I first picked up a harmonica 2 years ago this month, and I play it all alone. My father-in-law is a trombone professor, brother-in-law's a jazz bassist, older brother is reggae-folk-rock singer and my little brother is training for opera. They're all quite good and have been making music for years. My harping doesn't quite measure up, so it happens at home.But when a buddy from work told me about the 8 :00 jam at the local blues bar, I figured I'd found my place. Here's how it went:
I grabbed an A, a C and a Bb and arrived at 7:50 to find that the house band plays for an hour. Alright, that's fine, I'll just sign my name up and listen in the mean time. 9:00 comes around and the host starts rounding up the people on the list. 'Now, we want to keep the house full, so the more experienced musicians will go up first.'... At 10:00 the host finds calls for me. And I'm still as excited and nervous as I was at 8!
I wind up on stage with a guitar-guitar-bass trio and a random drummer. The first song is in A, and my heart is still pounding despite the crowd having dwindled from 100+ to 5, so I just did a simple first position comp and no solo. I wasn't terrible but the mic volume wasn't set up right, so nobody heard me anyway. I turned to the lead guitar to ask him about the amp and before I get a word out, he says 'E' and starts strumming. Ok, fine. I'd better stop being shy and give it some oomph. I cupped that mic tighter than a Baby Gap shirt on Queen Latifah and Played. The guy in the audience sitting closest to the speakers clapped.
While the guitarists were soloing, I was scoping out the set up. I spied a likely knob and turned it as far as it would go. There! I'm ready! I turned to the lead guitar and he said 'Ab minor'. Now, I've never been to a jam before, but that strikes me as an highly irregular key and a potential force-out for a harmonica player. But the time I spent reading about positions saved the day. 'Self flat', as I like to call it, is 6th position, so I could use my A to play Ab. If you're familiar with 6th, you know the difficulty it poses; if you're not familiar with 6th, imagine something awkward and ungainly and that's probably about right. I was kind of glad that the volume still was low.
Overall, we're sounding pretty bad, and surprisingly, it only has a little to do with me. When the host walked up, the lead guitarist asks, 'You're not kicking us off, are you?' That's exactly what what he was meaning to do, but said, 'One more.' I turned the second guitar and borrowed his mic, which actually worked. The lead guitar called 'G'. YES! TIME TO SHINE ON THE C HARP!!
Congratulations. You learn a LOT at jams, and in a hurry. One thing you learn is that there is no substitute for having a full set of harps! But for you to be able to identify the need for 6th position and actually do it after 2 years of play is, in fact, very impressive.
The next thing you learn at jams is that unless the host has a harp player in the band, there won't be a decent amp to play through - you gotta bring your own. The next thing you learn is that the 5-15W little amp you bought, so FREAKING loud at home, might not be audible at all at a jam. For jams where you don't have control over the PA - there is no substitute for a BIG amp. 45W or more, plenty of speaker. And once you have that, you'll look like you know what you're doing and they'll start getting you up before 10!
At least, that's how it happened for me.
You'll learn more, too - like, if you want some control over what you get to play, you better learn to sing, call a tune and LEAD the band. There's LOTS of learning to be had from jams! Keep going! ---------- /Greg
I've been at it for over 4 years and only play to jamtracks in the mancave, that being said i would have insisted the smart ass guitar guy plays a boogie shuffle in G or E or something you can get your head into, like really tell him to play the harmonica and you play some shitty stuff on his guitar, if he cant play something for a beginner then he shouldn't be there, BURP!!!!
Nisei - Great story! Some of the greatest advice for me came from Gussow in one of his videos. I will summarize it the best I can: If crap comes your way on stage, you cannot stop the rest of the band. You gotta work around it. I never like hang-ups, but if you can stay cool when they come and think quickly, you can get creative and learn a lot in a short time. New positions and hitting the tonic a little higher up (or the 3 blow in 2nd). Sounds like you really enjoyed it. Have fun. That is the only way us new guys will make it.
