Author Topic: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?  (Read 16255 times)

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Offline SlideMeister

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What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement? Answer just the question.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2011, 12:14:57 AM by A.J.Fedor »

Offline Bill Morris

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2011, 10:57:44 AM »
That's easy:  Bud Boblink.  He's taught me everything I know about trios.

Bill

Offline Grizzly

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2011, 11:17:44 AM »
Encouragement? My wife. She's stood by everything musical I've done since before we were married. she's never, ever objected to my musical purchases, including about a dozen harmonicas and enrollment in several conventions—including accompanying me to SPAH this year! And she doesn't even play harmonica.

Influence? I'd have to say Robert Bonfiglio (more precisely, his recording "Romances").

Tom
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Offline smojoe

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2011, 11:22:53 AM »

George Miklas..After playing with George, I decided to start practicing again
Alfred Data...... same
Gerri Muradian (Jerry Murad)..... same
Herb Eck..took me to my first Youngstown picnic and got me started playing again
Randy Singer.. always supportive of me and shared HIS stage with me
Jason Ricci.. same
Charley McCoy.. same
spcl note: My parents were never supportive. My parents were dissuasive.

smo-joe

Offline Gnarly He Man

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2011, 11:56:59 AM »
John Frazer, AKA Harmonica John.

Offline McManus

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2011, 04:25:17 PM »
My Dad put a harmonica in my hands when I was young.

When I started again I found the Kansas City Harmonica Club.  L.J. Atkison has been a great help.

Phil Duncan invites me for breakfast and harmonica about once a month, where I spend the morning learning and playing.
"Music is the medicine of the mind." John Logan

pmelissakis

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2011, 09:06:00 PM »
nobody,

listened to songs on the radio

Pete  :D

Offline SlideMeister

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2011, 11:58:29 PM »
My dad! He got me started and always showed an interest in my progress. I have other family members that probably consider me an idiot and my playing useless, but I only see those folks at funerals, so they're "relatively" easy do deal with.   ;)

Offline Scotty

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2011, 01:24:08 AM »
No family member. Growing up they thought it was 'weird' for a girl to want to play harmonica. I think I embarrassed my brother first and then my sister (both older). They preferred me seen and not heard playing.  ;) Of course, neither of them can really play anything musical despite us all having piano lessons so there might have been a bit of annoyance by my being able to do something different from them. Have no idea.

There are currently no other harmonica music lovers living in my house. Toleration for the instrument but not love.

The friend who's given me the most musical encouragement? Phil Caltabellotta. At every Garden State Harmonica Club meeting he seeks me out to have me play...makes sure I get 'air time' and wants to hear me - gives me tons of encouragement and is always happy and excited by every breakthrough. Actually wants me to play with him on anything of my choosing. For someone at his level to take such an interest, that's a big deal in my book.  He and Val are really good friends and have helped me come out of my shell enough to play in front of others. Smokey's been encouraging too - but I rarely see him, so Phil definitely has the edge.

Elizabeth (a/k/a Scotty)

Offline Gnarly He Man

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2011, 04:56:45 AM »
OK Scotty now I am really jealous--
One could do much worse than to have Phil as a mentor.

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #10 on: October 29, 2011, 12:35:50 PM »
My husband.  :)

Offline Darius Engineer

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2011, 01:18:21 AM »
My dad who gave me his slightly used harmonica

Darius

Offline smojoe

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2011, 01:28:26 AM »

Ya'know, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Scotty here. The people I mentioned before were all in the past. BUT I was going to quit going to festivals in 2006 (the 15 year mark). It was Scotty who talked me into staying in the game. She is probably my biggest fan. Soooo thanks blondie.

smo-joe

Offline John Broecker

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2011, 11:25:07 AM »
Hello, Harmonica Friends.

All of you have been my greatest encouragement, even though I've only met a handful of you
(and boy, that was a handful!). ::)

My biological family has neither supported nor condemmed my playing. They've only heard me play once, and after that, they all looked at me with a blank, open-mouthed expression and no comments. Who needs them, anyway? ;)

I have three harmonica mentors.

Wally Peterman

Al Smith

Richard Martin.

These 3 have had a great influence on my playing. They are also the greatest people.

Best regards

John Broecker
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"Elton John is right up there with David Bowie."--Rick Harrison, "Pawn Stars" TV show, USA. Rick is discussing collectibles.

Offline beads

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2011, 12:56:25 PM »
Mom and Dad.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Troost Bid voor ons.

Offline jimgrant

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #15 on: October 31, 2011, 09:37:41 PM »
My mother always wanted me to play the piano. When I was 3 years old, she bought a second-hand Heintzman upright grand piano. Where she got the money from, I'll never know but she was determined. I started piano lessons at the age of 5; finished at age 12 and never became a virtuoso. I learned to read music and found out I had perfect pitch which still bedevils me. 3 years ago I put the same piano (by now almost 100 years old), into a U-Haul trailer, hitched it to our Dodge minivan and drove it from Northern Ontario to Winlaw, British Columbia. My granddaughter there was 10 years old. wanted to learn piano and didn't have one. She does now and is doing very well at it. Best trip ever. Thanks Mom!
« Last Edit: October 31, 2011, 09:40:23 PM by jimgrant »

Offline McManus

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2011, 09:51:14 PM »
Jim, you're so right.  My mom loved music and sang and hummed to the radio all day.  Thank you, mom.
"Music is the medicine of the mind." John Logan

Offline Scotty

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #17 on: November 01, 2011, 03:02:45 PM »

