That´s a very interesting question and it pops up in this head of mine ever so often. To my ears -- when I think about it upon hearing a new harmonica player -- it´s: a) clean articulation, b) tone, and c) vibrato. (They all need qualifications, the last one more than the two first, but I won´t go into that right now.)
Nothing sensational, but if you have those three down you can be "convincing" with very little else. (Being in the right key and so on are fairly general presuppositions so I won´t go in to that either ...)
The problem is that Jimmy Reed lacked all of those, but when he played 1 pos - much less so when he played 2nd -- he could be pretty damn convincing. (But, unsurprisingly, I won´t go into that ...)
I don't post too often, but this is something I think about all the time.
I think playing harmonica 'convincingly' is a matter of WHEN to play. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I try to play 'convinceingly', I end up just trying too hard. The harmonica players who convince me are the ones who can play as a team (band) member first. Everyone solos differently, but I try to approach every solo as a conversation with the audience...sometimes animated, not usually flashy, but always with emotion.
It is an interesting word to use -- implicitly raising the question: who is being convinced of what?
(For example: convincing Howard Levy that OB and OD can be hit consistently? Convincing an audience that the player is comfortably "speaking like a native speaker?", etc.)
I guess I like when a player is playing like playing is second nature, like a "native speaker," conversational -- the sense that the player can say whatever they want when they want. They may actually be "limited" from a technical/professional perspective, but their playing helps "tell the story" w/o drawing undue attention to technique -- the audience responds to the feeling of the story -- something like that!
Last Edited by on Dec 30, 2012 10:49 AM
There is something about being able to stand before a crowd alone with an instrument and fill up the space to hold the crowd's attention. It's not only about playing harp convincingly, but holding onto the groove, manipulating it, singing the words, telling the story convincingly.
It's funny that this topic forked off from the discussion on overblows - playing OBs convincingly. I think playing convincingly transcends any particular technique. It's about telling the story. ----------
You should check out some of Jimmy Reed's playing as a sideman on some of the other VeeJay recordings by Eddie Taylor. Nothing wrong with his playing. He had fine tone, articulation and vibrato.
When you consider he couldn't use his hands (because they were on a guitar), his playing is very effective. The inability to use his hands makes minor corrections difficult. It also limits what he can do to shape notes. Inspire of this, his playing always fits and is complementary to he song.
not MELODICALLY lost = being in the right key not lost on YOUR INSTRUMENT = producing accurate, clean notes (they needn't always be clean but shouldn't always be sloppy) not lost in TIME = even tempo not Just Plain Lost = having some vision for your music / no noodling
@Joe L: Didn´t say something was "wrong" with JR´s playing, though he can be sloppy to a fault -- esp. in 2 pos -- and I´d say that some good old fashioned practice would have suited him well (in the harmonica department, that is.)
Thanks, I think I´ve listened to his entire recorded output. He was sort of a musical hero of mine when I was younger, and on a good day not many can touch him: though certainly many have tried. There´s an almost mystical quality to that lazy swing he and Eddie T (and some others) achieved and the phrase "less is more" are seldom more appropriate. I´ve been in situations where we´ve tried to reproduce that, but never been even close.
when it compliments the song that other convincing musicians are playing with them....
if they are playing solo then convincing to me is solid tone...even if just one pure note ---------- Warren Bee Marketing & Harmonica Raconteur
Last Edited by on Dec 30, 2012 11:36 AM
The guitar player in my band and I were listening to another harp player at the jam -- who was pretty good -- and the guitar player said to me, "You're a more aggressive player."
Sometimes when somebody pays you a compliment it is best to just say "Thanks" and then STFU, which is exactly what I did.
Frank, I think to play convincingly is the absence of noodling.
For me personally playing convincingly means setting limits. I find that my vision exceeds my grasp if I get too creative. This is considerably less true when I play guitar. Then I can just relax and have a good time. If I want to play convincingly on diatonic harmonica it's better if I do it all by itself and really think about it.
"I think to play convincingly is the absence of noodling."
^The best answer IMO.^ *****
I love a player that can take a couple of bars make a statement and step back. Very few guitarists or harp players aspire to that these days IMO. People like Jimmy Reed and Steve Cropper have created some of the most memorable musical statements ever, by not trashinging up everything they play with over embellishments.
---------- "Technical, schmechnical---put some heart in it, dammit!" ~ Paul deLay
Playing "convincingly" means CONNECTING with your audience IMHO. In other words, Bob Dylan used the harmonica to suit his playing style which in tern connected with his audience in a very successful manner(ie: folk music). In Dylan's case, proficiency, technicality, and mastery of the harmonica aren't necessary commodities. On the other hand, audiences totally stoked to see a Kim Wilson concert, of whom is replaced last minute by Bob Dylan, will be "unconvinced" by Dylan's playing, just as Jason Ricci would be out of place filling in for Bob at a Dylan concert. Does this make sense???????
Interesting, FRANK Kinda weird word to use..How bout the word authentic. As in, a more refined, and mature, musical ability. Whether it be during a burning solo, or comping in a supportive role..depends who's listening,eh?
I asked my teacher how he was always able to sound 'professional'. He said he played every note with 100% conviction. And he plays sparingly, too. "If you solo all the time, when it comes time for your solo, you have nothing left to say," is another thing he taught me.
Boy, that's not the way it works for me on guitar! To play convincingly requires being in the moment, and no, it's not always the most fun--but it is the most satisfying.
The one sentence that stuck with me from Adam , at a seminar last year, was "Play every note like you mean it." Can't go wrong with that one. Thank you Mr Gus.
To me, playing convincingly partly means playing with a certain confidence. Confidence in your knowledge of your instrument and material. Another part to playing convincingly is just plain enjoying what your doing. Together, these two allow you to connect with your audience. Make the connection and everyone is convinced that they are at the right place at the right time.
As an interesting side note, this can lead to some extra coin in the tip jar. ---------- You Tube = goshinjk
