gig this morning and for when he comes back in October.
Technically, I didn't have a clue what I was doing but as Charlie said, not all notes will work but you find the ones that do and work from there. I tell you it was a real eye opener. File under, "Necessity is the mother of invention." (There's a band name there somewhere.) ---------- LSC
Charlie has been around the block, for sure. His expression and eyebrows have a very "amused with what I see" look. Having paid heavy dues, he is a survivor that has earned the right to view the world as very amusing. ---------- The Iceman
I use to hang out with him in the 70's when he was drinking heavy. Even then he had that gentle spirit. My wife's best friend grew up with charlie. Her brother and charlie were best friends so she was around him alot when they were kids. She said he has always had the gentle spirit. I am happy for him that success has shined on him! 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
LSC..in the video, I believe his term was, finding your own "tone center". It's all there... I can relate. But he sheds a brighter light, for those who doubt their own genius, and innate ability, to locate your own sound. Very hip Sage. ----------
