A lot of people are just novelty players. That’s why you can hear 100 harmonica players and there is only one good one.
A harmonica player needs to use their ears before anything. He wanted me to use my ears, and it helped unbelievably – the difference was astronomical. He wanted you to listen, for the most part. Did he teach you specifically about the importance of rhythmic playing or was it just hearing how he presented ideas? I was indirectly able to play through some of the biggest sound systems in the world and work on capturing that sound. He’d hear me playing and go: ‘Deeper, deeper’, and I tried to get that sound. I started doing soundchecks for him at shows, and he’d be in the booth which was right in the middle of the audience. He would pull chords in and make things sound big. At the time I was still puckering, and I couldn’t get He would sit right beside me and say, ‘Alright now, listen’. Did you have formal lessons with him, or did you just absorb his style being around him so much? I drove on and off for him for about eight years. He said he had a tour next week, and if I could get to Chicago, he’d get me working. He could be playing in Pittsburgh and I would go see him and he’d ask, ‘Why do you keep following me?’ He offered to hire me for a hundred bucks a day, and on off days he’d pay for my room. I got there early and met James, and we hit it off right away. I found out Cotton was playing in town at a place called the Stanhope House in New Jersey. I learned those for a little while before my brother hipped me to James Cotton. I think it might have been a Three Dog Night song and Black Sabbath’s The Wizard (with a harmonica intro from Ozzy Osbourne, who many years later visited Harp’s shop while filming a reality show). And there was no showing me – he actually said he wouldn’t show me shit (laughs). Norton harmonica and asked the person I heard playing if they could show me to play. with Deak Harp told her I needed to get a harmonica that I found what I wanted to do. Someone was playing part of it in the bathroom that day. RHYTHM How did you start playing harmonica? I was in sixth grade right around when Whammer Jammer (The J. He talked to us about what the master taught him and how players can beef up their rhythmic chops. Harp learned from one of the best ever: the late blues master James Cotton.
He crafts revered custom harmonicas in his Mississippi shop and even offers to host guests in the Delta and teach them the intricacies of old school blues harmonica. He plays in a one-man band and has released the critically acclaimed album Clarksdale Breakdown. This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICASPublicity Column Q&A: Deak Harp on Rhythm Harmonica and Learning From James Cottonĭeak Harp is a renaissance man of the harmonica. If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):Īlso check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast: More recently he has performed in an acoustic duo with Shun Ng. Magic Dick was an integral part of their sound with his harmonica work central to their output of Rhythm & Blues, Rock, Pop and Soul.Īfter the J Geils band split in 1985 he took a break from playing before coming back with some session playing and then forming the band Bluestime with J Geils. He was a founder member of the J Geils Band, who had great commercial success for over 15 years. He started playing trumpet at age 9, and this instrument along with his love of jazz and rock and roll shaped his approach on harmonica. But his long career has produced so many more highlights than just that. Magic Dick created one of the all time classic harmonica instrumentals in Whammer Jammer.