mr_so&so
361 posts
Sep 29, 2010
1:33 PM
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Well, I've been playing harp pretty much every day now for 3 1/2 years, thanks to the leg-up from Adam that got me out of the rut I was in with it before his YT video lessons. In those 3+ years I've come to the realization that I NEED art and music in my life. It is instrumental to my happiness (pun intended). And I've been day-dreaming of ways to work harp playing and music making into my career. I'm over 50, so the idea of making it big as a pro musician is not really too realistic. So what to do?
This September I was accepted into a three-year program to study as an expressive arts therapist, and I'm pretty exited about it. It's a way to stay connected with art and music making, to be of service to people, and have the opportunity to make a second career out of it (I'm in IT right now). As part of the program I have to log studio time, so now I have to keep on playing harp, amongst other things.
Has harp playing changed your life?
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tookatooka
1765 posts
Sep 29, 2010
1:57 PM
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Yes. I nursed my mum when she was dying. It meant spending weeks away from home and just happened to see harps in a local store. I bought one to while away the time and got the bug which prompted exploring the web once I returned home. I have now played in public to a reasonably large audience and it has helped me regain my confidence. I am an artist and it is a singular activity. I shut myself away for seven years to paint and forgot how to communicate but now I am helping my local authority to revitalise a tired town by pulling the artistic community together to build ourselves a better, more fulfilling future by coming up with creative ideas.
I couldn't have done this without my daliance with the harp and the encouragement from the people on this forum to just 'go for it'.
I still get tongue tied when public speaking but I think that they think I'm just a bit eccentric.
So, Yes, Harp changed my life.
FWIW. I've been thinking of a number of ways I can use these harp skills to make a bit of money with harp and have some brilliant if rather insane ideas which I'll raise in another thread soon.
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bluemoose
326 posts
Sep 29, 2010
2:23 PM
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"Lower my mortgage rate another point or I'll play Ol' Susana one more time!"
hummmm....might work.
Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2010 2:24 PM
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harmonicanick
905 posts
Sep 29, 2010
2:48 PM
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MrSo&so
You are over 50 and daydreaming about making music with your harp.
You have been playing for 3+ years
Question: Have you been playing on your own in the bedroom??
If the answer is yes:-) then get out and play with people man!!
Find out where your open mics are locally or jams and get down there and play music with people; have a couple of stiff whiskey's and stop shaking!
You will love it, and you will answer your question about the crossroads you have reached.
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captin beef harp
33 posts
Sep 29, 2010
8:38 PM
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this thread got me to thinkin im over 50 and 90% of the people i know all my girlfriends i have ever had and my current wife i met from playin the harp its opened so many doors and still is and took me so many places i would have never gone to otherwise i could not imagine life without it
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jbone
411 posts
Sep 30, 2010
3:58 AM
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once i had crossed the boundary into actually playing for money, there was no turning back. but the $$ has seldom been the only reason i have stuck with it. for me it's always been about both comfort in my soul and personal achievement. not that i've ever buckled down and actually worked on a lesson plan but i have taken inspiration my heroes and kept very busy trying to learn more about how i fit into playing harp. adding vocals about 16 years ago has led to even more opportunity ie leading bands both at jams and as a gigging musician. not to mention the original songs i have been inspired to write and work up either with casual acquaintances or with actual band mates or duo partners. to date my wife and i have 17 originals at Library of Congress for copyright.
in the early '00's i left off any involvement with music to start and run a business. it really hurt me. my rationale was, once i became successful i could devote more time to my passion for live music and writing material. but the absence of music in my life was like someone had locked part of me away and it was starving. eventually the business tanked. at that point i decided to pursue music for the rest of my life. as long as i have a day job to pay the bills i will always do music. and even if i end up with NO job, i already have the harps, gear, skills, experience
so really i can do music no matter what until i am physically unable to!
