Whammer Jammer - Gussow & The Casual 9 Blow Bent

When I saw that Adam Gussow was doing a YouTube series on Magic Dick's Whammer Jammer I've got to admit that I had a Pavlovian response. I don't drool very often while awake but this was the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of harp instructional vids. You mean I can have Adam Gussow and Whammer Jammer? No way! Gussow is not only a world class harp player but a singularly effective teacher. As a Professor of English at the University of Mississippi, Gussow knows how to distill complex material into something that's easily digestible. He is that rarest of humans: A guy that can do and teach! Whammer Jammer, from The J. Geils Band's first album, is arguably the best known, and maybe the best loved, harp tune ever. Even people who hate harmonica love Whammer Jammer. And Adam Gussow was going to teach me how to play it. Yes, there is a God!

Alright, press play. Got my A harp, cool. 4 draw bent to 4 draw , my best move, very cool. Accentuate with a rapid side to side to tongue whip, pretty good at that too. At this point I sounded just like Magic Dick. 9 blow bent to 9 blow, 10 blow to 10 blow bent. Whoa, dude! What? Press Stop. I sat staring at the frozen visage of Gussow for the next several minutes feeling like I'd been betrayed. Kind of like your best bud giving you a wedgie in front the cheerleading squad. I thought AG and I were tight.

I know Gussow has made it clear that his vids aren't tailored for beginners but the casual air with which he delivered "9 blow bent" left me dazed. I've been purposely avoiding anything above the 6 hole like it was the aural equivalent of genital warts. On the other hand, maybe it's time to face my fears. It's 10:30 pm, my wife has a bit of a headache, so let's feverishly work the high end of the scale for next 20 minutes or so. SCREEEEEEEEAH! SCREE-EEE-EE-AAH!

Um, yes dear. Um, no this probably isn't the best time to be doing this. Right you are. Maybe when you're far away, certainly, dear. Whammer Jammer might have to wait.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qz5pDMav6yI

Ricci Hammers Hohner Harps

In a YouTube vidlette (link below) harp impresario Jason Ricci capped off an interesting and informative segment on custom v. out of the box harps with a scathing critique of Hohner's product quality. As Ricci is a Hohner player I was initially shocked, although in hindsight, I should have seen it coming.

Ricci had an OOTB Marine Band, a significantly modified Joe Spiers Marine Band and a self-customized Golden Melody, which is his harp of choice. During a roughly six minute span Ricci played similar riff sequences on each. It was obvious that the custom MB was far superior to the OOTB MB. Louder, with a noticeably richer and even tone across the entire spectrum. The results on the OOTB MB were wildly disparate. Some notes sounded fine while others seemed pinched and thin. This is indicative of air leaks and improperly gapped reeds as well other pseudo-esoteric issues that are beyond my understanding. Poor quality sums it up nicely though. Ricci's GM was loud, with a clear tone and an oddly, although mysteriously seductive, egyptian flute-like quality to it.

Ricci then went on to say that out of the box Hohner harps are "terrible, almost a waste of money". He said that giving Hohner credit for the MB and GM would be akin to crediting the guys who delivered the 2x4s for constructing the building he was in. Hohner harps are raw material for craftsmen to modify into playable instruments. Pretty harsh, but his demo speaks for itself. Also, this guy is one of the best harp players in the world. I'm going to take his word for it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_g_Mi1R0vsM

Bend It Like.........

Alright, there really are 4 notes to be found on the 3 draw. I'm not saying that I didn't believe it, just that I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to play them. I did it today, accidentally, at just under 80 mph while passing a semi on Route 14 heading north out of L.A. It was exactly 0927 under mostly sunny skies with the barometric pressure holding steady at 30.57 millibars. As I was hitting the triple and quad bends I even actuated the turn signal with my left (non-playing) pinkie to let the truck know that I was moving back into the right lane. I was so shocked that for several seconds I drove transfixed, replaying the sequence in my head and counting the notes. Yep, definitely 4 distinct "wahs". At this point the truck driver, who was close enough to tap my bumper, gave me a couple foghorn blasts at about 130 db which broke my reverie and nearly broke my water. But as any guy with a passable 3 hole draw would do I sucked it up and very coolly sped away. Wah, wah, wah, wah!