Re: [Harp-L] re: Iceman's editorial



Here's an interesting story - 
 
One year, when I was teaching at Blues Week - Augusta Heritage - there was a skinny little girl who had a thin tone and wanted to improve it. She could play at a beg/int level.
 
So, I worked with her in front of the class. However, I worked on her attitude and mental imagery. (NLP, as Anthony Robbins calls it).
 
Before I let her play harmonica again, I had her go into her imagination and asked her to feel what it would be like to be a 300 LB Middle Aged Black Woman. The weight would change her center of gravity. She would have to fill out a bigger space. She would feel older, more mature. She might feel angry about how her culture has been treated. She would breathe differently. She would walk differently. (You get the picture by now).
 
Anyways, when I perceived that she 'felt' what I was getting at, I asked for complete silence and then had her play from this "space" with her eyes closed.
 
It was fascinating to watch the transformation. This girl's body english changed before our eyes. Her presence expanded, filling out space in a substantial way. When she played, it sounded like a new person - her tone filled out the room far beyond what she showed she was capable of doing before this exercise. The whole class picked up on it and was amazed, as was she.
 
Her tone moved forward light years in the matter of an afternoon. 
 
Did she study with an OBDG when she was very young? Did she spend decades of hard work on her tone? 
 
Not at all. Why should she have to? Just because Cotton did? Just because so many of us think this is the only road to tone? Just because "you WON'T believe it, therefore limiting your ability to do just that"?
 
Look. All of us make our own decisions. You can choose to buy into the philosophy of "decades of hard work, needing an original master to teach us, having to be born with some kind of natural talent of the bottomless kind, etc. That's what you want, that's what you get.
 
I believe there is a better way - change to a different philosophy - one of instant miracles, if you will. "It's so easy you won't believe it". 
 
I'm witnessing astounding success in all my students based on this approach. A newbie (one who never played harmonica) can be taught to jam with full sense of groove within 6 months, even sitting in at a jam session. An intermediate player can improve their tone in an afternoon. Beginner/Int players can be taught to better understand the 12 bar blues form (like an old master) in a week of mini-classes at Augusta, without having to memorize 40 transcribed solos over a number of years before it starts to make sense.
 
So, you gots your options, you makes your choices.
 
There is a short cut. "You'll see it when you believe it".
 
The Iceman
 
ps - I'm not poking at rainbowjimmy when I use similar words from his response. I'm well aware that my sparse style of posting may be perceived as being personal. It is not meant to be. I'm also very aware that most of the "L"ers are lurkers and not up to the level of the few most vocal "pundits" on this list. I'm just suggesting that there is a simpler and faster way to achieve harmonica goals.
 
Try it - you'll like it.
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: rainbowjimmy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 7:00 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] re: Iceman's editorial


The Iceman says this about Mr Cotton's tone: 
 
"Anyone can do it. It's so easy you won't believe it, and that's the problem - 
you WON'T believe it, therefore limiting your ability to do just that." 
 
With due respect to Iceman, a stellar musician,--Cotton can do it because Sonny Boy Williamson II taught him how to play harp when Cotton was nine and by the time Cotton was just 13 or 14 Sonny left and Cotton took over the band. By fifteen he had toured the country with Howling Wolf and cut some singles for Sun Records.He spent 12 years with Muddy and Muddy was very picky about his harp players.Playing professionally for 60 years with the best in the business hones your chops just a little and being taught by one of the best harp players in the 20th Century doesn't hurt either. Cotton got his sound by decades of very hard work coupled by a bottomless well of talent.Very few people have ever been able to do what he does. I count myself lucky anytime I can hear a musician of his caliber. 
 
Rainbow Jimmy 
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