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beginner forum: for novice and developing blues harp players >
What Style of Blues does it for you?
What Style of Blues does it for you?
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Tank
7 posts
May 10, 2017
3:37 PM
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I'd be interested to know just what Blues styles people are in to. What songs inspire you to practice? What style do you want to play?
For me, I'd LOVE to be able to play things like "Rag Mamma Rag" by the Levon Helm band. I know there is no harp on the original recording, but there IS room for harp if done with a different line-up.
Also, there are LOADS of Lynyrd Skynyrd songs: Simple Man, Down South Junkin', Gimme Three Steps, etc.
I'm right at the very beginning of my harp journey right now. only got my first harp (Suzuki Bluesmaster in C) about 10 hours back (13:30 BST on 10 May 17), but its songs like those I mention above that will be making me get out in the woodshed and Practice!
Don't forget:- Inhale, and kick a$$ !!
Keith. (Norfolk. England)
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ScottK
86 posts
May 10, 2017
7:28 PM
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Hey Tank, Im sure you may get info from others even more in depth than me. But as someone whose played harp for a long time, however only since last Nov started re-learning, and improving my mediocre skill and entered more into music that I listened to some but not really as I am now...
So for at least 10 years of Neil Young and Bob Dylan... Then started crossharp but never really correctly but jammed a lot with friends and not necessarily blues. 30+ years later I've renewed my passion and learning.
If you asked me a couple years ago I probably would have said any thing grateful dead...
all the songs you've mentioned I like and would enjoy playing on. I've been playing on some zeppelin tunes with a band and its a blast of course. the singer and I are trying to get them all to learn the wizard by black sabbath. Love the Allmans, I love lots of Jamband Music, This is all fun. And ya I'll play with any grateful dead band, or along to a tune but better (and less playing during songs) than I used to. Specifically their bluesier tunes and covers like walkin blues, cc rider, little red rooster, deep elem blues, Big River, Big Railroad Blues, Smokestack Lightning, Spoonful, Lovelight, Deal, tennesee jed (which Levon Helm did an awesome cover of)...
My preference is music that is expressive, musicians playing with each other/listening to each other and not too loud.
But really what I'm most into learning and playing now is blues songs by all the old blues greats like little walter, sonny boy williamson I, II, big walter horton, slim harpo, I really like howlin wolf. many more...and still discovering, Old Blues tunes also that may or may not have harp on them. Any blues tunes/covers by Clapton I like and enjoy playing. I love the style of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Currently touring players styles like Jason Ricci is incredibly inspiring.
Im learning some tunes I can play and maybe sing if the opportunity comes up and also just for my own fun. Some songs are: Driftin Blues, Key to the Highway, Big Boss Man, The Sky is Crying, My Babe.
I like to play along to jazzy blues, and connected with a guitarist that plays more jazz blues and standards.
Aside from blues, I like to play along to Irish folk type stuff though i havnet played much. And other folk tunes like Oh Shenandoah, the tune Ashokan Faewell is a goal of mine to be able to play well.
And I like Funk so I hope to get some experience with that
others on this forum can elaborate much more than me on various aspects of the blues and styles, players etc..
Last Edited by ScottK on May 10, 2017 8:47 PM
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Truth2012
63 posts
May 10, 2017
11:06 PM
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Hi Tank
All blues, especially harmonica blues, do it for me.
I try to listen to any blues I can lay my digital hands on!
I do try to mix my listening time to country blues like Sonny Terry and Phil Wiggins with Chicago blues players like Little and big Walter also Sonny Boy Williamson ll
By listening to all types I think that you will find your own style in time.
Good to hear from another fellow Brit. I'm in the West, Tiverton, Devon.
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Spderyak
139 posts
May 11, 2017
3:43 AM
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I like boogie..I'm not to much for cry in my beer blues...I look for boogie..dance music.
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NJenkins83
9 posts
May 12, 2017
7:59 AM
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Hey Tank,
Enjoy the Bluesmaster I also play Bluesmasters and quite like em compared to the cheap harps I've played up to point. I enjoy country blues. Particularly Piedmont style blues. Sonny Terry was one of the first but a more recent sup I enjoy in this style is Cephas & Wiggins. Great songs id love to play one day include Stackolee and Dog Days of August.
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Killa_Hertz
2372 posts
May 12, 2017
8:04 AM
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Two words .... Walter Horton.
His playing is just awe inspiring, imho.
His playing on the album "An offer you can't refuse" is as good as it gets for me.
Also "Can't keeploving you." And the Carey bell album are fantastic. I especially love alot of his lesser known works. I just got my hands on a Rare lp of his Floyd and horton "do nothing till you hear from us" I'm waiting for it in the mail. I can't wait to hear it.
His work with DeBerry is excellent. Raw.
Horton is amazing.
Tank if you are just starting out it may take you some time to really appreciate some of the best of what blues harp as to offer. It did for me anyways.
In the very beginning I listened to alot of Rice Miller (sonny boy2) and Junior Wells. They are the two that really got me wanting to play harp.
Hoodoo man blues by junior wells and
help me by sonny boy2 are the two songs that I always loved and are what drove me to pick up the harp. Help me was the first full song I learned to play. And I'm still trying to play it like Sonny Boy does.
Also I have always been a big howlin wolf fan.
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on May 12, 2017 8:09 AM
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SuperBee
4698 posts
May 12, 2017
6:57 PM
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I'm mid 50s now and been interested in blues music since I was about 16. My tastes have definitely changed over the last 40-ish years. Although I still enjoy Sonny Boy Williamson/Miller about as much or more than I did at the start, and his 'real folk blues' record is one of the 1st I ever bought.
I still enjoy the zep, but I probably only play them less than once a year. I had a friend who was into all that southern rock and I became familiar with it, but since he's gone I've never felt inclined to listen to it. Not my scene.
I never cared for Jimmy Reed until I worked on playing the high end of the harp and decided Bright Lights Big City was a good study. I was right, it worked perfectly to teach me to play the blow bends fluently. And I started to dig Jimmy Reed's music, and that led me to check out Eddie Taylor. It's easy to brush over that stuff but it's actually pretty deep. Jimmy Reed probably made more successful records than any of his contemporaries and there's gotta be a reason for that.
I used to dig all that 'british' stuff. It was going to s couple John Mayall shows that really got me into this in the first place. I still enjoy some of the Brit stuff but I don't play it a lot, mainly because I'm still finding music I don't know, or which I've skimmed over. Most of my listening now is about becoming a better vocalist and harp player so that's what I'm listening to.
But I think Peter Green particularly stands up as a guitarist from that British blues movement, as a player I can listen to. I shouldn't diss Mayall as a harp player, because I learned so much or was inspired so much by him, but I don't find his playing especially inspirational now that I've heard what was inspiring him. Respect to him though, and gratitude. He's influenced me a lot.
The wolf is an interesting case for me, I don't like his singing much but I recognise some great songs in his bag. Just a one that I'm still struggling with
The willie Dixon songs I think are a bit overplayed and I kind of shy away from them these days but you know, that's actually because they're really good. As commercial writing.
What I really love is Little Walter. With Little Walter's music I love it for its own sake. I don't care that it's overplayed and harp playing cliche zone. That guy's stuff is the duck's guts for me.
I'm not talking about his sideman work, although I like that too. I mean that stuff he led himself with the Jukes aka the Aces. That's the band I love best, I love them as The Aces with and without Jr Wells too.
And I dig Robert Lockwood.
I enjoy muddy waters stuff from across his entire career, but at some time I started listening to Jimmy Rogers. I can listen to any Jimmy Rogers record and I'll enjoy it. something about him grounds me. I can shut down with Rogers. And if he used a harp on the record, it was always great. Jimmy Rogers is very near the top of the heap for me.
Junior Wells. He probably wouldn't have liked me but I love him. I really rate him as one of the greatest of all time. My friend here doesn't care for JW because he was very unpleasant when they met, on racial grounds, and he can't get over that. I dunno how I'd feel if I'd had that experience but I've learned a lot from Junior just by watching and listening from a distance. I even found value in his widely dissed teaching video.
Magic Sam I like. And t bone walker.
Some of champion jack Dupree' stuff is among my favourite records ever. I saw him play once, nearly 30 years ago. I really enjoyed his show. More than Lockwood, and more than Brownie McGhee actually.
So I can't pin it down and say 'Chicago and west coast' like I thought I was gonna at first. But there is a lot of 'blues' music produced which is yet to float my boat, or which I am not really gonna listen to anymore.
I could ramble on some more but it's nearly midday
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indigo
372 posts
May 12, 2017
9:23 PM
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I probably have at least one record of everyone mentioned so far and plenty of other blues as well.
I like it all but what really love the most i think, is a plain old one chord boogie.'specially with Slide guitar and harp.
Basically all the variations on Hookers Boogie that people do..
I remember one night (when we had a rural property)the family were all out so i sat myself out on the deck with some cold ones and played Hooker'n Heats 20 min boogie 3 times in row at full volume.
(haven't ever played it again since though;-)
Last Edited by indigo on May 12, 2017 9:24 PM
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