to have a tie-in to a career that includes one's passion, that can never be a "bad" thing. rising to a challenge like the one you describe, well mr. so&so, that's a delicious challenge. an opportunity like that regardless of how it turns out in the end can challenge a person to take a slightly or drastically different path than before the opportunity presented itself.
i like to break even when i can with music. aside from status in the music community and all the usual ideas about playing for $$, the experiences i've had with music have taken me places i'd have never gone, i've met and worked with people i'd have never gotten to without music.
so to me, the aspect of music as soul food definitely out weighs the opportunity to make a liveng with music. i'm mid-50's, i've admitted to myself i'll probably never be another james cotton or norton buffalo, but that's no reason to shut myself off from some true soul food. i've never been happier than when i've had an active role in music. that's worth a lot.
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mr_so&so
362 posts
Sep 30, 2010
6:54 AM
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@HarmonicaNick I think you misread the intent of my post. It is a good news story. I've found a way that I can weave harmonica and other art making more tightly into my life. I am playing out with people and I plan to do more of it.
@jbone, Inspiring words. Thanks.
@Tooka and CBH, I think that is what it's all about.
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Last Edited by on Sep 30, 2010 8:15 AM
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harmonicanick
907 posts
Sep 30, 2010
10:05 AM
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MrSo&So,
Sorry 'bout that, yes, I got the wrong end of the stick!
Well I hope the harp is as good to you as it has been to me, all my life.
My mum passed away recently and I have been going through all my books and toys I had as a child and came across my first harmonica in a drawer, a Hohner vamper a bit rusty but still plays, must have been 1960!
I wish you well and good luck
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MP
869 posts
Sep 30, 2010
2:51 PM
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i could have written captain beef harps post. just have to say ditto on the women thing.
wonder what ever happened to captain beefheart? he played harp and recorded on zappa albums.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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captin beef harp
38 posts
Sep 30, 2010
7:27 PM
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@ mp check out wikipedia pretty interesting he is a painter now and their is a book don van villet is his real name elwood who posts here also like him
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conjob
92 posts
Oct 01, 2010
1:00 AM
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@MP you should check out his art, its a lot like his music.
@captain trout mask replica is my all time favourite album, i must have listened to it hundreds of times
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boris_plotnikov
264 posts
Oct 01, 2010
2:14 AM
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Playing music, playing harmonicas, working with harmonicas (customizing), experimenting with effects and amps are actually the main things in my life I really like and enjoy, more than food, sex, drink, friends etc.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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toddlgreene
1852 posts
Oct 01, 2010
5:23 AM
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@ Boris-maybe you need some better food and sex? Haha...
I've played harp all of my adult life(started at 20, and I'm 41-derful now), so it's hard to chart a change, since this is all I've known. I will say it's opened a lot of musical avenues for me that being just a vocalist might not have. The more you can bring to the table, the most you'll see action. I doubt I would have sang AND played harp for several tunes with Johnny Sansone's band last night if I didn't play harp.;-) And through our club and other harmonica peers I have made several great friends. I've spoken to other instrument players, and they wish they had the cameraderie amongst their fellow players that we all share.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club
Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Oct 01, 2010 8:15 AM
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HarmonicaMick
167 posts
Oct 01, 2010
7:33 AM
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Reading this thread made me think of MichaelAndrewLo's recent thread, 'I want to get RICH playing harp'.
In that, I was tempted to write, 'You are RICH playing harp,' but that was kind of missing his point.
One thing I've found, through being reasonably well off and utterly down and out, is that the quality of life - well, mine - is infinitely enriched by having an interest, in my case music.
I know this is somewhat condescending, but I feel pity to those who see their lives as the pursuit of trivial material junk, e.g. the latest smartphone, a games console or what have you.
None of these things will bring you - and others - the long term pleasure that a reasonable degree of skill on one of these silly little tin sandwiches will.
Mind you, I certainly wouldn't mind owning a Ferrari Enzo. Ha ha !
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YouTube SlimHarpMick
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