Here's a fun way to gauge our skill. I'm going to list a bunch of harmonica players that may be well known to the average guy. Are you better or worse than this famous person? We need a better way to gauge our harmonica playing ability, and I feel the best way is to compare ourselves to others.
This list has been compiled scientifically by wracking my brain. Feel free to suggest additions, and where they should go. My list goes from the worst player, and increases with the player being better. I'm not going to list the masters, because "who is better, Sonny Terry or Sonny Boy Williamson" is a matter of taste. If the order of the list offends you, then nyah nyah! :) (Oh, and if you're not better than Alanis Morissette, then practice for another hour. You'll get there!)
So, on to my list: 1. Alannis Morissette 2. Bob Dylan 3. Neil Young 4. Steven Tyler 5. Dan Ackroyd 6. Huey Lewis
Ha ha, i dont think im gonna even try to touch any of those people, being that they are all working professionals. I am curious to know, which one do you rate against? ---Be Positive---
I am considering a Boss BR-1200 or a BR-1600 digital recorder because it is hard to find someone to make music with. I plan to use it as a live performance tool and a recording tool. Dose any one have any experience with any of the units discrbed above. Using it as a stage tool is my goal. Haken Ehn are you out there? I saw you using on utube.
Christelle Berthon from France is one of the best in the world as well. She's most likely the best female harp player. http://www.youtube.com/user/christellester Listen to a few of her YouTube video's. You can even see Christelle standing with Adam in her last video post. Standby to be amazed....
Superchucker77- I've seen your playing on youtube and I think you could definitely give Huey Lewis a challenge and are either similar or better than him.
Personally I think I'm around the Huey Lewis level as well although its hard for me to compare my stuff to his since I don't really do that much fast chugging and am more of a melodic player. But I'm definitely better than the rest of the people on that list.
Also to Philosofy- Is there really a difference between the skill levels of Alannis Morissette and Bob Dylan? They both sound pretty similar to me. ---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
Thanks Patrick Barker :)
Last Edited by on Oct 05, 2008 11:19 AM
Sonny Boy III
Guest
Oct 05, 2008
8:26 PM
Dude, you're taking this way too seriously. Philosofy said it's a fun way to gauge your skill not a good way to decide whether or not you want to become a professional musician.
Hey guys, I just meant this for fun, and I picked harmonica players that most non-harp people have heard. Most lay people consider John Popper the greatest harmonica player who ever lived. They also think you're a master of the instrument if you can play "Heart of Gold." Beyond a certain point in that list, you're an expert player (before you get to Huey.) I thought this would be a fun way to gauge skill for the beginners and intermediates.
Sonny Boy III
Guest
Oct 06, 2008
9:57 AM
Zhin, dude, apparently you've got waaay to much time on your hands.
I would also like to repost the 2 links I mentioned before as I really do believe that they are also fun ways to gauge our skill levels.
Harmonica Jam community: http://harmonicajam.com/
That site has jam tracks and user driven rating/voting system. Most of the people on it are not really pros and I believe it's not an edgy competitive environment either.
And for those of you who know who Jason Ricci is, here's a video of him when he first started. I applaud him for having the guts to put that video up and being such a nice guy for giving us some hope. The video states that it was taken sometime around 1991-1992
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWLLXKWmnz4
This is Jason now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6iV_oXuh7M
After about 15 years this is what he has become. No matter how god-like he is on the harp even he had to start somewhere like us mere mortals. :) I think that song he plays is called "Geonophony".
I've thought about where Bruce Willis stands and I'm not quite sure.
Here's a video of him playing with B.B. King and Billy Preston at the Ray Charles tribute concert. I originally intended only to research how he sounds but I found that the lyrics to the song they play, "Sinners Prayer" couldn't be more appropriate about how I feel right now.