Keep smillin'... it confuses the enemy. Peace
---------- -- "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts" -- C.S. Lewis
good first experience Nisei. everything Greg said. i know at this point it may be difficult but if you can RELAAAAAX and fit in where possible, lay back where you can't, that is good. you may even have to fake playing if the key is too weird but usually the keys are more standard that Ab minor. i have been known to just snap fingers during a song or maybe do minimal backup vocals. more harp keys is good. giving off a vibe of "i know what i'm doing, where's my solo?" may also be an asset. definitely vocals is a plus if you can sing some standard stuff like "mojo", "stormy monday", and other favorites. i mostly try and pick keys the whole band can work with rather than F#minor etc etc. after all with various levels of skill at a jam, you want to not only be included but include everyone on stage.
you know things at 2 years that i don't after decades. it's all about having tools to use in a situation. fair warning, some people want to either drown out or confuse a harp player so they don't have to share the stage or the "glory". these people are best ignored when possible. i would not recommend making a scene on stage but a simple request for volume or whatever is warranted. time on stage at jams is a definite plus. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
If you go back next week, for the next 6 weeks you will probably become a fixture in the band. You can count on that guitar player to keep playing the Ab minor blues and if you can come up with something to play inside that, at least 1 drunken bar fly will come up and tell you, "you're a great harmonica player". Beware, she's probably with the guitar player, growing tired of the Ab minor blues, and looking for someone new to pick up her bar tab.
Get back out there and do it again. Bring a full set of harps. If you want to play Blues forget sixth position for a while. It sounds like you have a lot to learn without dropping that sort of thing into the mix. This means, if you aren't comfortable with you second or third position playing, there is no point fooling around with sixth position.
Don't not place any demands on people. If you do, expect that someone will place a microphone stand in front of you and tell you to lead the song or kick your ass.
Your goal should be to fit in as seamlessly as possible. You'll do that by playing something complementary to the song, having a full set of instruments and most importantly being a good citizen.
I'm glad it worked out for you this time, but you are asking for trouble showing up at a jam with only three keys of harp.
I really think we harp players need to get over our Prima Donna attitude about "weird" keys. It's easier for us to change keys than it is for trumpet, sax or piano players -- all it takes is a full set of harmonicas.
Frank: It was a slow sort of a ballad, lovey/mournful type of groove. Standard 12 bar.
Jbone, Joe, Gad: My main focus was definitely to learn and get comfortable. No demands, complaints or showboating. I don't know what's what, so I'm not giving any orders.
Regarding 6th pos.: it seems that most players are best in 2nd, then 1st and 3rd (in either order) lag behind. I play 2nd but somehow it isn't my home, and any other position would probably do just as well (which is to say that none of them are so impressive). When copying someones stuff I'll use 2nd because they do, but I haven't yet learned to be creative or expressive in 2nd.
And you're all right: more harmonicas. I don't have all 12 keys (missing Ab,Eb, E and F#), but I can do better than just 3.
You can get a Low F# on Amazon for a great price - even the MB deluxe and crossovers in that key are priced low ...Eventually you will want to have certain LOW harps available to play...In a perfect world - you would of had a Low F# on you and been fluent playing in 3rd position, playing a solo so profound, the audience weeps from feeling your soul … you steal the show, and an encore request is demanded by the emotionally moved host of the jam. If you can dream it – you can do it! Now go practice your ass off :)
Last Edited by on Nov 25, 2012 10:28 AM
Great story and it sounds like you did fine. As for the weird keys, it seems like the jams I go to often end up with at least one song in what would be considered a non-standard key. Thus, I now consider all keys normal.
You just opened my eyes to 6th. I’d never thought of it as “self-flat.” Now it’s stuck in my head and that’s good. It’s also not a bad position for blues as all of the notes are there. Also 5th (the 4 chord) and 7th (the 5 chord) aren’t bad either.
Since you just taught me a new trick I’ll throw one out that’s now obvious but took me a while to figure out…For any position you play, one position back will always be the 4 chord and one position ahead will always be the 5 chord.
smwoerner: ' It’s also not a bad position for blues as all of the notes are there.'
6th is tough because you've only got 1 full octave of it, 3 draw to 7 draw. And then, in that octave the V of the scale is the 5 overblow. If you don't overblow or if your harp isn't well set up, you don't have your V. I can overblow, but the A was OOTB and I couldn't risk it. Thinking about it now, 6th is somewhat like 1st in that if you cant overblow, you've got to go high or low.
