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We're still ALL Chromatic, and with that same Attitude! 😉
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Nope, not just another "Harp" site - this is SLIDEMEISTER!
Welcome Home Weary Pilgrim!
Started in1999, SlideMeister is the world's most popular, multi-cultural,
multi-ethnic Chromatic harmonica "Sandbox" whose members are,
just like a bunch of happy kids, sharing toys and ideas.
Welcome Home Weary Pilgrim!
Started in1999, SlideMeister is the world's most popular, multi-cultural,
multi-ethnic Chromatic harmonica "Sandbox" whose members are,
just like a bunch of happy kids, sharing toys and ideas.
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click to read
THE SLIDEMEISTER STORY
In case you've never read it before
(Yeah, it actually ~IS~ pretty good! 😉)
SlideMeister Forum Changes
The SlideMeister forum is now a "paid members only forum." Yeah I know, ☹️ but it's the easiest way I could think of to thin the herd, (and my time) down to the manageable number of folks who actually post. Besides, while huge "member numbers" look good and stroke our vanities, all those worthless memberships only create security risks.
As of February, 2025, the old forum SlideMeister forum has been absorbed, in Archive form, into the new form located at SlideMeister.net. It is a monster library, (stretching from from November 2007 to January 17th 2025) and is available in "read only" format to anyone. It's a gargantuan, 236K post library there of some 17K subjects that would probably take you a couple years to read. 😉
Now, if you'd like to actually join the fun as a posting member on the new forum, or just "kick the tires" for 10 days, just click that blue "How to join the new forum" button above.
A.J.Fedor - owner/ webmaster
The SlideMeister forum is now a "paid members only forum." Yeah I know, ☹️ but it's the easiest way I could think of to thin the herd, (and my time) down to the manageable number of folks who actually post. Besides, while huge "member numbers" look good and stroke our vanities, all those worthless memberships only create security risks.
As of February, 2025, the old forum SlideMeister forum has been absorbed, in Archive form, into the new form located at SlideMeister.net. It is a monster library, (stretching from from November 2007 to January 17th 2025) and is available in "read only" format to anyone. It's a gargantuan, 236K post library there of some 17K subjects that would probably take you a couple years to read. 😉
Now, if you'd like to actually join the fun as a posting member on the new forum, or just "kick the tires" for 10 days, just click that blue "How to join the new forum" button above.
A.J.Fedor - owner/ webmaster
More stuff . . . .
"TONE" The illusive secret quality!
I know folks who've been playing for decades, and although their speed and articulation have improved immensely, their sound / tone is pretty much the same as when they started playing., and while so many players talk about tone, all they ever say is stuff like: “Wow! That guy’s got great tone,” or “I could never sound like that,” while assuming that they will never be able to improve theirs, and that’s just “rong." More times than not, "tone" turns out to be the last component in a player's musical quest; the other stuff we just "learn," but "tone" is something we D-E-V-E-L-O-P over time, but ONLY if we want to. There really aren't any short cuts, and IMO, if we make it a priority, the development NEVER really stops till we assume room temperature.
Harking back to my railroad days, (I love harking back to my railroad days. 😉) I remember handing my 64 to another engineer and told him to try it. He stuck the thing in his face and played a few notes. It totally blew my mind. This guy had no idea what he was doing but he had a basic (albeit "undeveloped," of course) tone I could only dream about. I remember trying to talk him in to playing the harmonica, but he couldn't care less. So, natural good tone? Yeah, some got it; some (most, actually) don't got it, AND more importantly, will probably never have it, unless they P-U-R-S-U-E it. 😉 Tone is its own animal. It doesn't just jump into your playing one day and say: "Hey, I'm here!" but rather, is illusive.
If we really want something, NOTHING ever keeps us from pursuing it. ("Better better best, never let it rest, yada yada yada) We all know "the thing," 😉 and we also know it's true, don't we? Man will always either give up, get what he wants, or die trying.
Except for good tone, all that other stuff, by the way, DOES just kinda show up with practice. Unless you're born with it, I believe tone, and the pursuit thereof requires just that: Pursuit.
