I know this is a blues forum, but there's not much of a blues scene here in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. Do y'all know of any good bluegrass harp players I could listen to for inspiration? I haven't ran into too many in person.
I know Sonny Terry's style can be used fairly effectively to this style of music as well.
Most of my harmonica playing is in jams like this.
Try Buddy Greene and Mike Stevens. Both great players. Also PT Gazell has an album called "Pace Yourself" which is another fantastic example of what a harp can do in a bluegrass setting.
Great playing! Check out an album called Pickin and Blowin by Peagram and Parham.Also Mark Graham does this kind of playing.Jimmy Faden with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well.Im really into the Old time first position playing of cats like Herman Crook and Dr. Humphrey Bates.
Nice.. Nice.. Nice... Great stuff.. all of you guys.. Check out that fool fiddle player switching out instruments in the middle.. Tell him.. he's awesome..! wow..
Good harp... like how you back it off when the other guys come in.. Really nice..
(Left handed guitars make my head hurt...) You guys are all talented.. post more ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
BTW - David Naiditch is one crazy good bluegrass player with a sweet jazz style.. Does it on chromatic. Really amazing and very enjoyable ..... ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
My advice would be to learn some of the common bluegrass fiddle tunes. Many of them sit nicely in first position. David Rice from "Boiled Buzzards" did some great recordings.
For pointers on which tunes to learn, and how to go about it, check out this page on traditional tunes
---------- Tony Eyers Australia www.HarmonicaAcademy.com everyone plays...
Oh wow.. I forgot about Tony Eyers...he's good, too. Has a great You Tube of Whiskey For Breakfast.. 1,000 of the views are by me.. ---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
Also check out some of Todd Parrots playing of some Gospel tunes.
I regularly go to bluegrass jams & love it. So far I'm the only harp player amongst sometimes between 20 & up to 50 musicians. Although I'm in my mid 70s the bluegrass scene here is young and vibrant with some fantastic musicians to lean on and learn from. I got my love of bluegrass as an offshoot of country but also in attending the Harmonica Academy there is a great repertoire of bluegrass fiddle tunes. My harp choices are standard diatonics or Paddy Richters for many of the fiddle tunes, & major x or MM tuning for the more traditional country ,folky or gospel. Wailing on the bottom end can result in unfriendly stare ie until you are accepted.
check out the followin article on the etiquette of bluegrass jamming:-http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~tom/roles.html ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll definitely check out these guys. Y'all gave me some great leads. I've heard of Buddy Greene, but the rest are all new to me!
I'm also glad yall like the song. I realized about half way through that I probably shouldn't have used a train rhythm for 4 minutes straight in the background, but I powered through. It WAS a good lung exercise even though I was getting light headed by the end of that one! haha.
Both the guitar player, Chris Rose, and the fiddle/banjo player, Corbin Haysett are on youtube. I'll grab a few more videos and post em in just a minute.
Last Edited by TmickyD1 on Feb 05, 2015 7:19 PM
And one more. Much of his best stuff isn't on Youtube. We had a thread on here a couple yrs. ago. Type in Doc Watson on forum search if you want to hear more.
Not in the strictest sense Bluegrass ie incorrect mix of instruments but a great Bluegrass song 'Man of Constant Sorrow' with some great harp from Mickey Raphael. What I like about Mickeys playing is the fact that he never overplays which is how I think players of bluegrass harp have to behave. Enjoy
Love his playing on this video. The Phrasing is quite sparse and rhythmic at times, lots of space! I play quite a bit at Bluegrass sessions and I agree that it can be good to underplay a bit at first, especially when other musicians are taking breaks and then knowing some of the repertoire of course makes a massive difference. For a quite clean puckered approach to Bluegrass I've found Sandy Weltman's videos on youtube useful. Ed
Just a little heads up: from talking with Buddy Greene, he said that most bluegrass players don't like harmonica players. And Joe Fillisko said (with a smile on his face) they were like musical nazis. I've always been under the impression you can't "jam" with bluegrass. You HAVE to know the melody, and if you don't know it, don't try to fake it.
