[Harp-L] a bluegrass experience



Last year there was a bluegrass harmonica thread on harp-l that included
the complaint that harmonicas are often unwelcome at bluegrass jams. I have
been playing bluegrass harmonica in the  DC region for years with varying
degrees of acceptance. As I learn more and more tunes note for note-- as a
fiddler would play them--I find I’m more consistently accepted.

On Saturday I had an experience that gave me a glimpse of how it might  be
one day when harmonica is accepted as a  bluegrass instrument. I wandered
into a jam of some of the finest pickers in the area. Even though I have
learned and practiced bluegrass tunes and licks for years and have waded
into plenty of jams before, each new situation is unique and, as a harp
player, you always run the risk of being snubbed.

What happened was just the opposite. I seemed to be embedded in the band.
At the end of the session, someone who was going to sing “Life’s Railway to
Heaven” turned to me and said, “Got your  harmonica ready?”—a very rare
question, in my experience, in bluegrass jams. I gave it all I had, and
afterward, the banjo player across from me gave me a nod and a smile.

I don’t pretend that harmonica doesn’t have a long way to go toward full
acceptance in bluegrass, but my experience Saturday encourages me that we
are making progress. I look forward to the day when “Got your harmonica
ready?” will be commonly heard in bluegrass.

Bill in DC



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