There are more variations to how and where air and sound moves around in our mouths, heads, throat and lungs than most folks even want to consider. Learning and developing these variations is "the road," not "the trick" to better tone. I say that because it's a process, it takes time, and it will get better, as long as we pursue it.
"Can someone actually help me with my tone?" Yes, in a limited way. Since it's such a personal thing, it's difficult for a teacher/coach to get inside your head and explain everything perfectly, but he/she can usually help you "get a leg up" by sharing some of the dynamics, and you can just take it from there, with some solid principals to build on. There's a lot to learn, but that's okay, cuz it's still gunna be fun! 😎
NEXT: Tone vs Technique
Staying Happy!
SlideMeister is going to continue to remain absolutely neutral on the "Corona Virus/Covid 19 handling, and Ukraine, Hamas-Israel / WW 3” subjects, and SlideMeister (I guess that indirectly means me 🙄) will not be goaded or guilt-tripped into opening up this discussion on either. Nope! Ain't gunna happen! What did we talk about BEFORE these situations? Whatever it was; we'll just have to get back to it.
I like to call politics: "show business for ugly people," and the “religion of the un-churched" Now, SlideMeister is not "political" and it's not “activist,” except for its attitude concerning the Chromatic harmonica, but I consider that “harmless activism.” The problems mentioned above, OTOH, are a whole 'nother story. Not unlike politics and religion, many of us have “opinions” that are in diametric opposition to those of our “musical peers,” and providing a platform for that stuff not only can, but will divide us more effectively than anything else.
Besides that, it's ugly, it's depressing, foments paranoia, and discussing either has a way of sucking the joy and even the very life out of everyone. My favorite book says: “Fear has torment” and, neither of those elements has any place here on SlideMeister. We are not going to be reduced to just another bunch of nattering Nabobs regurgitating the daily cascade of mentally and emotionally, toxic, mainstream media rhetoric! Harrumph!!
I learned, a long time ago: I am not all that unique! If I'm thinking or feeling it, so are others, and yes, it's getting harder for me to keep a lid on it, so I know what you're going through.
Our PrayerMeister board is where “personal’ health talk belongs (and is even encouraged) but only in regard to actual prayer needs of all kinds, as in “Are there any sick among you?” (same favorite book) Please read THIS post before posting there as well. The PrayerMeister board on the forum, shows other examples of how serious, life threatening everyday, non-political “stuff” continues to happen, and the board has dealt with that stuff on a daily basis for many years. That’s where we can deal with "people" (not geo-political aspects) Some of us are older and even fragile in many ways, and a lot of serious and even deadly things can happen to us that have nothing to do with "current events" Hey, life can not only "turn on a dime," but usually does sooner or later. People, by nature, are always gunna have needs; we're all "people," and that’s why the board was created, and hopefully will be here for years to come.
With the obvious political weaponization of everything including current events, discussing them on this forum must needs become as personal as ones religion, and we ain't gunna do it here, period, except to say “let every man work out his own 'solution” with fear and trembling,” (a misquote from my "flat black sixty-six" life manual 😉) and we're just going to leave it at that.
Discussing the various aspects of the handling of these situations will, by the subject’s very nature, have to turn political sooner than later, as anyone offering their “two cents” will have drawn their conclusions from their bank of accumulated “talking points” gleaned from the media, or the “side of the political isle” they support, (both of which are bad ideas) but that’s the way we (people) are wired. When that happens, this harmless little “music” forum can be destroyed by innuendo, hurt and bad feelings. I spent twenty-five years trying to build a place completely colorblind, culture-blind and basically blind to all the things that can divide us, while embracing the one thing that seems to unite us, and we don’t wanna risk throwing that away, do we?
I wouldn't feel as bad if the posts were to drop off to nothing, than I would to hear regurgitated, Media's 24/7/365 propaganda. Let's just keep that stuff on Facebook or whatever, but not here, okay? This is a happy place! An escape! A "No Negative talk Sanctuary" if you please. We should all be able to come here, lighten up, and get out from under the "negative faucet,” and have fun.