I would agree & disagree with Philosophy. Certainly most bluegrass musicians don't like harmonica 'players' & here the key word is 'players'. But prove to them that you know & understand the etiquette, the harmonica & you as the player will be accepted. Certainly having a good repertoire of some of the more complex fiddle tunes will have you in good standing but there is ample opportunity to wing it on the majority of tunes. Having some of Sandy Weltmans Bluegrass licks is very helpful. The majority of the tunes we play at bluegrass jams are fairly easy to play and are not that dissimilar. I was told by one of the leaders of our group that to not be afraid to take solos but to be sure to stay in key & on tempo. I get lead breaks on most tunes we play. If you are able to sing it will add another string to your bow as lots of bluegrass involves singing and harmonies. Another thing to be aware of is in introducing new tunes ie do your research & have bluegrass references and an armful of pages with lyrics & chords for the other players. If unsure as to if a tune is acceptable to the genre then friendship with a guitar, banjo or mandolin player & their involvement in intro of the tune will most likely work. The Parking Lot Pickers Song book contains ca 200+ popular bluegrass numbers but of course there are thousands more. ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
Feb 06, 2015 7:31 PM Edit I can tell from experience that bluegrassers do not want harp players playing with them. They feel if Bill Monroe didn't have them they are excluded. Some of them even want to exclude the Dobro. Little do they know Bill did have a harmonica player and an accordion player in the 1940s. Unlike the Polka players who welcome all instruments. Silly isn't it?
GEEZER1 yes Bill Monroe did play & record with harmonica players as did many of the early bluegrass musicians. I believe in most instances it would be the player who is not welcome. I know when I first became interested in bluegrass some years ago it was a case of tread lightly listen, take note & learn. Dobros are generally accepted and in fact many guitarists double up on Dobro. Were any players interested in bluegrass they could do no better than enroll in Tony Eyers course & get some bluegrass fiddle tunes into their repertoire. It is not an easy entry for harp players and having a second string ie vocals or guitar can make for easier acceptance. You can be a lousy guitar, banjo, fiddle or mandolin player & they welcome you with open arms but in the case of harp you are largely on your own. Many of the group I jam with come from different genres with a fair number coming from Country.But at our jams it is strictly bluegrass. There are traditionalists stuck in the last century whose likes and dislikes don't change but that could be said of all music.Newcomers who turn up at our jams are given a set of guidelines and barred if they have non conforming instruments ie percussive, electronic, brass or ukuleles. What I particularly love about bluegrass is that it is hugely popular with a broad range of age groups & in particular has a younger following. Check out the following:- http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/bluegrassharpmain.htm ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
I really haven't had too many issues joining in on bluegrass jams on harp. Then again, I usually know some of the people there. I've also found that when playing in larger groups, I tend to get overpowered.
I either stick to my train rhythms or follow the mandolin if I don't know the song.I might even play the whole song ***Gasp no space!!!*** but it blends in with the rest of the instruments. I seem to be accepted by the groups I've played in. My biggest problem is getting overpowered sonically by the banjos and fiddles. I only have so much air I can push through a harp at once.
I agree with you TmickyD1 it is difficult to at times be heard and to be sonically overpowered by the fiddler and some of the banjo stuff is challenging. The other night after a banjo lead I was nodded to take a break on Turkey in The Straw ie a tune I know very well but I blew it as the banjo twang messed with my muscle memory big time. Picking the right harp helps cut through ie on D tunes I now use a High G ie a harp I hate but it works. I never sit near the fiddlers or the banjos if I can help it. Those that play well & stick by the rules always give me space.
There is more bluegrass around here than blues. Mostly a classic rock /country area though. As a single note player, my harp fits in very well with bluegrass. As an amp builder/modder I don't get buried. Some players object to my pluging in, until I explain that I will only use the amp for reinforcement so as not to ruin expensive harps. You need to run the amp clean and use a clean mic. Never had any objection after they realize that this works well. Bluegrass is fun to play. Fast and exciting. Nice thread...BN
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Feb 07, 2015 9:30 AM
GEEZER1 I think the lines are somewhat blurred at times. Here is a listing of 'bluegrass' tunes from the Pickers bible & many are what might be referred to as olde time. I think it boils down to the style in which it is played ie the instruments involved and the way individual breaks are taken. Olde Time certainly play many of the same tunes but with a few more instruments and often all in together.Whilst harmonicas are welcome at Olde Time & Country the same can be said about Bluegrass ie harmonicas are welcome but perhaps the player not. And as with any form of music it evolves and new players emerge along with great new tunes.http://www.musixnow.com/PLP%20guitar.html ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE