Re: [Harp-L] Total tongue block?

[Robert Paparozzi <chromboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Howard, Tom,

After 42 years of playing Harmonica, it is my opinion that the best players
ARE the ones who MIX embouchures of TB and Pucker. Tone is NOT dependent on
either technique. I know many will disagree with this...so be it and this is
only my opinion based on years of practice on both Diatonic, Chromatic and
years of Teaching and Studying and lots of Practice. If 100% TB works for
you, Cool, use it, but don't purport that Pucker is the WRONG technique, Is
is a very Valuable technique as it TB...that is why I believe they should
BOTH be studied and used.

Tom Albanese wrote:
>I've been told by
>> some "purist players" that if I don't totally TB everything, my music
>> doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

I don't call them them "Purist" players, they have ZERO first hand knowledge
of how the older Chicago players played. I prefer to call them, "Masters of
MIMIC". They spend more time salivating over amp schematics and weird
looking OLD mics than practicing the Harmonica. They avoid originality like
the it's the PLAGUE. They hide behind phrases like "The Real Deal" and think
the Blues can only be played correctly by someone who talks cool and dresses
like an old blues guy....why in the world would I buy THEIR blues records?
There is NOTHING NEW there....and as hard as they try they still sound like
a bad imitation of the Masters they so worship.....The BEST pro will tell
you that the SOUND starts way before the NOTE hits the microphone! Blues is
not a LOOK it is a feeling and the music grows out of THAT. These people
wanna believe in the worst way that there is a HOLY GRAIL, the RIGHT Mic,
The RIGHT amp and the RIGHT technique=the real Chicago Blues Sound.....dead
WRONG IMO!

Please don't get me wrong, I love that we have many amp options and
customisers looking to improve or getting a vintage sound or experimenting
with Mics....I think all this has HELPED to advance our instrument and I'm
in no way criticizing these products as they are invaluable tools....but
always remember there JUST tools....spend MORE time with your AXE if you
wanna be a better musician.


I say follow your 'inner muse' study, listen, transcribe, copy but then for
god sake use YOUR talents of originality to take all that study to the the
next step....Be YOU!....OK done with rant!,-)

Harmonically,
Rob Paparozzi
    www.myspace.com/hudsonriverrats












On 1/17/09 8:45 PM, "Howard Chandler" <h_chandler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Until I read it hear I always assumed that the great players used a
> combination of both.  I came to this conclusion when trying to imitate
> them and found that some things are much more naturally done using the
> "pucker" method and others are only possible using TB.  Where do all of
> these "purest" folks get their ideas?
> 
> Tom Albanese wrote:
>> A year or so ago I was in attendance at Joe Filisko's blues harp class at
>> the Old Town School in Chicago. Mark Hummel was the guest presenter and I
>> was mildly surprised when he stated that "after all these years" of assuming
>> that Little Walter was a total tongue blocker, he now had come to the
>> conclusion that LW puckered quite a bit more than just occasionally. True or
>> not, judging by the look of horror on some of the faces in the classroom, it
>> was as though grand blasphemy had just taken place.
>> 
>> I happen to agree with Hummel, but either way it's only an opinion that can
>> never be proven. Does it matter? Only if you want to believe that there is
>> only one right way to play the harmonica. I'm convinced that we'll never
>> really know for sure what the ODB guys did in this regard, no matter what
>> the speculation. I, like many players, like to mix it up. I've been told by
>> some "purist players" that if I don't totally TB everything, my music
>> doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I take that with a grain of salt. I like
>> salt on my beans.
>> 
>> tom albanese
>> 
>> myspace.com/bigrealdeal <http://www.myspace.com/bigrealdeal>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> 8:18 PM
>> 
>>   
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
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All the best,
Rob Paparozzi

email: 
chromboy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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