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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Why not grades for harmonica?
Why not grades for harmonica?
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bluesharper
126 posts
Aug 23, 2010
10:46 AM
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Okay so I play sax for 2 years and im doing Grade 5 and was wondering why is there no grades for harmonica or chromatic harmonica? Maybe there is somewhere can someone anwser that?
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barbequebob
1173 posts
Aug 23, 2010
10:53 AM
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For decades, harmonica hasn't been taught in the vast majority of schools and so there is no truly standardized curriculum for it and so such a grading system has never really been deveoped.
In the US, there's only a handful of schools that will even accept harmonica as a legitimite instrument of study and the one I do know of that does is the Turtle Bay School of Music in NYC, where for many years until recently, was headed by classical virtuoso Cham-Ber Huang and now headed by one of his students, Robert Bonfiglio and it's obvious direction is classical music. Even Berklee, probably the most well known jazz school in the business still doesn't have a program for the instrument at all to this day.
At one time, it was taught (leaning more towards chromatic) in some public schools until around the early 50's.
So again, because there is little of it being taught in schools and no real academic curriculum for it, there really isn't any.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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GermanHarpist
1729 posts
Aug 23, 2010
11:19 AM
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It's the same story here in germany. I talked to the head of the local music school (even played him some awesome blues riffs). But he just dismissed it with a smile. ...
There's a funny story on tinus' site, tenhole.com, where he discribers the story of entering the Conservatorium I think in den haag,.. it's a very worthwhile read.
http://tenhole.com/?menuid=253
http://tenhole.com/?menuid=252
http://tenhole.com/?menuid=295
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Don't engage the negativity!
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harpdude61
315 posts
Aug 23, 2010
11:39 AM
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Seems like harmonica would be the ideal tool to teach kids about music. I can't think of a less expensive or more conveniant instrument that offers so much.
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bluesharper
128 posts
Aug 23, 2010
12:32 PM
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It just to bad its underrated and not taken seriously by alot of people. But it is a serious instument and really beautiful sounding at that when played properly.
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shanester
196 posts
Aug 23, 2010
12:36 PM
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I agree bluesharper and harpdude61! Be proud, it takes heart to choose the path of the harmonica!
I personally think the name "Soul's Voice" couldn't be applied to a better instrument!
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Shane
1shanester
"Keep it coming now, keep it coming now,
Don't stop it no don't stop it no no don't stop it no don't stop it no no..."
- KC and the Sunshine Band
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bluesharper
130 posts
Aug 23, 2010
12:40 PM
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@ Shanester
Yeah to that!!
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earlounge
140 posts
Aug 23, 2010
1:10 PM
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Enrico Granafei said he went to school for chromatic, but he said he was the first student at his school to do so and he had to find an harp teacher other than the internal jazz teaches.
http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/artists/Enrico_Granafei.htm
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barbequebob
1175 posts
Aug 23, 2010
1:28 PM
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Back in 1978, I tried to get into Berklee College of Music to study jazz harmonica, but the admissions rep told me that I'd have to take up an entirely different instrument, and when I said to him, "Well, what about Toots Thielemans, because he's playing jazz on the instrument," and he couldn't give me a straight answer. The reality was that compared to guitarists, horn players, keyboard guys, drummers, vocalists, etc., there were very few by comparison playing that stuff and even fewer teaching it.
In the early 80's, I cam e very close to moving to NYC to study classical chromatic under Cham-Ber Huang at Trutle Bay Music School, but I chickened out. I know I would've learned a lot and it would've improved my sight reading skills dramatically, but I didn't go and on the East Coast, that was the only place to my knowledge at the time actually having a real curriculum for the instrument at all.
A big part of the problem lies, hate to say it, but it is with the players and the stereotypical reputation it has earned, rightly or wrongly (unfortunately, too often well deserved), and for a long time, the instrument has been regarded as too often more of a play toy and in classical music circles, the only harmonica player held in the highest possible regard for decades was Larry Adler, and then a choice few like John Sebastian Sr. (the father of former Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian and the one LP I have of him has been out of print for at least 20 years and what he does is a freaking mind blower).
