When I was a classical violinist for a time I ran into a fellow selling insurance for a living, a very good living, who had been a virtuoso harmonicist. If there is such a word and if there isn’t there is now. He had a box filled with harmonicas in several keys, and one very large harmonica which was a chromatic harmonica. He had the facility and sound of a great soprano sax player, and had perfomed around the world in the 50’s. His name was Harry Bee. Big talent in a small package.
anonymousJuly 26, 2022, 4:24 PM
As a child I wanted so much to take piano lessons. My grandma had a baby grand in her living room. She lived around the corner over there by Franklin school.
My mom decided I did not want me to be at grandma’s house every day to practice. So I ended up with a large accordion. When I was sitting down it hung below my knees. I hated the sound. I was worried I would never get a bust with that thing hanging on my chest.
I played 1/2 hour every day — not a minute more until I graduated 9th grade. As you can imagine I never became much of a player. One less a week didn’t do much for me. I did memorize and play all 20 verses of Davy Crockett every morning before moving on to my assigned pieces. They one made me play in the battle of the bands–one accordion school matched with several others. There were 40 others. It was suggested that I had thrown the other 39 off –wasn’t trying–just happened.
It was not until today that I changed my mind about the accordion. This gentleman is Brilliant!
PA CatJuly 26, 2022, 4:48 PM
When I was a kid, Saturday night was accordion night, at least if your parents watched Lawrence Welk. Here’s three guys from the Dakotas playing the “Beer Barrel Polka”:
God help me, my mother had me is accordion at a young age, then it was ballet, I was a colossal failure at both. The old battle axe had to give me one last shot. Tap dancing. Didn’t go well either.
my mom knew even back then what I’m just learning. I don’t have a cultured bone in my body.
The accordion WOW, amazing.
The mouth Harp,,,,,,, Magic Dick was my fav, he was the heart and sole of the J Giles Band. Then I discovered Blues Traveler s John Popper, OMG, talent on loan from god. Who can forget the great John Mayall!
If you ever have the chance to partake in a John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, go, just do it. We’re actively looking for a Mayall show in the pacific north west.
Snakepit KansasJuly 27, 2022, 5:13 AM
Dirk,
What a horrid story. At least after you purposely failed tap dancing, your Mom didn’t make you try clogging. Similarly here, I took piano lessons for years until ninth grade. I was good enough to make varsity on the wrestling team as a freshman but a two ton truck wouldn’t hold the shit I took from the guys having to leave wrestling drills early to go to piano practice. Eventually the piano teacher fired me saying there was a waiting list of students that actually had an interest in learning.
Ahhh, I forgot about Piano lessons. Another nightmare. My mom and dad also made me attend catholic school. All my cousins were the schools star suck asses. Took me two weeks but after the nun hit me, and I hit her back, I was gone in 60 seconds.
I had a real talent for getting outta shit I didn’t feel like doing!, a gift actually!
Me, around two years (Felt like centuries) of piano lessons until riding; horse grabbed bit firmly twix teeth, full galloped back toward the barn, stopped abruptly at closed gate, I didn’t stop. Broken arm got me out of piano lessons, good horsey!
Not that I had no desire to play the keys well you understand, but at eight or nine one finds so many other things than practicing rather fine.
Mayalls in Eugene OREGON, he has an amazing blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland, out of the great state of Texas playing guitar,,,,,,,,The lady’s amazing, I think we’ve got all of her music on the shelf.
Check her out on YouTube.
edaddyJuly 26, 2022, 5:55 PM
Some people play music and for some, the music plays them!
ThisIsNotNutellaJuly 26, 2022, 7:09 PM
Well makes a nice change from interminable @#$%ing polkas and tangos.
Reminds me of a running accordion abuse thread some years back over at Bike Forums.
Some guy complained in his contribution that he’d left his car parked and unlocked with the windows open with an accordion in the back seat and returned an hour later to find TWO accordions sitting there.
I did develop a particularly refined and unusual technique. While it was still hanging from my shoulders, I could button the top and bottom latches, unbutton the strap across my back, and grab both straps with one hand. You had to grab them in just the right place up on top of the machine. Then with that one hand swing the machine off of my body, and slam it into the accordion case which was laying on the hard wood floor alongside my chair. The trick was to slam it so hard at such an angle that the box and the accordion slid across the floor and slammed up against the wall with enough impact to slam the lid shut! Sweet! BTW–there were 120 buttons on that instrument!
ArtyJuly 27, 2022, 5:57 PM
That was incredible. Reminds that going to see an orchestra perform is on my bucket list.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
I used to think the same about the harmonica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoauBe465qQ
When I was a classical violinist for a time I ran into a fellow selling insurance for a living, a very good living, who had been a virtuoso harmonicist. If there is such a word and if there isn’t there is now. He had a box filled with harmonicas in several keys, and one very large harmonica which was a chromatic harmonica. He had the facility and sound of a great soprano sax player, and had perfomed around the world in the 50’s. His name was Harry Bee. Big talent in a small package.