Ya'know, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Scotty here. The people I mentioned before were all in the past. BUT I was going to quit going to festivals in 2006 (the 15 year mark). It was Scotty who talked me into staying in the game. She is probably my biggest fan. Soooo thanks blondie.

smo-joe
That's nice of you and I appreciate your saying so, Smokey. You're also one of MY mentors which I didn't mention before. I think of you and Phil as my two jazz mentors  (how cool is THAT, Gary)  ;) since I know zilch about how to play jazz and am trying to learn by osmosis from both of your disparate styles. I love how you both play and about a year or so ago I added Age to the 3 REAL people/players whose sound I admire most - and would like to emulate. You also were kind enough to back me at Open Mic in Denver (SPAH 2006) and a couple more times since. IF you'd quit then it would have been a huge loss not just to me, but to the harmonica world. Just ask all of those who've so enjoyed your performances and talk about you long after the events. Look at the responses to the 2007 Buckeye Videos (although those were somewhat degraded by the time they made it to YouTube). We need to get better vids of your playing up somewhere. 

When you told me you played in Restaurants/Clubs  - had some incredible moments but none were ever recorded or videotaped it was a complete surprise that most of what you do hadn't already been captured for posterity so I've done my best to ensure that I record you whenever we happen to be at the same Festival.

Wish I'd been there in person when my beloved friend Jason Ricci invited you up to play Summertime - and then announced he was retiring his version because yours was 'the' Best harmonica version. Ever. He meant it (doesn't say these kinds of things lightly) And I trust his ears.  It didn't matter to him that he played it on a diatonic and you on a chromatic...he thought it was the most beautiful version he'd ever heard. And that was his bottom line.  You don't get much better input than that.  For you to stop playing after something so profound would be what constitutes a sin (in my eyes).

So I prod you a bit when I see you showing signs of wanting to quit for no real reason. I simply want to hear you play more and it's actually a bit selfish on my part since I want to keep listening to your versions of: Song for my Father/Angel Eyes/Summertime/Embraceable You, as well as the more modern tunes you do. I like that you're not mired in the past but are willing to play the more modern music I'm interested in. You just do it so much better.

So yeah - I guess that makes me a fan of yours, but not the way some people think of the word 'fan' (which I dislike). I simply don't want your gift lost to the world.

I watched all 5 episodes of Blackie Schachner's playing at 1999 SPAH when it was posted a couple of days ago -  he was 81 then and just terrific. First time I've ever seen him. I see Stan Harper playing and telling his great jokes at 90 likewise funny, sharp and amazing, and Al Smith carrying on his stage act with Judy, compiling his years of film and writing books - and he's been around forever. Ron Kalina is 'up there' as well age wise and runs Seminars at SPAH and the GSH Festival - puts his life (as he tells it) on an Ipod. How cool is that? Age really is only a state of mind and I think playing chromatics helps keep one young - or at least one's lungs younger than they would be otherwise so it's good for your physical health.

And I just plain like to hear what YOU're going to come up with next. So the idea of 'retiring' from playing when you're still only in your 60's seems such a waste.

 ;D

Elizabeth (a/k/a Scotty, (a/k/a Blondie?) ::)
PS: now you're going to miss the GSHC Festival - and I won't get to show you how much work I've been doing on my Hammond 44 Melodion. I'd been SO looking forward to jamming on 'something' fun with you.

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #18 on: November 11, 2011, 02:21:05 PM »
Mother

Gustavo Casado

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #19 on: November 22, 2011, 06:48:59 AM »
Nobody.

Offline Gnarly He Man

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #20 on: November 22, 2011, 03:01:46 PM »
Well, Gustavo, you have a bunch of encouraging friends here!

Gustavo Casado

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #21 on: November 23, 2011, 06:10:39 AM »
Well, Gustavo, you have a bunch of encouraging friends here!

Nobody, nobody. I´m like the Lone Ranger.

Regards.

Offline Gary Richardson

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #22 on: December 12, 2011, 06:41:21 PM »
No one.  But, this past summer in a lull I volunteered to be a speaker for my Optimist club.  The subject was harmonicas including the chromatic, bass and chord.  I gave out the other kind of harp to the group in an attempt to prompt interest or plant a seed.  It worked on two people.  Mission accomplished.  One is a secondary English teacher.  Last week she invited me to the local High School where I gave another presentation to 23 9th graders.  They got harps too.  Sunday we had out annual Christmas benefit for underprivileged children and the English teacher informed me that the children where still talking about the presentation.  This gives me great encouragement!

Gary
Gary Richardson

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #23 on: December 13, 2011, 12:48:56 AM »
1. My long-suffering, understanding wife, who loves me in spite of
2. My unforgiving and obnoxious character trait of always having to choose the most difficult path through life, and having unfinished challenges eat at me until I succeed at them. And
3. My four older brothers, all of whom were consummate artisans, and for whom it all looked so easy, compared to my own inadequate efforts to bring up the rear.

Blue

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« Last Edit: December 13, 2011, 12:51:55 AM by Bluesy »

Offline SlideMeister

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Re: 4. What friend or family member was/is your greatest encouragement?
« Reply #24 on: November 24, 2019, 08:41:00 PM »
Here's a new source of encouragement that I recently realized: Myself.  :)
As it turns out, (with me anyway ::)) hearing myself playing stuff (well) that was heretofore all but impossible for me to play at all has been a tremendous, encouragement.   Who knew? :)
« Last Edit: July 31, 2021, 02:15:01 PM by Age »