@scott4 I had a quick look at moon river and agree; it is well suited to the harmonica. I’ve added it to my wish list. It’s good to work on difficult tunes in order to grow, but it’s a wonderful thing also to just play what flows easily and makes you happy.
I’ve been lamenting that I have too many tunes to play and enjoy, and need to cast some off, but fear that I will have lost something or wasted my time learning them. I was given some good advice months ago by @Mugen who suggested thinking of it as archiving rather than throwing away and @Luke who said nothing is lost and nothing is wasted. I finally bit the bullet, created an archive folder and sent 11 songs down the chute. It was starting to feel like a burden to play them all regularly, as though I was going through a list of chores. Now I’m more relaxed and I’m playing the remaining songs with more feeling. Of course, there will be more tunes I will want to add over time. I need to be more discerning and think more carefully about what songs are going to work and which ones might not, before I invest time in them. It’s good to get tips from others.
I’ve been thinking about both of your replies @Carlos1 and @PapaCurly this last week or so, as I have gone through my daily routine. What you both say makes a lot of sense.
Playing a song people are familiar with definitely will get people’s attention more than noodling around or playing a song of our own composition.
I think you should write a book @PapaCurly about your experiences! I would read it
And as I think back to my early morning jaunts playing my harp, the songs are by and large my own, so I shouldn’t expect much response from those anyway, and as @PapaCurly says, most people are in their own worlds. But even so, they do pay attention.
I like one of @Luke 's techniques of playing softer, not only to really try and hear the music, but also not to cause such a rukus in the middle of their own thoughts.
As I was walking this morning someone stopped and looked at me as I was repeating my daily dose of motivation and asked, ,“Aren’t you the guy who plays the harmonica?” I whipped my harp out and answered, “Never leave home without it.” He told to keep playing, so I suppose that’s a good sign
I’ve always dreamed of just setting myself up on a corner, throwing my hat in front of me, putting some money in it as bait, and starting to play. Though it might get me arrested, so too maybe I could get some beer money for the local pub.
Anyone wanna join me?
Keeping in line with this thread, here is one of my all-time favorite harmonica songs
@HarpinBobbyMcB I have had some fleeting thoughts about busking but have yet to do it. I have been given a couple of $2 coins, even though I wasn’t asking for money, a lollypop once (I wondered if that was to get me to shut up) and a meal from a couple of brothers from the gutter, who were using the public barbeque facilities and said they were enjoying my music. It really touched me, that they shared their meal with me, as they were clearly indigent broken people. I didn’t really want it, but I couldn’t refuse.
Even though there wouldn’t be much difference between busking and what I already do; I choose low rather than high traffic areas and I don’t have a hat or similar, seeded with coins, it feels like it would be something very different. I’m all about chilling and trying to cultivate a peaceful mind. Busking doesn’t look like that to me. I might try it one day, it would be something, to be paid to play.
Another thing I do with some of my songs, is to add some instrumental bits to spice it up. Of course, you could say it’s all instrumental for us, since we only have a harmonica, but usually for me at least, I’m playing the singing bits only, not for example the guitar bits. Since you’re a CCR fan, here’s an example of what I mean:
’Have you ever seen the rain’
He told to keep playing, so I suppose that’s a good sign 