As a child I wanted so much to take piano lessons. My grandma had a baby grand in her living room. She lived around the corner over there by Franklin school.
My mom decided I did not want me to be at grandma’s house every day to practice. So I ended up with a large accordion. When I was sitting down it hung below my knees. I hated the sound. I was worried I would never get a bust with that thing hanging on my chest.
I played 1/2 hour every day — not a minute more until I graduated 9th grade. As you can imagine I never became much of a player. One less a week didn’t do much for me. I did memorize and play all 20 verses of Davy Crockett every morning before moving on to my assigned pieces. They one made me play in the battle of the bands–one accordion school matched with several others. There were 40 others. It was suggested that I had thrown the other 39 off –wasn’t trying–just happened.
It was not until today that I changed my mind about the accordion. This gentleman is Brilliant!
When I was a kid, Saturday night was accordion night, at least if your parents watched Lawrence Welk. Here’s three guys from the Dakotas playing the “Beer Barrel Polka”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq0pCQXuh6g&ab_channel=LawrenceWelkShowFans
Corny, maybe, but it was fun, and even a kid could tell that playing an accordion on Myron Floren’s level took real skill and lots of practice.
God help me, my mother had me is accordion at a young age, then it was ballet, I was a colossal failure at both. The old battle axe had to give me one last shot. Tap dancing. Didn’t go well either.
my mom knew even back then what I’m just learning. I don’t have a cultured bone in my body.
The accordion WOW, amazing.
The mouth Harp,,,,,,, Magic Dick was my fav, he was the heart and sole of the J Giles Band. Then I discovered Blues Traveler s John Popper, OMG, talent on loan from god. Who can forget the great John Mayall!
If you ever have the chance to partake in a John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, go, just do it. We’re actively looking for a Mayall show in the pacific north west.
Dirk,
What a horrid story. At least after you purposely failed tap dancing, your Mom didn’t make you try clogging. Similarly here, I took piano lessons for years until ninth grade. I was good enough to make varsity on the wrestling team as a freshman but a two ton truck wouldn’t hold the shit I took from the guys having to leave wrestling drills early to go to piano practice. Eventually the piano teacher fired me saying there was a waiting list of students that actually had an interest in learning.
Ahhh, I forgot about Piano lessons. Another nightmare. My mom and dad also made me attend catholic school. All my cousins were the schools star suck asses. Took me two weeks but after the nun hit me, and I hit her back, I was gone in 60 seconds.
I had a real talent for getting outta shit I didn’t feel like doing!, a gift actually!
Me, around two years (Felt like centuries) of piano lessons until riding; horse grabbed bit firmly twix teeth, full galloped back toward the barn, stopped abruptly at closed gate, I didn’t stop. Broken arm got me out of piano lessons, good horsey!
Not that I had no desire to play the keys well you understand, but at eight or nine one finds so many other things than practicing rather fine.
Mayalls in Eugene OREGON, he has an amazing blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland, out of the great state of Texas playing guitar,,,,,,,,The lady’s amazing, I think we’ve got all of her music on the shelf.
Check her out on YouTube.
Some people play music and for some, the music plays them!
Well makes a nice change from interminable @#$%ing polkas and tangos.
Reminds me of a running accordion abuse thread some years back over at Bike Forums.
Some guy complained in his contribution that he’d left his car parked and unlocked with the windows open with an accordion in the back seat and returned an hour later to find TWO accordions sitting there.
Well, at least deer hunters find them indispensable. (:-)
Great finger work isn’t just for guitars. That was some solid accordion playing.
This is fun (and exhausting. But in a good way) .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJYwwOsv3Lc
I did develop a particularly refined and unusual technique. While it was still hanging from my shoulders, I could button the top and bottom latches, unbutton the strap across my back, and grab both straps with one hand. You had to grab them in just the right place up on top of the machine. Then with that one hand swing the machine off of my body, and slam it into the accordion case which was laying on the hard wood floor alongside my chair. The trick was to slam it so hard at such an angle that the box and the accordion slid across the floor and slammed up against the wall with enough impact to slam the lid shut! Sweet! BTW–there were 120 buttons on that instrument!
That was incredible. Reminds that going to see an orchestra perform is on my bucket list.
Larson’s cartoon comes to mind:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=XcJqf3%2b6&id=381755B4110427CB9303BE014EC001C523C7E0E0&thid=OIP.XcJqf3-6yR2g75P_sYRMPQAAAA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2f11%2f80%2fed%2f1180ed4bb60db3b664911085b82e0f96.jpg&cdnurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.5dc26a7f7fbac91da0ef93ffb1844c3d%3frik%3d4ODHI8UBwE4Bvg%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0%26sres%3d1%26sresct%3d1%26srh%3d800%26srw%3d742&exph=400&expw=371&q=larsen%27s+cartoon+welcome+to+heaven%2c+here%27s+your+harp&simid=608052264405989603&FORM=IRPRST&ck=0DC5CB1A7E7D16070828317FBE1F2A43&selectedIndex=0&idpp=overlayview&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0