I start weighing in on page 5 and have posted a ton of info on guys like Popper, Sugar Blue, Sugar Ray Norcia, and others. The thread started as a discussion of how Popper plays so fast and then went in a lot of other directions.
One of my main purposes for asking you to check this out is my argument of what lip pursing/puckering is/isn't. I try to use video evidence and even refer to specific frames of the clips.
There are some troll-like posts from others, but I did get pretty fired up over a "harp player" talking about puckering as being a very pinched whistling technique, etc. ---------- Mike Fugazzi vocals/harmonica MySpace YouTube Twitter Facebook Album Ordering
I have found the upper octave can be played with only the air residing in your cheeks. You can "puff and unpuff them VERY rapidly and activate single notes while running up and down the upper octave. Control is another issue and comes with practice. I started doing this last year in practice, but haven't found much use for it in the music my band plays. it's a pretty cool exercise though and shows you haw truly little air it really takes to play.
I do that same thing at about 3min...only I do it up and down the whole harp. Popper uses it as a cluster between other phrases. I used to practice doing that and then realized that it wasn't something I found useful musically...I already play too many notes. ---------- Mike Fugazzi vocals/harmonica MySpace YouTube Twitter Facebook Album Ordering
lol. Exactly. It is a good opener for showing somebody something they probably haven't seen done on a harmonica...one on one I mean. I have done this for folks who express interest in learning to play and it really ups their interest level. The next thing they say is invariably "hey, that sounded like John popper (or..that blues traveler guy.)" Musically, haven't found much use for it either.
Last Edited by on Mar 09, 2010 12:56 PM
Of all the things Popper does, that might be the most annoying to me now. I think because the world's fastest harmonica player guy on YouTube does it all the time.
Popper's use of patterns, bends, and different rhythms still gets me some times. His work on the John Popper Project album is stellar! Not the blazing stuff he does with BT. ---------- Mike Fugazzi vocals/harmonica MySpace YouTube Twitter Facebook Album Ordering
