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beginner forum: for novice and developing blues harp players > working on a setlist
working on a setlist
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SuperBee
4640 posts
Apr 24, 2017
4:50 PM
the last few weeks we've been rehearsing 3 hours each week and adding new songs to the list.

this is good but the downside is that a lot of the 'old' songs don't get played at rehearsal, and there are a lot of 'new' things to remember.

now its coming to a crunch as we have a gig next week and the new set lists proposed include a fair few things i've not played outside the practice room.

so today i am working systematically through the list to identify what i need to have settled before the gig. the good thing is that i have two more rehearsals with the band prior to the gig so hopefully can sort out the issues today and have a solid approach to take into the gig.

my attitude to this is that about the worst thing one can do on a gig is to play tentatively. either play as if you mean it, or just don't play.

in a band like mine, where the harp is such a big part, it feels very weird to not do anything on stage, so if i'm not singing i want to have a very definite part for the harp. it may not be very much, but i need to know what it is. often they will call me for a solo, othertimes they want me to play like a rhythm instrument, sometimes like a horn.

Enough procrastination.
Fil
300 posts
Apr 25, 2017
5:44 AM
Not dumb questions, I hope, but when your group practices with a gig coming up do you focus strictly on the set list you all have decided on for that gig? Or do you also work on new things at that session, or are those for another time? From gig to gig how much new stuff would you tend to introduce in, for example, a 20-25 song set list? Do you take any cues on stage with you, besides the set and key list? Thanks.
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Phil Pennington
SuperBee
4641 posts
Apr 25, 2017
6:19 AM
as my boss is fond of saying Fil, there are no dumb questions, only dumb people. (That's meant to be funny, I'm not sure if it comes across that way all the time)
we've only been doing these weekly sessions since we changed drummers. the 1st few sessions we did with this drummer were all about getting him up with our established list in time for a gig we had on March 27. i think we did 3 rehearsals with him. he was already familiar with some of the songs as i'd been jamming with him monthly for 12 months or so.
since then we've had no gigs. straight after the last gig we did some work on things which we knew still needed work, but since then we began adding songs. and there have been just suggestions and things partly known and agreed to work on like rocket 88 and walking by myself.
but then a gig materialised and so a set list was proposed and now it will be all about the set list at the next 2 rehearsals and in the meantime lots of private practice trying to lift my game.
there are things i just dont know how to play, things i can jam to but which are pretty rough and need specific work to straighten up. and then there are things which are not bad but which i'd like to improve.

lets see, we've got 7 new ones in a 36 song list. those are 3 x 12 song sets.
i personally dont take anything except a set list with titles and key. paddy takes lyrics on an ipad, but i memorise everything. i cant really do much with harp but i probably should start making notes about accompaniment for some of this stuff with which i am less familiar, like the Hooker stuff.

Last Edited by SuperBee on Apr 25, 2017 4:15 PM
ScottK
70 posts
Apr 25, 2017
8:30 PM
Superbee, sounds like fun. rocket 88 what a great tune!
What instruments do you have in your band?
SuperBee
4642 posts
Apr 25, 2017
9:45 PM
Hi ScottK, it is just a 4 piece with bass drums and guitar plus harp. I sing about 40% and the guitarist sings the rest.
Actually as I wrote that I checked th new set list and I see that I am leading 17 and he is leading 19 so it's quite close to 50/50. I leave the set list decisions to others (ie the guitarist) and I think he gives some heed to splitting the vocal duties fairly evenly. For a time it seemed I was getting less. We had a drummer who had strong views about our sets and seemed to be my songs he was keen to cut; that's probably when I formed the idea I was down to 40%
It IS fun to have a band when everyone is getting along and you are feeling like the music is working. I am happy for the guitarist to lead the band; he is good at getting me positive about what we do. He loves the music as much as I do, albeit a slightly different branch of blues history. Our bass player is really good from that point of view too, probably more knowledgeable than either of us, can play some keys and has dabbled with harp so appreciates a lot of the harp stuff.
I have been thinking about this lately, noticing the heroes of the guitarist are Robert Johnson, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker, buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page et al, and it seems to me that is the music which crossed over into blues-rock, rock and roll etc whereas a lot of the stuff I like from 'back then' seems to have taken a different route and leads to soul and soul blues kind of stuff. There's a kind of tension, in a good way I think, between these grittier darker sounds and the more swinging jazzy/melodic stuff. It's been commented on by audiences. Many are familiar with the blues rock stuff but they don't know Little Walter and jr Wells so much. They know harp players like mick jagger and they know muddy waters but a lot seem to be familiar with the British interpretations of things. Whereas I throw Louis Jordan into the mix and it's familiar and it swings but they don't immediately think of it as 'blues'. The real swinging stuff goes over well and it makes us a little bit different to the hardcore guitar bands around town.
The harp used so prominently sets us apart too. There are other harps in town but not many which are such a big part of the band. I like it, but I also shrink from it at times because I know I'm not really such a good player and I'm trying to fill some real big shoes.
And what the heck am I gonna do with 'San Ho-Zay'?
But yeah, you know, I play harp for 3 hours and they give me $100 which is kinda cool. Better than being told to shut up.
ScottK
71 posts
Apr 26, 2017
10:17 AM
Superbee- Interesting stuff about the blues history and everone's perspective. I think the jazzy swingy stuff is great and definitely makes it more interesting and fun. I know what you mean about getting along as a band. I had some issues with that years ago. I play guitar (though lately it's been a lot more harp and guitar for now seems to have taken a back seat.)and have done a lot of perfoming for kids over the years. I tried a few times putting a band together and each time there were issues. So in the mid 90's I decided to just focus on solo. Which was good but I always pictured a band. I had a friend play drums with me for a year or two.At one point my son played drums with me that was fun. A couple years back I began to lay low on the kids stuff partly because financially I needed to work during the summer (that's when most of my kids gigs are) so now I teach at the school I'm at all year,though I still do a handful of shows in the summer. I'm hoping that my newer resurrection of playing harp, getting better I hope...using a looper and starting to play more with others will make a difference when I perform for kids But As I've advertised to join other musicians my motto is: No Egos! I have an idea to form my own band maybe...but for other bands I want to not be in the band but be sitting in with them. And I'm trying to also do various styles. One band I've been practicing with is hard rock, metal, loud and I'm playing 4 led zeppelin tunes with them. They improvised a blues jam at a practice for me to play to also, and well see where that goes. A couple friends play in various bands and I used to occasionally sit in with the bands ranging from grateful dead tribute bands to classic rock covers, until I came to the conclusion when I listened to recordings that I sounded awful and couldn't hear myself on stage most of the time and that's when I said no more joining bands until I improve playing and have my own sound, amp etc. that was a year and a half ago. I recently got together to practice with one of those friends. And someone else that plays guitar in a duo jazz blues standards asked me if I wanted to get together to try it out and that interests me a lot, haven't hooked up yet.

