Frank
3176 posts
Nov 02, 2013
6:37 AM
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Any Players here who have a repertoire of tunes that are played strictly SOLO ?
Just You, harp and vocals...
No effects...
No other instruments...
If so what is your set list and anything else you wish to share about this type of entertaining, Thanks :)
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FMWoodeye
812 posts
Nov 02, 2013
7:47 AM
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One Way Out.
Walkin' Blues.
(Hey) Billy Jean (Siegel/Schwall)
Little Red Rooster
Hoochie Coochie Man
On the Road Again (Canned Heat)
Cactus Pussy Blues (rated R)
Red House
Also some short parodies, i.e., Amazing Grapes
I've played these in venues where the bar is low, that is, campfires, house parties, deer camp, for the nurses while in the hospital, tailgate parties and such. Some sort of percussion will enhance the performance. Sometimes you can get the audience involved. Even clapping helps. I prefer amplified to acoustic, so I'll often use a Roland Cube Street. If I were to play a venue where the bar is higher, I'd consider some foot percussion and, of course, a different amp.
Last Edited by FMWoodeye on Nov 02, 2013 7:48 AM
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harmonicanick
2077 posts
Nov 02, 2013
7:59 AM
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Can we see a photo of you naked please frank?
OT of course!!
Last Edited by harmonicanick on Nov 02, 2013 8:06 AM
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Frank
3178 posts
Nov 02, 2013
8:29 AM
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All I have is a video, and it's still being edited to get it all to fit on a wide screen...The length is fine, it's the thickness thats causing a pain in the A#$ - so we'll have to do some cropping before the fullglory is ready for prime time :0
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TetonJohn
137 posts
Nov 02, 2013
9:21 AM
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This is what I do most of the time, nearly every Monday at the Jackson Hole Hootenanny. I love it. Because it is a "concert-like setting," that is, people are not talking and are actually listening, the subtleties of what you are doing on harp and with your voice can be heard. I play a lot of old blues that I like by my favorites (not usually originally harmonica songs), for example,
Pallet on Your Floor (John Hurt)
Play with Your Poodle (Hopkins)
Serves Me Right To Suffer (Hooker)
Statesboro Blues (McTell)
Grave Kept Clean (Jefferson)
Hog For You, Baby
Catfish Blues
Same Thing
Bad Whiskey
Walkin My Blues Away (Sonny and Brownie)
Chicken Cordon Blues (Steve Goodman)
I never realized I could (and could love) to sing until i was "forced to" -- there are only so many "instrumentals" I could play and keep audience interest over time.
It's a great way to play -- you can pause when you want to add an aside w/o screwing up the band -- you are totally in control of the dynamics. Wonderful. (I also get a lot of side work which is also wonderful in a different way.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
751 posts
Nov 02, 2013
9:29 AM
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I only ever play solo... no one else will have me :^(
'tis a long time since I played naked though, I used to practise in the bath.
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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mlefree
133 posts
Nov 02, 2013
9:51 AM
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One of my favorite solo harmonicists is Keith Dunn. He has an album, "Alone With The Blues," that is must listening for any aspiring solo blues harper:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/keithdunn
In any case, good luck with your project.
Michelle
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SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
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sonny3
74 posts
Nov 02, 2013
11:20 AM
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It's the only way I play.Sonny Terry vocal and harmonica solos.I'm trying to learn all the songs on this album.So much to learn.Sonny had it down cold.
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nacoran
7296 posts
Nov 02, 2013
11:50 AM
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I do open mics unaccompanied sometimes. I've got several of my own songs that I'll whip out on those occasions. The list won't mean anything to anyone who hasn't heard them though... (I really should get some decent recordings up- they are fun songs.)
Wet Dog Blues
Faster (sometimes I do it call and response with the audience)
Oh Girl I Miss You
Woodpile Calling (harp only)
Hravice Dreva Volanie (Woodpile Calling, played on a harmonic minor!)
Minor Jam
Shoot, just tried recording one. Can't get the levels right! (Not quite naked, I have foot percussion now, and that's problem I'm having with levels.
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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harmonicanick
2081 posts
Nov 02, 2013
12:21 PM
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Frank I don't think you understood me, can we see you playing the harmonica as nature intended? lol
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Frank
3180 posts
Nov 02, 2013
12:57 PM
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I understand your request - But I can't seem to get it to fit either in a photo or video - the thickness is just to much to capture, unless I crop it and then you can't see the harmonica, it's a hog - short and thick...
