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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
How many harp instrumentals in a set?
How many harp instrumentals in a set?
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Mirco
556 posts
Nov 08, 2017
11:47 PM
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How many harmonica instrumentals can a player put into a set before it starts to bore the audience?
Let's assume that:
-these are solid pro level instrumentals (things like "Juke", "Walter's Boogie", "Off the Wall", "Juicy Harmonica", etc) and that the musician is playing them reasonably well,
-that these are not catchy melodies that a non-blues audience would know (things like Tequila or Summertime),
-the audience is made up of blues lovers but not harmonica players,
-the instrumentals feature the harmonica, contain no vocals, with the band playing a supporting role.
I think that the ratio is probably 1-2 instrumentals per set of 8-10 songs. One would be safe, no question. If you put in two, you'd have to be careful about where to place them in the set and make sure they were distinct grooves or keys from each other.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
Last Edited by Mirco on Nov 09, 2017 6:53 AM
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LevelUp
49 posts
Nov 09, 2017
4:59 AM
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Instrumentals as in no vocals in the song at all? One or two if it is a listening audience, more if it is not.
Some people love insteumentals(like me) but lots of people find them boring overall.
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The Iceman
3387 posts
Nov 09, 2017
7:18 AM
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1 per set works beautifully. It will always be well received.
2 per set and it starts to diminish the effectiveness - audience may even start to assume you are using "filler" to complete the set.
Also, avoid those long instrumental (harmonica) solos = for instance, if you do a very long harmonica solo in a song and then also put in a harmonica instrumental, you will risk "burning out the ears" of your listening audience in this regard.
Harmonica players and fans of a Jason Ricci, for example, may enjoy all the gymnastics of endless solos during a set, but my opinion is that this will never spill over into regular folk embracing this approach, thereby robbing an artist like this of crossing over into huge mainstream popularity.
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The Iceman
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kudzurunner
6358 posts
Nov 09, 2017
9:12 AM
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The Blues Doctors had an unusual and well-paying gig at the Boston Museum of Art several years ago. We were hired by an outside contractor that was handling the entire thing: a private party for Charles Schwab agents around the country.
We were asked to play almost like buskers, in the lobby as people entered. The request was that we play ONLY instrumentals. No vocals. We did it. Probably nine or ten per set.
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Beyond the Crossroads: The Devil and the Blues Tradition (UNC Press, 2017)
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Honkin On Bobo
1490 posts
Nov 09, 2017
10:15 AM
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+1 to what Iceman wrote.
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6SN7
746 posts
Nov 09, 2017
10:31 AM
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one....what iceman says....
i start a set with an instrumental. The only other one I do is "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" at the end of the night
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hvyj
3497 posts
Nov 09, 2017
11:48 AM
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Absolutely agree with iceman BUT with a caveat. One ensemble I played with would mix in some bluesy jazz material with blues, and we would play venues that booked all different types of bands: jazz bands, blues bands, acoustic acts, bluegrass bands, etc. but no cover bands, ever. At a venue like that with strong soloists in the band, you can get away with as much as 35-40% instrumentals, since the audience is expecting to hear something different every week (including jazz bands that only play instrumentals). But you can't get away with doing that at most venues. Too hip for most rooms.
Some of the venues we played were primarily restaurants but with a little dance floor. A couple of them actually required that we play a low volume jazzy instrumental first set and would not allow us to play hard rocking blues until after the dinner hour. But these types of venues are not all that common.
Last Edited by hvyj on Nov 09, 2017 12:12 PM
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BnT
115 posts
Nov 09, 2017
2:47 PM
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1-2 seems reasonable because it's a good way to start and end the set. But I played with a band where the average set was 45-60 minutes so we might open with a 3 minute instrumental, do something jazzy in the middle (Hard Times, Mercy-Mercy-Mercy, Things Ain't the Way They Used to Be, Tenor Madness, etc.), and close with a very dance-able instrumental.
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BnT
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robbert
420 posts
Nov 09, 2017
4:09 PM
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In two of the three duos I play in, all we do is instrumental music. One group, guitar and harmonica, features rock, Latin, blues and experimental grooves, the other group with electric cello and harmonica, explores modal jazz, raga like tunes, and pop covers that you would never recognize. Both groups use loopers, and we play local restaurants, etc. We are basically providing ambience, but the variety of musical flavors, and conversational improvisation that often occurs between the instruments keeps it interesting for anyone who happens to be listening, other than ourselves. My singing duo works great, too.
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robbert
421 posts
Nov 09, 2017
4:14 PM
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If we’re talking straight blues, then I totally agree...vocals rule, sprinkled with tasty solos, and yeah, probably one good instrumental per set. That’s what I’ve enjoyed listening to, anyway, at a live show.
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dougharps
1605 posts
Nov 10, 2017
9:20 AM
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^^^^robbert +++
In the early 2000s I was part of a 4 piece jazz blues combo with guitar, bass, drums, and harmonica. We played all instrumentals. We were booked on that basis.
For a blues or other Americana/folk group, one or two instrumentals at most per set.
If you are in an old time group doing fiddle tunes, many or all instrumentals are appropriate.
It just depends upon the band and the music.
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Doug S.
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robbert
422 posts
Nov 10, 2017
4:19 PM
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Yes, and the venue, to some degree. Although venues are often more concerned about volume. We are careful to monitor our sound, so as not to overwhelm, but that’s a whole other subject.
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