[Harp-L] Thanksgiving.....................Festival........................Revisited

["Dane Paul" <Monsterharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

First thing, I want to say happy Thanksgiving (three weeks late) to all my harp-l, sisters and brothers. It's late as is my thoughts on the fest .............oh well.............I had a great time at the fest. I got a good attitude from everyone from young to not so young. "The kids" (I hope you're not offended by that.....enjoy youth while its here.......) were all polite respecifull and awe inspiring. Everytime I passed Warren in the hall he was teaching someone, I thought that was quite cool. After Howard's amazing show while signing and talking with everyone, a Lady, whos birthday it was came up to him and said she missed his preformance because she went up to change. Howard stopped what he was doing and played her a song. Not a short abreviated version but a at length in depth version,WOW
Although, I was a bit irritated at first that I couldn't sit with my exsisting freinds at the banquet, it all worked out well. I got to sit with and make some new freinds. The music  was  amazing.                       I would like to thank Oz Laeguizamo trom Seydel for making me feel so welcome. I've been endorsing and abusing Seydel Harps for a couple of years now and am proud to be part of that family.                                 
I want to also thank all of those involved in putting the fest together, you did a amazing job .
Oh Mike thanks for driving .......not snoring........not flagulating.........and putting up with my mild form of insaanity.

I always walk away from gatherings inspired and with new Information. A few weeks before the fest I realized that when I tought myself to play, I toung block with my toung to the right and the hole on the left.I always wanted to learn to do it the other way as well , but for some reason never did. I am able to do jumps by moving the harp fairly fast.(like Quincy Jones.... the theme from Sanford and Son) I do splits/octaves and am able to get around the harp fairly well this way. BUT......  Dennis Gruenling hipped me to the fact that although it works the way I do it, when I lift my toung the chords that are under my toung are quite different............(Back to the shed) I've been practiceing, Off the Wall. Its pretty cool to go back to beginner status. I'll be fumbling then it will sound pretty good then it I go back to fumbleing again. My oral dexterity on that side is like a toddler learning to walk, on minute there trying to stand next there running the next falling on there face again. But as the saying goes "If your practiceing and it all sounds good your not practising"(your stroking your ego) If I'm to become better at anything I do I need to practise things I dont know or am uncomfortable with.  Dennis also opened my eyes to the fact that while toung blocking you can use your toung to articulate between notes instead of using the K method. Playing horn lines as I must in my gig I always puckered or used the K method. I was never thrilled with the K sound, its not as pronounced or articulated so again back to the shed.

 I'm excessively slow at this keyboard /computer thing and have been at this for some time so Im gona hit the road.....................(time for me to get voice recognition software)      

I hope to see you all soon and I hope to be at SPAH............................Dane Paul