On numerous occasions I've said that the sterotype of the harmonica player being the dumbest musician on the bandstand isn't trying to put other players down, but unfortunately, too often many players knowingly or unknowingly fill that stereotype and so unfortunately, it's no wonder why there are very few schools teaching it and still a very low regard for the instrument.
Even tho this siutation is kinda crappy now, trust me, in years past, this was a lot worse. There's even the prejudice against harmonica even among harmonica players, more so with the much older generation of chromatic players whose greatest heydey was back in the days of the all harmonica bands like Borra Minevitch's Harmonica Rascals or even Jerry Murad's Harmonicats.
The only way things are going to change, and I've said this many times before, is that the average player is gonna have to step up their game BIG TIME and one of the very first places to start is for them to get their time straight, their intonation and articulation straight and even if they don't learn to sight read, they HAVE to begin learning some basic music theory or all they're gonna do is perpetuate the negative stereotype that has hung around the necks of harmonica players for generations. This may be a bit of tough love for some of you reading this, but this is the cold, hard, brutal truth and until we as harmonica players make the change for ourselves beginning right now, this problem ain't gonna be ending anythime soon.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Aussiesucker
660 posts
Aug 23, 2010
2:30 PM
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There is the Harmonica Academy which is an internet based school for learning the harmonica. The course offers Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior & Graduation year levels & a final graduation exam. There are 2 streams of study ie Blues & Tunes which are in the main Irish fiddle tunes.
My understanding is that the Academy is the largest Harmonica school with branches offering lessons in English, Chinese & Spanish.
Whilst I understand the thread and argument that the Harmonica should receive the status of other instruments. Only by having formalised courses of a set structure and grading that is recognised internationally will this be achieved. But there are some who are not sitting idly waiting for this to happen.
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GEEZER1
72 posts
Aug 23, 2010
4:46 PM
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No respect!! no problem nothing sounds more soulful than the Harmonica. Play on!!
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Rubes
108 posts
Aug 23, 2010
5:06 PM
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I must say Bluesharper, you seem like the right type of talented young fella' to help us with this push towards a brighter harmonica future! :~)
Last Edited by on Aug 23, 2010 5:06 PM
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LittleJoeSamson
423 posts
Aug 23, 2010
5:53 PM
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BBQ Bob...couldn't agree more, especially about "Toots".
"Bluesette" is likely STILL the most recorded song for soundtrack for cinema, FOR A REASON.
On a strictly personal note, I find bias against harmonica relating back to that it is the instrument closest ( most of the time ) to emulating the human voice. Sax comes close, but we have "articulations" that are fully based on human speech that sax cannot do. Sax can do some, and the bi-labial horns can do some. Maybe digeridoo, some.
Harmonica...with both exhale and inhale making music, does more.
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jbone
383 posts
Aug 24, 2010
4:42 AM
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at this stage in the game, for me personally, even though some formal education in music would be a help to my abilities, i doubt i'll ever take on the challenge. i'm a fairly high function amateur, i play for cash money and working in either a duo or a full band i more than hold my own 98% of the time. and i know when a song or player doesn't need a harp on board, ie i know when to either back off or sit out.
having had very few actual lessons with anyone- deak is the one exception, he spent a few hours on the phone with me some years ago, showing me licks and explaining some finer points about blues playing- most of what i know i learned "the hard way", listening to the guys who fired me up on cd and lp, and spending a lot of time sorting things out both in the woodshed and out at jams and open mics, and working with bands probably before i was ready to. imho there was no time like the present when i began actually gigging for cash money to really begin the process of learning what i needed to soun d better than the average local yokel on harp. these days in this area where i live, i know more and use more harp knowledge than just about anybody who blows harp. it's hard to stay my right size sometimes until i realize that i have no technical language that i can use to pass this knowledge on to up and coming players.
for me it's always been about the feel of the thing. sort of by osmosis and repetition i have found my way to a pretty attractive style of playing, and lost most of my fear of getting on stage with a wide variety of musicians of different skill levels, and doing something meaningful most of the time.
if i could challenge the final in a school of harmonica, i might pass. if it were down to technically knowing what exactly i was doing i'd take a fail or an incomplete.
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