Further Covid virus, Ukraine invasion, Hamas/Israel "yadayadayada" and even “veiled” political stuff will be deleted. Sorry, but even lighthearted related stuff on these subjects posted in “Banter” will be deleted. Let's just stick to the stuff that makes us all smile and continue to "make a joyful noise."
SlideMeister is going to continue to remain absolutely neutral on the "Corona Virus/Covid 19 handling, and Ukraine, Hamas-Israel / WW 3” subjects, and SlideMeister (I guess that indirectly means me 🙄) will not be goaded or guilt-tripped into opening up this discussion on either. Nope! Ain't gunna happen! What did we talk about BEFORE these situations? Whatever it was; we'll just have to get back to it.
I like to call politics: "show business for ugly people," and the “religion of the un-churched" Now, SlideMeister is not "political" and it's not “activist,” except for its attitude concerning the Chromatic harmonica, but I consider that “harmless activism.” The problems mentioned above, OTOH, are a whole 'nother story. Not unlike politics and religion, many of us have “opinions” that are in diametric opposition to those of our “musical peers,” and providing a platform for that stuff not only can, but will divide us more effectively than anything else.
Besides that, it's ugly, it's depressing, foments paranoia, and discussing either has a way of sucking the joy and even the very life out of everyone. My favorite book says: “Fear has torment” and, neither of those elements has any place here on SlideMeister. We are not going to be reduced to just another bunch of nattering Nabobs regurgitating the daily cascade of mentally and emotionally, toxic, mainstream media rhetoric! Harrumph!!
I learned, a long time ago: I am not all that unique! If I'm thinking or feeling it, so are others, and yes, it's getting harder for me to keep a lid on it, so I know what you're going through.
Our PrayerMeister board is where “personal’ health talk belongs (and is even encouraged) but only in regard to actual prayer needs of all kinds, as in “Are there any sick among you?” (same favorite book) Please read THIS post before posting there as well. The PrayerMeister board on the forum, shows other examples of how serious, life threatening everyday, non-political “stuff” continues to happen, and the board has dealt with that stuff on a daily basis for many years. That’s where we can deal with "people" (not geo-political aspects) Some of us are older and even fragile in many ways, and a lot of serious and even deadly things can happen to us that have nothing to do with "current events" Hey, life can not only "turn on a dime," but usually does sooner or later. People, by nature, are always gunna have needs; we're all "people," and that’s why the board was created, and hopefully will be here for years to come.
With the obvious political weaponization of everything including current events, discussing them on this forum must needs become as personal as ones religion, and we ain't gunna do it here, period, except to say “let every man work out his own 'solution” with fear and trembling,” (a misquote from my "flat black sixty-six" life manual 😉) and we're just going to leave it at that.
Discussing the various aspects of the handling of these situations will, by the subject’s very nature, have to turn political sooner than later, as anyone offering their “two cents” will have drawn their conclusions from their bank of accumulated “talking points” gleaned from the media, or the “side of the political isle” they support, (both of which are bad ideas) but that’s the way we (people) are wired. When that happens, this harmless little “music” forum can be destroyed by innuendo, hurt and bad feelings. I spent twenty-five years trying to build a place completely colorblind, culture-blind and basically blind to all the things that can divide us, while embracing the one thing that seems to unite us, and we don’t wanna risk throwing that away, do we?
I wouldn't feel as bad if the posts were to drop off to nothing, than I would to hear regurgitated, Media's 24/7/365 propaganda. Let's just keep that stuff on Facebook or whatever, but not here, okay? This is a happy place! An escape! A "No Negative talk Sanctuary" if you please. We should all be able to come here, lighten up, and get out from under the "negative faucet,” and have fun.
Further Covid virus, Ukraine invasion, Hamas/Israel "yadayadayada" and even “veiled” political stuff will be deleted. Sorry, but even lighthearted related stuff on these subjects posted in “Banter” will be deleted. Let's just stick to the stuff that makes us all smile and continue to "make a joyful noise."
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Gettin' old for this but it never ends! Ugh!