The poignant strains of the harmonica make it a natural fit for the blues, evoking emotion that imbues the music with the sense that it is a living entity, birthed through a musician’s magic.
Daniel Marson, JD, PhD, director of the UAB Alzheimer’s Disease Center in the Department of Neurology, has been fascinated with the harmonica since his teenage years, when he heard a blues band feature it.
“I heard that sound and wanted to do it myself,” Marson said. “I’ve been chasing that sound ever since, and that was 30 years ago.”
During the three-decade pursuit, Marson whose music nickname is “Harpdog,” has branched out from blues to folk songs, fiddle tunes, country, gospel and jazz, all suited to the harmonica, a uniquely American instrument, which dates back to before the Civil War. He has played in a variety of blues and folk bands, most recently with a Birmingham-based group called the Sandspurs, led by Tim Elliott, PhD of UAB. He also leads a jazz ensemble called the Harpdog Jazz-Blues Trio and plays with Andy Meginniss and a contemporary worship band on Sunday evenings at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
Marson is not just a hobbyist. He’s laid down tracks for a CD, Blues, Gospel and Jazz Harmonica: Chapter 1 — Birmingham. The title presupposes following chapters, which Marson aims to tackle in the future. In addition to playing on other recordings, Marson conducts an educational program, The Harmonica in Popular Music, following harmonica history from its roots to its uses in modern times.
Marson has taught blues and folk harp to children and adults, including at Blues Fest, put on by the Magic City Blues Society in 2007. He even schooled actor Danny Glover in playing La Marseillaise, the national anthem of France, for a role in the play A Lesson from Aloes, staged in Chicago.
Marson says the harmonica is difficult to play because it has a limited number of notes. It’s learning to master those few notes that sets the skilled player apart from the novice, while the true artist can wring the emotion from the instrument.
“Blues is powerful music,” he said. “The harmonica is a uniquely expressive instrument. It’s closer to the performer — you and the harmonica and your voice box are unified. It’s the closest thing to singing.”
He plays a diatonic, or 10-hole, harmonica.
“You can bend the reed and make pitches go up and down,” Marson said. “There are ways of finding or creating the missing notes on the harmonica. There are 20 reeds in a 10-hole harmonica — 10 for the blow and 10 for the draw. The challenge, once you get deeper into it, is the missing notes.”
Marson said overcoming that hurdle is the most difficult thing for beginning harmonica players.
“The problem with people taking up the harmonica is that they start playing and run into these limitations,” he said. “They can’t play the songs they want. That’s the wall on the harmonica. You break through that wall by getting past those technical limitations.”
Marson said the standout harmonica player in the world today, Howard Levy, is responsible for making the instrument more versatile. Levy, who lives in Chicago, was a jazz pianist who tried out the harmonica, then found ways to make it bend to his will.
“He is a phenomenal player,” Marson said. “I think he’s one of the greatest of all time on the instrument — probably the greatest. He took up the harmonica in his early 20s and was frustrated from the get-go. He was used to all of the notes he could play on the piano. He really pioneered the blow, overdraw technique.”
That technique adds a wide range to the harmonica, overcoming the limitations of a 10-hole instrument.
“Howard’s technique and example have really opened the door for any kind of music on the harmonica,” Marson said. “He’s the benchmark; not only a phenomenal player, but he revolutionized the playing of the instrument.”
Marson studied with Levy in 1985, then took a series of lessons with him last summer in Chicago. Getting away from a busy career is difficult, but he tries to find a healthy balance among career, family obligations and his passion for music.
“Sometimes, the harmonica gets the short shrift,” he said. “This summer, I’m going to jazz camp in Louisville. It’s hard to take the time, but it’s worth it. It’s my main hobby, so I enjoy it, and I like to share it with others.”
July 2008
