Comments on: Old-School Harmonica or New-School?

By: Elwood

Elwood — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:00:20 +0000

Sunnyside… I’m currently undergoing the same painful process. I’ll never be 100 percent tongue-blocked – nor would I want to be – but it’s well worth the heartache already.

By: Sunnyside

Sunnyside — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:59:52 +0000

Yes, Joe Filisko is a “warrior monk” of the blues harmonica. A few years back, he persuaded me to switch to tongue blocking. I listened, unlearned and relearned how to play, giving myself a lot of “pain” while doing so. A few years later, I realize that he opened a whole new world for me. There has been no looking back, ever since.

By: Elwood

Elwood — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:04:38 +0000

Fiend, those triple sideways nuclear overunderblows are all for show. “If James Cotton didn’t need them, never do we.”

By: bluesharpfiend

bluesharpfiend — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:19:13 +0000

I can see it now. One day in the future, we’ll be sitting in our holographic computer projection booths on Mars, reading Elwood’s rant about how the new breed of harmonica players with their triple sideways nuclear overunderblows just can’t hold a candle to those old dudes of the early 21st century, like Levy and Gussow and Ricci, and reminiscing about the good old days, when the blues was the blues.

By: Elwood

Elwood — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:24:09 +0000

Good points, Justin. If you haven't seen it yet, there's a pretty good debate on this at the Modern Blues Harmonica forum.

By: Justin Ward

Justin Ward — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:43:02 +0000

Overblows are a case in point. There are those who consider the use of OBs in blues harp a travesty, which to me is ridiculous. If Little Walter had known about OBs he’d have mastered and used them, and nobody would object now. Not that I’m suggesting we should all play blues like Howard Levy, even if we could:)