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Frank
3181 posts
Nov 02, 2013
2:00 PM
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Rice seems to have mastered the intricacies of naked entertainment :)
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Frank
3187 posts
Nov 03, 2013
2:46 PM
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NAked and RAW as they come :)
Last Edited by Frank on Nov 03, 2013 2:49 PM
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The Iceman
1256 posts
Nov 03, 2013
3:38 PM
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The Iceman
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Joe Strouzer
38 posts
Nov 04, 2013
3:10 AM
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When I'm doing a solo set (I play guitar and sing) I always play a train piece which I call George Stephenson Blues or Boxcar's Boxcar Blues and will do at least one more naked harmonica track, recently I've done a version of Po Lazarus on just vocal and harp and played "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground". I've also been working on some DeFord Bailey songs but haven't quite mastered them yet....
I've done my train piece to big crowds and its always gone down a treat, "Dark Was The Night" I reserve for a much more delicate surrounding when you know people are really listening....
I love doing solo harmonica tracks, I find its something a lot of people have never heard before.
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www.josephstrouzer.com
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Komuso
191 posts
Nov 04, 2013
4:13 AM
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Thanks for the Keith Dunn tips. Great!
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
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Komuso
192 posts
Nov 04, 2013
4:41 AM
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and then there's Naked Rory!
Edit: I think the "Need to make a dollar" with Keith Dunn is a Rory tune by the way. Great version.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Nov 04, 2013 8:15 AM
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HarpNinja
3578 posts
Nov 04, 2013
8:33 AM
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How are people arranging Statesboro Blues? The original isn't the shuffle that the Allman Bros recorded. Just curious.
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Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
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TetonJohn
139 posts
Nov 04, 2013
9:45 AM
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My naked version borrows heavily from David Bromberg's (but I don't start so slow.)
Bromberg Statesboro
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HarpNinja
3579 posts
Nov 04, 2013
9:56 AM
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How are you handling the rhythm as a theme? Like if you did the Allman Bros version, you could pedal or come back to the main riff which, in cross, would be 1 2" 1 2" 2.
Thanks!
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Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
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TetonJohn
140 posts
Nov 04, 2013
10:35 AM
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Not sure how to express it well, but if you go to the Bromberg youtube, at 1:09 he picks up the dynamics with a big chord followed by some single notes. That's the hook for me (I repeat it often after a vocal line -- and I suspect it lingers in the back of my mind throughout).
In my mind it goes: BOOM (the big chord) ba-DOOPa-deedLEE-doo (solid caps = foot tap). I see that I play that chord 1-2-3 draw and the rest happens pretty quick, not sure just what I'm doing -- that last "doo" seems to end on a 1 draw (usually!). Edit: just noticed there is an "empty" (no sound) 4th foot tap before coming back around.
I think a solo part is a combination of that hook and some mimicking of the vocal lines.
Well, that's my attempt to describe something I never describe; I hope it helps some anyway (sorry I don't have a recording (or a more fluent musical vocabulary!), I guess that's another thing I don't do much).
As far as details of arrangement, I usually do a last verse or two way slowed down after picking it up quite a bit for the rattling off of the relatives and the train leaving Savannah part (folks seem to like the rattling off part -- "auctioneerish" you know, as long as you don't flub! -- too much).
Last Edited by TetonJohn on Nov 04, 2013 11:07 AM
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TetonJohn
142 posts
Nov 04, 2013
5:59 PM
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Answering question about Statesboro solo arrangement. Easier to play than describe! So, just met soundcloud.
Edit:
STME58 -- thanks for the kind words below.
However, my pride got the better of me. Even though I posted a quick recording just to demonstrate the arrangement, I really didn't like the execution. So, I just re-recorded and replaced it here with one I like a bit better -- for posterity (until I listen again and think it needs replacement!).
Last Edited by TetonJohn on Nov 06, 2013 5:08 PM
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STME58
573 posts
Nov 05, 2013
12:16 AM
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I agree with Michelle about Keith Dunn. The Williamson performance Frank posted is masterful. I also like Rick Estrin's closely related "Gettin out of Town" which has been posted on this site before.
TetonJohn, I like what you did. Good vocals, good harp and well put together.
I frequently sit in a public place and play acoustic harp. This piece seems to get the most response, people will sing along or comment that they like it.
Over the Rainbow
11/5 Fixed broken links (I Hope!)
Last Edited by STME58 on Nov 05, 2013 9:49 AM
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shanester
573 posts
Nov 05, 2013
2:36 PM
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Sure I've played naked...
but I've actually found it more confronting trying to play in a pair of panties!
Who would'a thunk?
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Shane,
"The Possum Whisperer"
Shane's Cloud
1shanester
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Ugly Bones Ryan
2 posts
Nov 06, 2013
4:05 PM
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Nope,
There is a time to be naked and a time to practice. I seperate them. Enjoy playing naked if you like it I guess. Take it easy
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