Last Edited by ScottK on Apr 26, 2017 10:21 AM
Spderyak
137 posts
May 05, 2017
4:33 AM
36 songs is quite a few songs.
My wife and I try to keep about 22 songs going for a set list, so about enough for 2 sets when we play.
Same thing trying to add about 4 songs since Jan and tighten up some of the songs (like Walters Boogie)
Since there are just the two of us, plenty of motivation to improve my playing and maybe have 2 solos in a song to get more "mileage" out of of it.
at some point in time I'm going to need to do at least some vocals to help out..

Then we hope to have several or a small "batch'' of similar styled songs where mostly I'll just need to play some fills and simple stuff.
Those will be "toe tappin" Canadian folk tunes in french...4 of those would probably do the trick.

Every so often I hit craigslist for local musicians to jam or play tunes , with mixed results.

I did find guitarist love to play at a jam...endlessly. and much stuff just doesn't need harp..think I'll barf if I ever hear stairway to heaven again...

good luck with the gig...bonne chance avec le gig...
SuperBee
4674 posts
May 05, 2017
6:45 AM
They laughed when I told them it was our 13th gig. 'Oh, you've been keeping count?'
Well yeah, it's not that hard to count them. I can even keep one sock on.

Gig was patchy. My stuff (the stuff I lead) generally good, a few problems in some of the other songs. A few caused by the drummer, inexperience and nerves. A few caused by perhaps the guitarist being really familiar with material to the point that he zoned out on the fact he was with a band, which was not so familiar with it.
Maybe the fretless bass caused some problems with tunefulness at times or perhaps it was the guitar.
And some things caused by me being unsure of how to accompany some songs. I'm finding things to do but not convinced at the moment they all enhance the listening experience.
And a couple of songs just sounded like train wrecks to me, I find it hard to believe the singer didn't notice one of them, which I why I wonder if he shuts off the rest of the world sometimes.
But there was enough good stuff for me to still hold my head up today.
Working on my vocals, I finished set one with blues with a feeling, set 2 with early in the morning (though I had to sing it in E rather than my preference of A; I don't really get that. First time I've had a guitarist dictate the key to the vocalist. I'd rather A, could compromise with G)
Had good audience reaction to the 'big' vocals. And to the 'big' harp songs. My accompaniment may suck at times, but my practiced features seem to be working.
Played 'walking by myself' for the first time. Made up a 12 bar solo by cobbling together 'remembered' pieces of big Walter's actual solo and something of SBW2's solo in DownChild'. I haven't listened to either to check how close I am, but my solo is structured and I'll probably use it again. It may even be original, though it isn't in spirit.
Anyway, that song went pretty well for something we'd rehearsed only twice.
Spderyak
138 posts
May 05, 2017
7:26 AM
Sounds like "a good time was had by all" . When you look back on it.
Curious what kind of audience did you play for ?
SuperBee
4675 posts
May 05, 2017
11:01 PM
Drifters, bar crawlers, loyal friends, curious passers-by.
That bar is in a restaurant strip. They book a lot of 'name' acts, national and international, but in between they need to keep a reputation as a venue that always has a band. There is some form of musical entertainment there 7 days a week. So it's one place that locals can get a gig on a riser with an in house PA. They don't pay that much, but it's about enough. They would've 'lost' money on our gig, but it's an overhead expense for that business model. They are maintaining a brand.
This is a smallish town, 150000, most of whom stay home or have preferred entertainment options. The music we play is really the domain of fairs and festivals these days. The people who still 'really' dig it are generally older than me and we are all a bit over the bar scene. Since smoking was banished from bars, even places where people congregate are often sparsely populated indoors. This joint has a 'beer garden', where smoking is permitted, there are overhead gas heaters and a BBQ and this is now where the patrons seem to gather.


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