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I figured I would post these together. I have a H.S. student who plays clarinet decently but wails on the harmonica (Popper wannabe). He is determined to play it in orchestra, and I am trying to nicely convince him otherwise, and to find better places for him to play it. I have already turned him on to the Aebersold books. Outside of the Blues Traveler thing, what other musical outlets might you all suggest?
ALSO, he wants to be a music major, something like music business. I am suggesting use the clarinet to get into school, get your jazz theory and improv classes, and play harmonica in a jazz combo. But he is a teenager and would rather do it the other way around - does anyone know of a school that offers a Harmonica Major????

MartyNeilan wrote:... I have a H.S. student who plays clarinet decently but wails on the harmonica (Popper wannabe). He is determined to play it in orchestra ...

Another Larry Adler, eh?

Whatever he does for college, how about a concerto performance? Harmonica concerti have been written by no less than Heitor Villa Lobos, Malcolm Arnold, Henry Cowell, and Alan Hovhaness. I forget which one was written for Larry Adler (may not be one of the above). Didn't know if you're student was blues/jazz exclusively...

Mitch wrote:Whatever he does for college, how about a concerto performance? Harmonica concerti have been written by no less than Heitor Villa Lobos, Malcolm Arnold, Henry Cowell, and Alan Hovhaness. I forget which one was written for Larry Adler (may not be one of the above). Didn't know if you're student was blues/jazz exclusively...

That is a good idea, it was while researching this last night that I even discovered suc a thing exists. Right now, though he is not interested in reading music on the harmonica, in fact I am not sure he can on that instrument. His desire is playing in a Blues Traveler style.
But, I will see what I can do about getting him turned on to classical harmonica playing. I have actually found a few websites on this.

bloke wrote:"nearly as rich as those who try to make a living playing 'classical tuba' "

So you actually still have some money, in other words...

I've always thought that the Federal Pen is like Eastman for harmonica players.

Maybe your student should move to Asia--the harmonica is very big in Japan, Hong Kong and Korea:

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/2004 ... 623205.htm

My favorite performer is Tommy Riley, but Larry Adler's a close second.

Did you know that the harmonica version of the Gershwin 'Lullaby" was performed 4 years before (1963) the original string quartet version (1967)? Ira had it among his late brother's papers and Adler thought it was interesting enough to perform. Wire choir or mouth harp, it's one of my favorite Gershwin pieces.

Harmonica



Can't you major on one of these babies? (well, there's the rub!)

UCLA has a terrific jazz program and an ethnomusicology program that allows one to major in any instrument. Kenny Burrell is running the jazz department these days. You may want to look into UCLA. You can even call the jazz department and speak to Kenny directly. He should have some good advise for your student.

There are a number of fantastic harmonica players here in L.A. There's a steady flow of studio work available for good ones who read well. You hear the harmonica in quite a few movies, and of course on jazz, blues, rock, and pop recordings. You should really encourage the kid to go for it. Not too many people take the harp seriously. It may even be easier to get a job playing the harp than the tuba. But I bet it would be a close race.

That reminds me a picture I had taken about 5-6 years ago when I still did computers for a living. Little did I know how prophetic it would soon be!

I'd recommend he buy a melodica as well.. he'd probably have a keen interest in it, and it'd be a great tool for teaching him to read on harmonica.

In 1981, there was an article in the Harmonica Happenings (magazine published by the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica http://www.spah.org/ ) telling of a girl who was a harmonica major at Mercer University, Macon, GA.

So I sent a letter to the attention of the music department chairman inquiring about school and the major. The reply that I recieved denied that such a major exsists, but the girl was a flute major and also took harmonica lessons from the flute teacher.

I was bummed out! Two years later, I began at Youngstown State University (Dana School of Music) as a Double Bass major/Tuba minor. After one year of playing Double Bass, my carpal tunnel flared up on both arms. I dropped Double Bass, and continued as a Tuba major. I still played the harmonica at the jazz jams though.

GM

I took harmonica lessons when my trumpet lip was going. Damn thing doesn't have all the notes. So frustrating!
Now I work with a harmonica player. I had my doubts, at first , but this guy can comp and serve to hold chords and play fill and has his ego under control enough to play tasty solos as well as rhythm instruments when tunes contain too many chords. He also sings lead and backup. I consider him a good addition to our tuba/guitar duo because he also owns a 36 foot sailboat with a big stereo.
Dennis Gray
tubatooter1940
www.johnreno.com/

Mitch wrote:Whatever he does for college, how about a concerto performance? Harmonica concerti have been written by no less than Heitor Villa Lobos, Malcolm Arnold, Henry Cowell, and Alan Hovhaness. I forget which one was written for Larry Adler (may not be one of the above). Didn't know if you're student was blues/jazz exclusively...

Maybe your thinking of the Vaugn Williams, Romance for Harmonica with recordings from Larry Adler and Tommy Reilly

One of the loveliest works for string quartet by George Gershwin was premiered with harmonica. Larry Adler did a masterful job of it:

http://www.fuguemasters.com/gershwin.html

I think the recording is still available.

I have quite a few recordings of Larry Adler. Most of them are as a guest on variety and comedy shows on radio in the 1940s. If the harmonica is missing notes, you sure couldn't tell it with the way he played it.

My favorite recording of Larry Adler is on a Jack Benny Program from 1944 at the Corona Naval Hospital (it was in what is now Norco, California). He played an arrangement of David Rose's "Holiday for Strings" which was amazing. Although he had the Phil Harris (actually Mahlon Merrick) Orchestra accompanying him, he didn't need them. He was playing all the parts on the harmonica.



The link below is a recording of another Jack Benny Program at the Hollywood Canteen on February 27, 1944. You can hear his amazing arrangement of "Begin the Beguine" about 2/3 of the way through the show.

http://www.otrfan.com/bins/jackbenny/ja ... anteen.mp3

Have him listen to "Toots" Thielman (spelling not correct)

Great harmonica book in the musical shenandoah along with banjo

He can also work on the Albrechtsberger concerto for Jew's Harp and Orchestra.

ken k