I would like to dedicate this to all of you. (not Bruce's playing but BB and Billy's... and the words :). Would also like to hear where you all think Bruce stands:
"Well if I've been a bad boy, baby, I declare I'll change my ways. I don't want bad luck and trouble to follow me all my days. Please have mercy, Lord have mercy on me. Well if I've done somebody wrong, Lord, have mercy if you please."
I truly am sorry. This forum is about having a good time after all and I feel that I have committed a terrible sin.
Please have mercy on me as I realized where I went wrong.
Zhin, dude, fact of the matter is that I was being a bit of a chode. No one should be afraid to post an opposing view. And certainly no one should be admonished for doing so. Hell, that's what this forum is all about. If anyone has sins to atone for it's me, not you. Man! This has got to be the strangest back and forth on this forum ever. :) By the way, Sonny Boy III is a little presumptuous, but it's really meant as a humble hommage as opposed to any pronouncement of exceptional musicianship. Peace fellow harp nerd.
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2008 4:32 AM
Sonny Boy III, your reply has really made my day and now I'm glowing with a smile.
*virtual handshake*
This is what it's all about. Us harp players need to stick together and back each other up. There are so little of us compared to all the other instrumentalist and truth be told we do play a humble little instrument...
And you can use any damn name you please, it was a cheap shot on my part to even comment on it.
Ah, Rice Miller @ Sonny Boy Williamson II... I love his playing, chordal vamping, and hand techniques. His music really taught me a lot when I first committed myself to play the blues harp. I also believe that studying his stuff (and Big Walters) gives one more insight about Little Walters playing. ;)
So, lets get back on topic. Where do you guys think Brucey stands?
Apparently he's been playing harp on and off before he decided to get on the big stage back before he got into acting.
I have mixed thoughts about him though. On one end of the spectrum it's great that such a well known celebrity is drawing attention to the blues and the harp. The other end of it I think it's awful that he was even allowed to play with BB King.
Makes you wonder if it's because of guys like him that major blues concerts like the Clapton Crossroads hardly ever feature blues harp (great stuff to jam to at home though, especially in surround sound). Or maybe because Clapton just doesn't like harp players because they have a tendency to steal the show with exciting licks. :)
I think Bruce needs more lessons and less stage antics... for both his harp playing and singing. *shudders* He kinda gets what it's about but I can't shake the feeling that he over-compensates way too much for his lack of refinement. He's very average in my book.
Not sure how to rate him though perhaps between Dylan and Neil Young? Or between Neil and Steven?
Anyone got his e-mail? Someone should send him a link to Adam's store. :p
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2008 4:59 AM
I have watched a few youtube videos of Bruce Willis playing harp, and I must say that I am not impressed.
Like you said Zhin, it is really good that someone of his fame and fortune is taking up the blues harp ( as well as Larwence Fishburn aka Morpheous in the Matrix movies) but he can't play worth a penny with a hole in it.
It is alaways a little disturbing to see real amateurs on the harp having a big band. He needs to woodshed for a few more years before he starts calling himself a harp player and riffing alongside the likes of the gerat B.B. King.
I don't know where to place him in the list but he is probably somewhere near the bottom.
Also Zihn, I am glad that you spoke your mind and expressed your self ( though I must admite that that was the single longest post that I have ever seen; you should get an award for that one :) This is a harmonica forum, and as players of our humble instrument we must teach each other and help each other to grow. How can we learn if we do not express our individual ideas about the instrument? Although we certinly should not get into any arguments, we should definitly let others know what we feel.
For what its worth, Bruce Willis was a harmonica junkie way back in high school, and his high school yearbook quote was a tribute to Magic Dick (I can't seem to find it online.)
I've also heard that Bradley Whitford (Josh on the West Wing) plays harp also.
Bruce wasn't too good in that vid. He's a lot better in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDXkd2NyCCE&feature=related It helps that he has a better amp setup. How about G. Love? Or whichever Black Crowes that blows harp-- he's pretty horrible.
