Nice bends, chords, splits, vibrato and rhythm. And other stuff ;-) What are you using for the beat? ---------- Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy. -Dan Castellaneta
You asked for it....here it comes. You have a voice that is a STONE COLD KILLER! Great tone and you have a lot of heart in it. Drop the "s" at then end of "knows"....you cant sell it. It doesn't work for you and you can't front it off. (makes me think of that idiot Dan Akroyd with his goofy hat) That's the only thing I can growl about in an otherwise STERLING piece of vocals. Wish I could sing like you. The harmonica sounds like a conglomeration of licks, passages, and efforts with ZERO direction or purpose. Bet you couldn't duplicate it if you had to? Work out a distinctive harp solo that says "I am ME" and allocate it to this tune only. So someone will be saying..."what are the 'tabs' to his version of this". Then you have stamped it with your own lines. Your 2 draw is weak..not pure (a G harp can be tough, at first, down there on the low end) The 4-5 warble is weak also...not clean and pure. I don't like the hand wah-wah's in this tune...somehow they rub me the wrong way. Maybe I just keep waiting for that chromatic "george smith" type of thing in 3rd, but I still think the hand wah-wah's don't make it. You jumped right off meter and started speeding it up in about the second 12 bars...probably from playing so much solo, I dont know, but if thats the case..get a metronome and hold that drive steady at the same pace. No doubt about it, you can play the thing...you just need to refine it. Maybe less is more here? That damn voice of yours is fantastic..what a gift! Now they can all call me names. Regards, "Old Grouchy"
For my tastes...too busy with harmonica for a story song with a mournful lament. Nothing wrong with technique...just the wrong song for it. Kinda like hearing "Death Letter" played as a shuffle.
Agree with joelee on the vox.
I play this song totally minor...more like Kim Wilson, but with a few tricks of my own. Lots of TB'ing . I switch four different harps...like I do with Miles' "So What". I go 3rd pos, 4th pos, minor keyed natural, and lo chromatic.
Hi I just read the 2 comments before and here is my opinion.
When I start listening to a tune/song someone sings or plays I keep listening what He is doing, not what I would do. It is so easy to say: "Okay, it does not sound like Kim Wilson or you should use a chromatic or 3rd position etc." In this case I would like to see or hear a recording of those who make this suggestions.
Not Every blues song is a harmonica tune with tabs! That is not true. We all know that about Little Walter`s "Juke", which is a alternative recording and he just played it differently any time. After you heard a song, than you can write down the tabs.
On the other side you only can play "Whammer Jammer" like...."Whammer Jammer". I just wanna say: you can play "Juke" like LW did with the help of tabs. But you can - maybe - only catch the result of the recording session Walter did.
In my opinion only harmonica players ask for tabs - not me - and I`m not sure if this is the soul of a blues song. You have to play what you feel in the right moment. Everyone who plays music on stage knows that and blue is a good style of music to improvise, to make my own print. Sorry for my englisch, I try my best to say what I wanna say.
I do like what heart2harp is playing, his tone is rich and full. I like his voice which is his voice, not a copy of someone else. I´m no singer, bad for me.
I see a lot of differnet videos here and this one is one of the good ones, there are much more real bad examples of playing the harp wrong. But I ignore them. But when I see something good, I can say that.
At Last one point: Please all of you who have suggestions to play this or that better: don`t talk about it, just show it to us. Upload a song file or a video. Everyone can work with that better as with words.
To Mario: I KNEW better than to get into this..I knew it but my occasional zeal to see someone get better overrode my good sense. The suggestion about "someone wanting the tabs" was meant to give the gent a direction for having a signature version of a tune so others would want to copy it and maybe treat it in their own way. Little Walter did this, they ALL did this...otherwise how would you know it was Juke or Easy or Whammer Jammer or Creeper, Harpburn, Mighty Long Time, or anything else. Yea, yea, yea..I know it wasn't note for note every time but you still knew which song it was. (I saw Rod hit the opening lines of Mighty Long Time here, once, and 2 harp blowers beside me knew EXACTLY what was coming) As for me personally being able to do any of this stuff of which I preach? Well,lol,...my recording and performing background (most of which is readily available on the web)will take care of any questions in that regard. JoeLee <==goes back into his self-imposed exile and minds his own business while kicking himself in the butt for opening his big stupid mouth in the first place.
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2011 7:26 AM
haha! you are right. It does sound like I'm saying "you knowS what I'm talking about". Actually, I'm singing "you know just what I'm talking about". I'm just switching so fast from "know" to "just" taht it souns like a single "knows". Thanks to you, now I'm annoyed by my interpretation of that particular line :-)
I thought your critique was appropriate. Thanks to your second post, I finally went "searching" for you to hear where you're coming from. Your cut of "Black Night" is seriously top notch.
I'd recommend others do the same and go look this player up and then re-read any of his posts that may have brushed you the wrong way.
Do not stop commenting! A mouse could fart here and it could flame out. I think a thicker skin can do everyone a little good - Especially if you aspire to entertain others. The world isn't all daffodils and bunnies.
Mario,
not everyone can post a video reply, nor would take the time to do it. There are plenty of people here who give constructive criticism and some have a little more weight than others. Blues DOES have a tradition in which it is firmly rooted - no matter what new places it is taken.
Mathieu,
Nice! Wall of sound baby! You've got a great full sound there. The singing again is wonderful. I have loved this song since I started listening to the blues. I have always wanted to work up a solo version.
Last Edited by on Mar 26, 2011 9:27 AM
To: JoeLeebush KingOBad sez: Do not stop commenting! A mouse could fart here and it could flame out. I think a thicker skin can do everyone a little good - Especially if you aspire to entertain others. The world isn't all daffodils and bunnies.
JoeLee sez to KingOBad: I like the part about the mouse...now THAT is funny schtick. What a sense of timing! (and you know, all the greats say that for comedy to be good it has to have a trace of truth in it) LMAO FOREVER ON THAT ONE. Regards, Me. <===(says "squeak squeak...gimme dat cheese, gimme dat cheese") LOL LOL LOL
Wow, top notch playin dude. You've got that footdrum down to a tee, all you need is a footdrum! The chords were smooth and the dynamic of the song was achieved very well.
