Ronnie is a great player, but this clip gives me a good chuckle. It is a really well played blues solo to a blues backing track (not all that "funky", IMO, but still VERY well done). I don't get what made it go viral, lol. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Mods Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
As a rank beginner I was thrilled when I saw that video for the first time a couple of years back. I remember naively picking up a harp and trying to imitate some of what he was doing.
He has a companion instructional video that you can buy for a few bucks where he breaks down everything that he does in that Youtube video note for note. Although I would love to be able to do it (even just a shaky half ass version) I'm not willing to devote myself to learning an exact imitation of what he plays there.
What I did find from studying that instructional video is that it provides you with some priceless insights into exactly how he plays the phrases that make up his style of playing. It showed me what I had to learn more of, how I could diversify my own playing, and where my own skills are very much lacking.
Ronnie can play with a real fury, or he can play a soft ballad with subtle touches, and he can play all kinds of stuff in between. He just seems to effortlessly adapt to the musicians and the groove at hand.
The video didn't really go viral; it just hung in there over time and accrued a lot of hits. When I first went on YouTube in early 2007, before I'd uploaded a single video, and searched the phrase "blues harmonica," Ronnie's video came up near the top. There just wasn't much else ON YouTube at that point as far as good players sitting down and showing you stuff. There were a few performance videos, but as far as instructors, Ronnie was about it.
Actually, now that I've gone back and watched the video, I'll emend what I've written: he doesn't teach here, he just plays. But, out ahead of the rest of us, he figured out that what makes YouTube special is the DIY intimacy. He holds the harp up after he's finished playing. He talks to the camera. Nobody else at his level was doing that then. He demystifies high-end playing. He just sits down with a jam track and plays some cool stuff. He's not some distant "star" like James Cotton on a nightclub stage. He's some random guy in a poorly-lit room who can play really well.
You better believe I was taking notes when I watched this video in January 2007. I said, "Hey, if he can do it, I can do it!"
Last Edited by on Jul 08, 2012 4:41 AM
@Chickenthief...."Although I would love to be able to do it (even just a shaky half ass version) I'm not willing to devote myself to learning an exact imitation of what he plays there."
I've never bought anything from Ronnie......but you statement is exactly the way I feel about the several lessons that I have gotten from Adam. I wouldn't have a clue how to do it without them and honkin' out a recognisable replica makes me happy.
Greg
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Just when I got a paddle, they added more water to the creek.
@Mando... Yeah, and they would be disappointed if after us having spent 5 years at learning to play harmonica we had only learned to play their licks exactly the way that they play them.
I remember hearing or reading about how some of the early jazz musicians were reluctant to be recorded back when the technology was in it's primal day because they knew that their licks and techniques would wind up getting swiped by other players. Another guy, I think that it was Freddie Keppard was said to have played to audiences with a handkerchief covering his cornet so as to keep everyone from seeing what he was doing.
Strangely enough there are even a few teachers out there who seem to have something of that kind of mindset. It's as if they believe that their knowledge is their personal power, and the more knowledge that they reserve the stronger and better they are. Nowadays there are just too many ways to learn around guys like that and plenty of good teachers who will try and help you to find out for yourself.