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2008 10:55 AM
Superchucker, thank you for the kind words. I know that I had a good point going but I wasn't very nice about it either. I'm happy that at least 1 person appreciated what I was trying to actually convey.
Basically all I wanted everyone to be aware about is that you won't gain anything by comparing yourself to Dylan's harp playing.
By the way, your playing scares me Superchucker. :) Makes me think twice about uploading any video on youtube. Hahaha
Last Edited by on Apr 17, 2009 6:20 AM
Sorry to ressurect this, I'm new here and been reading old posts. I have to stick up for Bruce. I think he sounds good and I enjoy his stuff. He keeps it within his ability, constructs good but simple riffs, uses them well and plays with good tone. Right, he's nowhere near BB Kings ability level but if I was a rich guy I'd probably be doing exactly what he is. Yippey Ki-Yay *%$#@* #&%#!@ !
I still try (and struggle) with Tyler's harp passages at times. He tends to throw in some bends that sound good but are still hard for me to hit. This, more than anything else, has been a way to inspire me to break open a harp for mods, or just play the hell out of the 2-4 draw bends to loosen 'em up.
Did you realise there is harp at the end also, and she stuffs it up - check out from 5.00 onwards. Shes got one hand in and the other one torturing a harp!
hey,bluesnut i just bought a BR-900 digital recorder and we`re planning to record our jamms on wed nights, recorded some stuff for the first time last week .it will take some getting used to it ,so far so good
You have to laugh. I'm not an advanced player but I mean WTF? I searched some other songs of hers on youtube and found one where she plays the EXACT SAME THING. As though it is her "all purpose harmonica solo". Works with any song! Just pick one up and randomly blow and draw into the holes. Any holes will do.
Two observations.
First, she's a big name PROFESSIONAL SINGER SONGWRITER for Christsakes! Wouldn't you put just a little time into trying to play a little bit better, if you were going to do it onstage in front of thousands? Isn't that part of perfecting your "craft"?
Second, I hate when this happens to harp. It's part of the reason some people give you that smirk when you say you play harmonica or harp. THIS type of playing is what they're picturing. Why is this acceptable only when it's harp? Why don't we see singers (who don't play any instrument) just strap on a guitar and do the equivalent (which would be randomly strumming strings while randomly fingering the fret board)?
On the "other" song on youtube I mentioned above, in the comments section, people were commenting "I love harmonica solos!" and "what key harmonica is she playing?" If it were a guitar and she couldn't play wouldn't she get laughed off the stage? I was gonna leave a comment but then I thought, hey what's the point.
I have a guitarist friend I've played harp with for at least 10 years. We've been in a band together at one time and I've seen at least a couple of famous harp players with him ( Little Charlie, Cotton,Musselwhite).He still can't tell a good harp player from a mediocre one. The guy knows blues,but wouldn't know a good harper if he bit him on the butt(lucky for me) LOL This seems to be pretty common, although I haven't a clue why.
ohh that's nice can you play 'Oh Susannah' for me? Most folks just don't know what the little thing can do. Like some folks have said, most people have a low standard for harp.
You could add jim belushi to the list. I heard him play harp on letterman and it deserved to be at the bottom of the list. I can't find it on you tube. If someone knows of a video of him kicking A then I will stand corrected.
Holy Moly she sucks....I was gonna suggest to the orginal poster that he needs to add a rock to one of his choices and I would then be able to choice one, but now after hearing her......Wow.......I have a winner.....
Well no comment intended on grading myself as I am too harsh I am told when looking inward. But I must say that Huey Lewis and especially Howlin' Wolf are not bad harmonica players. Huey has done a lot of session work if you read liner notes (such as Paul Thorn and Garth Brooks - yes Garth Brooks) and his work is commendable. Maybe not of the nature of a virtuoso, but commendable. And Howlin' Wolf may have not been a "shredder" like John Popper, but what he did was with excellent tone and of a high skill level in my book. My 2 cents.
