I can't tell how old he is but listen to how thoughtful and musical he is. Georgia not an easy tune to play on the harp. (Btw- 11th position works best)
It's weird to hear this kid as I can't tell if his man influence is Carlos or me. To my ears its a very strange mix of both of us.
---------- "The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." - Joseph Campbell
On that youtube channel it says - "Hey guys, I'm some 16-year-old kid from Walnut, California and I'm pretty big on music. The main instruments I play are piano, guitar, and bass. I also play some ukulele, harmonica, and tenor sax and there's a stray video of me playing banjo on my account somewhere. I occasionally sing...yeah."
So either 16 or close to it. If this is him just "playing some harmonica" damn.
I see your point - when your hear him playing it doesn't sound like he's being overly influenced by previous harmonica players. It's just music - if he keeps it up he could be really pleasing to listen to.
Georgia - I play that, but cheat. I play it on a C harp starting on 5 Hole Blow but then switch harps to a G for the middle 8. While I know that you guys will think that's the easy way out, the punters think I've done something really clever using 2 harps in one tune. :^) Starting on the 5Blow [whatever position that would be] I can play most of it on one harp but there is one note in the middle 8 I can't find... must be in there somewhere but perhaps it's an overblow - which I haven't progressed to. 11th Position... what hole would that start the chorus on? [not many people play or know the verse though I have got the 'dots' for it]. Does it make it easier on the bends?
I'm hearing more Chris than Carlos (though I will tell you who is sounding more and more like Carlos these days...Jason!) What is does show is how incredibly important elementary and high school music programs are. With two daughters going through band and having chaperoned on several occasions, I am blown away, over and over again, at how talented (and smart! Ever been humbled at Boggle by a 15 year old? Yikes!) these kids are. Yet music programs are constantly under assault from the bean counters. So foolish....
Buddha > Yes I agree this kid is great. Enough to make me give away the harp! Joking!
Obviously starting young and having a solid grounding in music theory plus playing a variety of instruments is a real plus. But, also I think some natural ability comes into play ie some have it and some do not.
I figure at my age I have probably spent more time trying to play than the total of the years this kid has lived (exagerating -just to make a point). Will I keep trying - of course.
I love playing Georgia and have experimented with different positions and harps but find I usually go for my Em natural minor starting on 4D. I follow the start exactly as per Chris' 11th pos described above however on an Em NM I'm not sure what pos I would be playing?
That is very nice, one day I will learn to play it be it :) ! I wonder if he's even heard of you guys, I don't hear Carlos at all, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Sounds like he's playing this in 12th position. 12th position looks like it would work pretty well with the chord changes. Buddha, figuring out the best postions for certain songs is something I've been working on lately, could you explain why 11th pos. would be a better choice (than 12th pos.) for this song? I guess there's no simple way to immediately figure out the best position for a song, it's probably something I'll have to work on for quite awhile.
11th gives you a deeper, thicker, earthier sound than 12th. 12th is total cool too but this tune has got some soul to it and so should you iffins yer gonna play it. ---------- "The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are." - Joseph Campbell
Very pretty stuff. He's obviously got the imagination of a jazz player. He makes me want to pick up a harp and get a few of those color notes into my playing. I also love his blow vibrato; it's there, but it's not flashy--just enough to get some emotion into the sustained note.
He's a kid. Very talented for his age. And certainly more technically competent than me. So I have loads of praise and respect for him. But from a purely critical eyes closed perspective, I don't care much for this performance. He gets good tone and vibrato occasionally but frequently loses it too. His phrasing in uninteresting. He ends many notes abruptly that I would like hear sustained. But most importantly I just don't get any emotion in it.
I would HOPE, if he does follow Buddha OR Carlos, that this is where his focus will be in the future. Both of those gentlemen's emotion comes through clearly in their play. ---------- /Greg
I think I start Georgia on the 6 blow. Greg, I agree about the lack of sustains. I wonder if at his size he just doesn't have enough lung capacity? I remember a tiny girl in health class in high school who couldn't inflate Resusci-Annie no matter how hard she tried. The rest of the performance is pretty good. The accompaniment leaves a lot to be desired though.