I had forgotten about the V being an overblow. I was just thinking that all off the straight draw notes except the 2 draw work and that hyou have as lot of stuff you can do on the 2 and three holes. I think sometimes as a new player we forget about working down from the root. I've only been playing about a year and I'm just now finding myself starting on those low notes and working up to the root.
Ab minor? What a stupid key. (I am impressed that you know that A is 6th position!) The guitar dude was trying to get you to sit down.
Seriously,some gentle advice..... next show up with at least 5 keys (a,c,d,f,g) an amp and mic. If you don't bring a amp, bring a shure 58/57 (not a bullet), plug it in to the pa and cut the treble and boost the bass and midrange. And bring a song to sing and have a 24 bar solo rehearsed to play during your spot. Don't show up to wheeze and let it flow. And don't get loaded. Guitarists, in general, are not crazy about harp players, particularly ones that play too much (step on vocals , comp too loud during other solos, play 96 bars of solo) My attitude is play to make the entire group sound good and bring out the best in others. Sometimes that means you can't do that overblow you just nailed, but this type of heads up playing goes a long way to enduring you to the in the jam. I like to hear the band, not just the soloist.
Last Edited by on Nov 26, 2012 11:18 AM
I was helping out with a harmonica class once. Part of the class was to travel over to a well known blues bar and jam with the band the instructor brought in. The instructor was the harp player in this band. No one had the courage to go on stage, beginning players mostly, so the instructor asked me to kick it off. I had no mic or control of the amp but gave it a shot. The band was really good and we hit it off immediately. Played 4 tunes and then thanked the band and left the stage when one of the guys from the class decided to give it a try. The owner of the club came down and listened to the band and booked them on the spot when he heard me play, said he dug the harp! I wonder how well they did with the instructor?
the guitar player was in A tuned down a half a step very common
i have a Db for such occasions having said that i never ever get to use it cause they will move up a fret and we can all play in A
by playing in Ab he has some open strings to work with you should see the looks i get when i call out Ab lol it is the loneliest harp in my case i have it all tricked out custom covers flat sanded comb damn somebody call Ab
gospel players love that key what's todd using on amazing grace?
Last Edited by on Nov 28, 2012 9:48 AM
@1847: Common? Yeah, I have heard that from guitarists who then tell me SRV and Jimi did it, makes it easier to sing...blahblahblah. Uh, hello, its a jam, not carnegie hall, cant we have some fun? Can we help the poor guy who is trying to play for the first time with people or did we forget what it was like when we first tried to do it. Yeah, I have the Db too, as our keyboardist who sings like a frog always has to step down to sound okay. But this is a jam... @Nisei: I'm telling you, unless you can play like an angel, learn to sing. Its like having another arrow in your quiver.
"I'm telling you, unless you can play like an angel, learn to sing. Its like having another arrow in your quiver.
This is some of the best advice that you'll receive. You won't have to wait around and hope that someone plays a song that is "harp friendly". When you are leading, you get to pick the tunes. 99.999% of the time, whoever is singing, is leading. Quite often, people who are decent singers, don't dig doing it. If you can sing, you'll be happier.
i wrote i never get to use it cause they will always move up a half step
maybe the guitar was not that good? maybe he didn/t want to hear harp? especially if you are going to play in 6 th position it is a blues jam boy scout motto "be prepared"
If I called Ab Minor at my jam I'd get mugged. The purpose of a blues jam is to play in common with a bunch of other players you do not know, who may be at different talent levels. If a song (or key) is odd or has to be explained it is probably a bad choice for a blues jam.
That is why it's a blues jam: everybody knows pretty much how the songs go. Pro jams may be different, but at jams where beginners mix with pros it is a good idea to keep things simple.
The song description should be something like this: "Chicago shuffle, medium tempo, key of E, from the five, watch for the stops. okay.... 1, 2, 1234!" It shouldn't be like a hipster ordering his latte at Starbucks with all kinds of weird requests and details.
Nisei, congrats and keep at it. If you are ever in the Denver CO area come to the big Sunday Blues Jam at Ziggies. I'll make sure you have a good amp to play through and I'll get you up with players who know how to support blues harp. It makes a big difference.
The other night "Born Under a Bad Sign" got called in C#. Is that an "odd" song or a key that "has to be explained... like a hipster ordering his latte at Starbucks with all kinds of weird requests and details"? No, it's a blues standard in its original key.
