What a lot of music can come out of this little metal box . . . and I don't mean a radio. It's about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide, and is human-powered. And Buddy Greene is a master of this tiny instrument. It is AMAZING to hear his version of the "Orange Blossom Special," a high energy, traditional fiddle tune, played on it.
Harmonica is my current beginner stage instrument. I can pick out some melodies, but haven't learned to bend notes yet . . . that is still coming, especially now that I have a book with lots of specific how-to help (Bending the Blues, by David Harp).
After hearing Buddy Green's "Orange Blossom Special" played with harmonica, I am completely awe-struck. My own goals for playing this instrument are not so high, but it's great to know that such peaks of performance really are possible.
With his exceptionally high level of profiency, you'd think Buddy must have played harmonica his entire life, but he actually started playing at 20 years old, practicing several hours a day for just a couple of years before becoming a performer. Buddy is also a songwriter, and has created a large number of albums along with other musicians . Among these are a bluegrass album (RUFUS, 2002), Hymns and Prayer Songs (2003), a bluegrass/folk/gospel album Happy Man (2007), and Harmonica Anthology (2011). In 1991, He co-wrote the well-known Christmas song "Mary Did you Know?" with Mark Lowry. This song has been recorded by many well-known artists, and is now considered a Christmas classic. His most recent album is a Christmas one-- December's Song (2013). Buddy's music work is still going strong-- I wonder what new direction he'll pursue next . . . I hope he tries out some jazz + harmonica sometime in the future :)
Meanwhile, here's the traditional fiddle tune, the "Orange Blossom Special" (with harmonica as the lead instrument) . . . hang on to your hat!
Harmonica is my current beginner stage instrument. I can pick out some melodies, but haven't learned to bend notes yet . . . that is still coming, especially now that I have a book with lots of specific how-to help (Bending the Blues, by David Harp).
After hearing Buddy Green's "Orange Blossom Special" played with harmonica, I am completely awe-struck. My own goals for playing this instrument are not so high, but it's great to know that such peaks of performance really are possible.
With his exceptionally high level of profiency, you'd think Buddy must have played harmonica his entire life, but he actually started playing at 20 years old, practicing several hours a day for just a couple of years before becoming a performer. Buddy is also a songwriter, and has created a large number of albums along with other musicians . Among these are a bluegrass album (RUFUS, 2002), Hymns and Prayer Songs (2003), a bluegrass/folk/gospel album Happy Man (2007), and Harmonica Anthology (2011). In 1991, He co-wrote the well-known Christmas song "Mary Did you Know?" with Mark Lowry. This song has been recorded by many well-known artists, and is now considered a Christmas classic. His most recent album is a Christmas one-- December's Song (2013). Buddy's music work is still going strong-- I wonder what new direction he'll pursue next . . . I hope he tries out some jazz + harmonica sometime in the future :)
Meanwhile, here's the traditional fiddle tune, the "Orange Blossom Special" (with harmonica as the lead instrument) . . . hang on to your hat!
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