Private Student Questionnaire

So if you'd like to schedule a private mini-meeting or lesson, I would appreciate it if you'd cut out the the following questions, paste 'em into an email, and send them to me.
Your answers will help me to understand what YOUR goals are, what your level of playing is, and what kind of music you want to work on.  
You can either delete the answers that don't describe you, or make the ones that do a different color, or type YES in front of the right answer...

Imagine that you are playing your harmonica, and playing it well, in the most pleasant harmonica fantasy you can manage.  What do you see?  
Are you sitting in your room, jamming along with a CD, or walking down a country road while you play a folk tune?
Are you jamming with friends in someone's living room, with no audience except maybe a few family members wandering through?
Are you playing in front of a campfire with a group of friends singing along?
Are you jamming with some other musicians at a party?
Are you playing at an open mike in a blues club?
Are you playing for money with a band that you have joined, at a club or festival?
Does your fantasy involve some other situation, or combination of situations, that I haven't listed?  Please describe it.

What Kind of Music do you like, do you listen to, do you want to play?  
Blues?   Rock?   Folk?   Country & Western?   Jazz?   R n' B?   Show Tunes?   Cowboy Music?   Other?

Are there any harmonica players that you particularly like?  

Any particular songs you want to play?

If you have a song you want to learn, do you know who plays that song, that is, the version you most enjoy?

Your Musical History?
Have you tried to play any instrument, with or without success (including harmonica)?  Please describe your experience briefly.
Do you sing?  Ever sung in a group or choir?  Do you like to sing?  Do you think you do it well?
Can you read "standard music notation?"  (If not, don't worry, I can barely read a line myself!)
Have you ever studied any music theory?  
Do words like "chord" and "scale" mean anything to you?  
Do you know what a "Blues Scale" is?  (I played for quite a few years without knowing about it -- but it sure changed my playing as soon as I learned it!)
Anything else you'd like to tell me about you and music?

How Many Harmonicas Do You Have?
None?  
One?  
A few, hidden in drawers and boxes under the bed?  
A few, in different "keys," that you use?  
Lots, in Lots of keys?
I ask this since it's sometimes gives me extra information about your playing, which we'll go into more detail about in the next section...

How would you describe your "level of playing?"  You are welcome to tell me about it in your own words.  
The following descriptions will show you what kinds of stuff I'm interested in knowing about.  
Or if one or more of the descriptions fits you very well, you can just write the letter or letters.
 A)  I've never played harmonica at all.  I like the sound of it, and have listened to it:  
A Lot           A Little             Not Much
B)  I've fooled around with harmonica a little, but can't play anything.  I can breathe in and out through it, that's about it.
C) I can play part of a simple song (like Mary Had a Little Lamb, or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) but not a whole song. No blues at all.
D) I can play a few very simple songs, but no blues.
E) I can play one or two blues or rock or country riffs, but I just play the same thing over and over.  I can't play along with recordings, or jamm with friends.
F) I can play a little blues, but I can't "bend" notes (or don't know what bending is) and I don't really know what I'm doing.
G) I can bend notes a little bit, I think. Maybe.
H) I can play lots of folk or classical songs, but no blues or rock or jazz. I can't improvise (create my own music) at all.
I) I can play some blues. Still don't really know what I'm doing when I play with a recording or jamm with a band.
J) I can bend most of the draw notes. Don't always get the sound I want, and I can't "blow bend" at all.
K) I can bend all the draw notes, and make them sound good. Can't blow bend.
L) I can bend all the draw notes, and sometimes hit the blow bends.
M) I can play lots of riffs and solos, but I can't improvise very well on the spot.
N) I can play some ten hole blues harp, but want to learn to play the chromatic harmonica.
O) "O" for OTHER? You tell me, please!

Anything else you'd like to tell me?  Or ask me?  Here's the place!