Thursday night electric on stage blues jam, 3/28/19.
This was my first harmonica event attended in 17 years (since the Golden Age of SPAH) and the first time on stage with a band in front of an audience in 9 years.
Having not embraced the "lick/pattern based playing philosophy", this is total in the moment improvisation.
Also, having promoted over the years what I call "the beauty of the vibrating reed", playing directly into the PA w/out effects to "fatten" or "dirty" the sound, this is the result.
(However, if the gig calls for "dirty Chicago TB fat", can do that, too, with a vintage Princeton amp, a Ruskin mic and a switch from single note to TB style).
Thanks, guys. Bend control = everything I've posted about "It's the TONGUE that controls the bend, and minimal tongue movement at that". No throat bending here - heh heh....;>) ---------- The Iceman
I was going to be content letting this sleeping “throat bend” dog lie, but since it seems to have stirred again..., From Steve Baker's The Harp Handbook, How to Bend Notes, “in order to make this happen you have to alter the shape of your vocal tract”. I think this altering of the shape of the vocal tract is where people might be getting the idea that they are throat bending. I'm sure it's only a matter of semantics.
Cool as Ice! Nice to see an example of all your talk.
Also I just noticed (since I don't post much)that I have been a member here now for just over 10 years based on my footnote. My playing has improved because of members like Iceman who have offered lots of advice over this past decade. ---------- MBH member since 2009-03-24
I've found Iceman's notions about tongue placement very helpful in improving my bending accuracy. When things are coming out sloppy I focus on that and it helps. More recently I've been working on blow bends, which I was never able to figure out. Focussing on toungue position, instead of the weird contortions I'd been doing, finally made them make sense. Combining that with Harp Ninja for feedback is making a big difference. Next up: overblows?
gmacleod15, that means you were on here even before me. There aren't a lot of the old timers left. I wish there was a field for how long someone has been a member. The best we can do is try to find their earliest post.
Another long-time member breaking radio silence here to thank you, Larry, for the sample of your music and for all your helpful advice to this forum over the years.
---------- MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
Last Edited by bluemoose on Apr 13, 2019 10:13 PM
Glad you folks who've commented here (kinda interesting who did and those who didn't, too) like the clip...I know how important it is to "walk the walk" after talking the talk. ---------- The Iceman
