Here's a little something I did last summer in the Baltic-Nordic Harmonica Festival gala concert. I haven't contributed to MBH with my looper solo material before, so here you go: genuine harmonica dubstep live from Estonia.
Really great stuff J-Sin! Is that a headrush that you are using for the looping? It sounds really good. Nice and clean on all the layers... I really like harp looping for this type of music. It just "works".
Thanks guys! The reception has been surprisingly positive, both in the concert hall and with the video.
This was one of my first performances with this kind of setup. This is also the only song this far where I use a minor harp. I believe minor chord vamping is about the only thing you can't do with a major key harp.
@isaac: Yes, it's a headrush. I like the small buttons in it. Also using a first generation POG here, and a cheap Behringer XM8500 mic that just happens to be the best beatboxing mic I have come across.
And no, I came back from Turkey in January, with tons of new ideas. Some of them will be on our second album I'm sure...
Here's another one from the same venue, a Balkan style tune. I'm not 100% satisfied with my playing here, but posting it anyway:
Cool J-Sin... Thanks for the info! I gotta buy my one of those XM8500 mics. For $20, you can't go wrong! Maybe I'll buy as my birthday present fro myself (I'll be turning 32 shortly!)
Nice beatbox tone, good harmonica tone, nice playing. How do you produce such realistic kickdrum tone. I'm working on my beatbox at least two year, and I still dislike my kick tone, it's unstable and often thin.
Anyway I hardly understand why audience so like these looping performances. I use Boss RC-2 looper and I noted than people really like that simple shit, much more than rehearsed tight band. Any loop player for the first minute prepares very boring and simple playalong and then play or sing over it. Great prerecorded playalong sounds better. Great band (or choir) behind soloist will sound tighter and lively. But audience will like loop stuf more. Why? ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2011 4:24 AM
I think - certainly from my point of view - it's the build up. I've seen Mr Woodnote and Son of Dave live and a huge part of the appeal is watching something evolve right before your eyes (and ears!). As you say the first part of a looper performance is the actual construction. With a live performance, the audience often recognises the tune from the first few chords - it's a very different experience with looping. And it's a new artform so there's the novelty factor.
I agree with MrVery. It is nice too see how it all is constructed. It is also surprising - first you here just some basic rhythm and then a new layer upon layer is created which forms together something that you could not see coming.
Of course for the performer it is actually quite boring and mechanical as s/he knows exactly what is coming and how the layers are build.
One thing is also that it is done live. Playalong does sound better, but it's like listening a record - people enjoy live shows more..
I consider looping as a form of trance. When the music starts to heap gradually it's always a revelation. But one must use this effect with creativity and precision, so that it becomes music. I think it's a real challenge – it's surprisingly hard! Most of harp looping music is still in progress, in my humble opinion.
And seeing my own performance afterwards from DVD made one thing clear to me: I'm not going to perform like this. The performance is too static to my taste, mostly because 1) I have to stay in one place because of the looper (and I love to move a lot) and 2) harpist has half of his face covered to begin with. Result - no facial expressions, no movement, no revolution. I'm using an accordion and a Kaossilator also, so that might save people from boredom.
What I'm going to do next is to organize shows with someone who's not a musician e.g. a circus performer, magician, actor, dancer... That way I can concentrate on the music and the audience has also something else to observe. I'm trying next month with an actress, so let's see how that works out.
@Boris: About the kick - I believe the key thing is to open your vocal tract and throat as much as you can, much like producing a good tone on the harp. After that it's just studying on how your lips should oscillate to produce that optimal, bassy sound. Good luck!
Lovin your stuff J-sin. On the second video can you tell us more about the music? The musica tradition behind it - the scale (harmonic minor?) etc. also which harp / position ? On 'Hamam' I believe you where in 1st? Is that what you prefer for all of these minor pieces ? ----------
Duh! -I just got it - You are playing a FESTIVAL based on Baltic- Nordic harmonica music. - That there would even be such a festival is mind blowing. Fantastic - Where was this? ----------
@bonedog: The festival is every year in Pärnu, Estonia. It's a general harmonica festival for all kinds of music, not just for baltic-nordic styles.
The second piece is something I like to call "Balkanavia" a wordplay from Balkan and Scandinavia. I try to imitate Balkan rhythmics and their approach to the trumpet a bit. It's not faithful to their aesthetics, only an influence on this one. If you're not familiar with the music, I urge you to check it out. With a quick search I could find a similar bass line and time signature from this one:
Ain't that some wicked music!
In my piece, I play the bass line with LLF (1st), then the chordal background with Bb (2nd) and then the melody with Eb (3rd). You figure out the rest!
Sometimes I use 1st position, but not generally for music like this. 3rd, 4th and 5th are wonderful positions for klezmer, Balkan and Turkish music. I also use 8th and 12th... You name it! Interestingly, the more I play world music, the less I seem to play in 2nd position, actually.
I just wanted to add my support for what MrVLUN said. I really think that the audience digs that it's just ONE person BUILDING a song in front of them, live. I think people really hate hearing "canned" music, even if it's really good canned music. They feel a little ripped off by it. Thus, live looping allows you to get the effect of canned backing trax (rhythm and chords to play over) but without offending your audience by playing something prerecorded. They SEE you making the backing track, so to them, it's still live performance.
Now, adding sampling and DJ techniques into the mix (e.g., with your kaossolator), where you are manipulating your samples "live" to create something new, now that would be something different all together. ---------- == I S A A C ==
Jsin- Thank' so much for your detailed reply and sharing the video by the NSO . Among other things I am experimenting with music using similar scales - Mostly in 12th but sometimes 3d 4'th and 5'th - I did a little in 1st over your Hamam when you first shared it. Really I'm still very new to all of it - having played striclty in 2nd for 36 out of 37 years.
If you'd be up for a skype lesson - I'd love to try that with you sometime.
Actually, I've been thinking about this Skype thing for a while now. I've held face-to-face lessons and workshops, and I can't see why Skype would be that different.
There are plenty of great blues harp teachers around, but not that many are teaching the styles I might be more familiar with. I'm willing to share my area of expertise, that is to say "world music". This applies to everybody here, if you're interested. Please let me know.
I'm going on tour tomorrow for 2 weeks, but I'll let you know when I would be up for some Skyping.