(Speaking of original keys, "They Call It Stormy Monday" was originally recorded in Ab!)
When you can get a set of twelve reasonable quality Suzukis in a nice little case for less than $200, there's no excuse for not being prepared to play in any key.
Last Edited by on Nov 28, 2012 12:36 PM
Timeistight- At a blues jam the goal is not to be a blues Nazi or impress the other players with your historical authenticity. The goal is to have fun, for everybody to have fun.
Born Under a Bad Sign has been played dozens of times at jams I've hosted or attended, and never once was it played in C#. I've played that song in nearly every band I've ever been in and it was never played in C#. Stormy Monday gets called in whatever key the singer likes.
Yes, a harp player should go the jam prepared to play several keys, but a basic kit of G, A, Bb, C, D, Eb, and F will cover almost all eventualities.
A jam is a success if everybody plays and everybody has fun. That's it. It does not matter if the songs are played in keys that differ from the original recordings. If some guy complains because the band can't play Born Under a Bad Sign in C# he needs to ease up, or get his own band.
We harp players have it made! No key is "weird" to us, I don't know why we care. Just accumulate keys as you can @ $30 a pop and rejoice that all you gotta do is pull it out and hit it!
Time- I think most jammers get it. If a dispute arises and I see a harp player getting down from the stage because a song is in C# I'll politely ask the guitar player to change keys. No big deal. They always comply. The stage is for everybody I put up there, not just the guitar guy who likes C#.
Hey, since we are talking about blues jams my band is hosting this Sunday at Ziggies.
This jam has been going for 40 years. I've been hosting it for 3 1/2 years. I dig it.
Brad Stivers, the special guest for this week, just turned 21 a few days ago. He is a hell of a talent. Here is a video of Nic Clark and Brad jamming at Al Chesis' jam a while back. That is Al clowning around in the middle of the stage. Brad is the guitar player on the right.
I guess we're talking about different roles. As a jam manager, you're trying to keep everyone happy, no matter how unprepared they might be. As a player, I'm trying to support the singer and not cause problems for the jam manager. If that means playing an "odd" song in an "odd" key, I try to do it the best I can with a smile on my face.
But getting back to jam etiquette... This is what I meant by odd or complicated songs: If the band has to spend several minutes between songs as the guitar guy explains the progression it is not a good song for jamming. My job is to keep things moving (and to make money for the club) so dead time is a big no-no. When it all comes together it is pretty cool: A smooth jam where everybody plays and everybody has fun. You have to deal with some weird egos and with some very nervous newbies, and they all have to play nicely together.
We go by the order of the list, so pros will sometimes go on stage with beginners. I think it is best that way, and the jammers think it is the fairest method. I know other jams work differently and I enjoy playing at them, for this jam that is the way the club owner wants it and I agree.
You get all types. I could write a book about jam weirdness. But as I said, I dig it.
This happens from time to time: A guitar player will come in carrying his guitar by the neck. No case or bag, no amp, no cable, no strap, and no picks! He has to borrow everything.
Lots of people come unprepared in one way or another. Still, we try to accommodate them if we can. I will usually know ahead of time if a harp player has only a couple of harps because I try to chat with all the players, especially new guys. In that case I would try to alert the singer/guitar player what keys are good. If it won't work I save the harp guy for a different set it I can. I've had some pro harp players come in with only one or two harps, so it's not always newbies who do that.
Rick, I think I read or heard that the title "Jam Master" can only be used officially by someone after 8 years of sacrificail service to the duties of running a Jam.
If you do last that long - you'll not only be a Jam Master, but also an iconic figure revered amongst local blues musicians for along time after you give up your post...
Nah, there are some very good jam hosts around Denver, some of the best players around. Lionel Young won it all at the IBC in Memphis two years ago and he hosts a jam at the Outlook in Boulder. Erik Boa is a badass bluesman who hosts two jams. Dan Treanor hosts a jam, and so does Al Chesis. They are all better players/performers than I. My jam rocks because I promote it well and I'm lucky that good players come by and join in.
When I took it over I thought maybe I'd do it for a year, but now its been 3 1/2. I look forward to it every week. The pay is lower than a regular gig, but it's still a blast.
That song has one of my all time favourite blues 'riff' to it. (Ist is the Help Me one.) Great version,maybe a tad too fast for my taste,but those guys can sure play.
