You could put a harp together with the spare parts from famous players with lots of mojo. Put some big bolts on it and electrify it with jumper cables connected to a lightning rod. Don't forget to cackle and say "it's alive!"
what i mean is do you think most people who play harmonica really have soul in there sound or are they just sucking and blowing and please no more jokes this info is going to help me get beter.
Many of the techniques for putting soul into a harp are common to any instrument-- or voices-- for that matter. It's important to stay focussed and vary your phrasing, attack, note lengths, dynamics, and even tone. You can stagger your beats (Little Walter was a master at this, as well as varying his tone), open or close your embrochure and cavities for different tones, and remember that you don't have to play all the time.
Harp can be deadly effective by subtraction; maybe you don't even play on the first verse.. maybe you add the harp later. Then, maybe you take the harp away and let people hear the band in a smaller context and add it back in later.
Most of all, don't worry about yourself: it's about the tune, not you. Let the tune come to you. One of my sage musician friends once told me to think like a big catfish in relationship to the tune: lay in a spot where the river comes to you.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 7:35 AM
"What is soul? I don't know, Soul is a ham hock in your cornflakes, Soul is the ring around your bathtub, Soul is a joint rolled in toilet paper Soul is YOU" - George Clinton
Before you can play with soul - you have to know what soul is. Soul does not come from the harp, it is not the product of any technique: it is your unique voice channeled through the instrument. Feel the music and it will come out.
To paraphrase another wise guru...
"Soul is what gives a musician his power... it surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the music together."
forum members: I'm a relative newbie here. I'm an old fashioned harper with about 45 yrs. of playing under my belt. I visit here because you guys are into techniques that I never learned and I want to be exposed to them. However, it amazes me that you can run a thread out to 50 posts when discussing a 3rd position OB, and basically blow a guy off with an honest question about a critical element in playing the blues.
Feeling and soul are not about technique, so the question has a flaw. All the techniques you listed can, in the right hands, convey emotion.
But...
If that emotion is not there to begin with it's wasted energy. I have watched technically brilliant performances - in all fields of the arts - which have failed to engage me emotionally, because I felt the performer was just going through the motions.
You can only play with soul when you can feel the music yourself.
We have a little devil in us sometimes which spurs the little devil in others. The "jester" archetype if you wish... Sometimes it just has to come out...
SonnyD,
Soul comes from the inside. If you can reach out from your insides and touch other's insides - you got soul...
Now if you mean that section of music that kind of combines the element of blues and gospel to form a kind of non religious testifying type music... Well then just play that genre... That is just soul music.
---------- Danny
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 5:34 PM
@MrVerylongusername: If you don't use technique to communicate with an instrument, what do you use... facial expressions,a fedora, a fake accent...? Technique is the vehicle of message.
Soul I don't think can be fully explained in words. You know it when you feel it. You can never really explain the taste of an apple. I can you all about it but only biting into it and tasting it will give you the answer you seek grasshopper. ---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Look at the second half of the sentence I wrote...
"All the techniques you listed can, in the right hands, convey emotion."
But as I went on to say, it is not simply about technique - or else how can the most basic performance, by the most unskilled schoolkid at a Christmas concert move his parents to tears?
Soul is the connection which links the player, the music and the audience. All the technique in the world can still add up to a dry, sterile, soul-less performance.
@Diggs - right on!
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 8:23 AM
@MVln: I couldn't agree with your last statement more. However, I would use an example from personal relationships to make my point; when you want to communicate affection to a woman by holding hands, you generally would not squeeze her hand hard ( as you might if you're both scared ), but if you give her hand a soft brief squeeze you'll send a message without saying a word. If you don't know the difference, you lack communication skills. We all want to avoid the label that Frank Zappa gave the London Philharmonic orchestra when he quit 'em on a project years ago: "F-in Plumbers".
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 8:29 AM
Soul means different things to different people. To me, it's James Cotton's playing. You've got to have dynamic variance, and you can't just play short notes. You've got to develop some vibrato. You've got to play with conviction. You can't sound tentative. You have to really believe what you are playing is important.
If you are more specific about who you think has soul we could talk about the techniques in particular they are using.
You have to 'feel' what you are playing, not just play the notes. Like is said above, dynamics can go a long way to portray soul...but, there is more to it than just varying volume.
I'd say if you're doing all you can just to hit the right notes, you're not quite ready to play with soul. This is that magical time when you're comfortable on the instrument and no longer have to even think about it-the music just flows. This is when the 'soul' is evident. ---------- Todd L. Greene
I don't think anyone can "explain it" to you, that is to say, I don't think playing with soul can be reduced to a set of steps or techniques to master. That's part of the magic, mystery and beauty of music (and other artistic forms for that matter).
I think there is something to the advice you've got to "feel" the music, but on a practical level, how does one follow advice on how to "learn" that? To me either you do or you don't. I've heard people refer to playing "like you mean it". I think there is something to that too, but once again how do you teach/learn that? To me, either you mean it or you don't.
I will also echo Mr.V's remarks about performers who feel like they are "going through the motions". And it's a weird feeling too, because you know they are technicaly proficient but somehow you're just not moved.
Lastly, I'd say that none of the above is meant to say one shouldn't strive to refine and improve their technique. The skills/chops are a pre-requisite to playing with soul (ToddG, above, says it eloquently), although at the risk of contradicting myself, we probably all know a musician or two who does so much with so little (technique).
IMHO, the best advice would be to just practice your ass off, listen to a ton of music that moves you, and don't worry about soul. If you've got it...it will eventually come out.
(PS: I realize this may not be a very satisfying answer, but I sincerely believe there ARE some things that can't be taught)
thank you all i think i have what im looking for and i want to play with my soul more not just playing. i think most music today has lost its soul in it. because it is what the teens like and so we are force to listen to it. but i have heard of a very soulful musician names michael grimm he has lots of soul and etta james shes great. thats why i love listen to the blues because it has soul (IMHO) (to get more people to do that would probly fix this country.)
to me otis redding defined soul the way he put the angst into his vocals-you can also put it into your harp playing from deep within-the harp is a very expressive instrument and you can pour your feelings into it
I use to believe one could "fool" most people with "soul", including most musicians. I have been onstage with many of the greats on self admitted really bad nights and most times people were clueless. I have concluded what touches one soul may not touch another. It is a personal thing. If you feel like you have it you do, and if you feel like you don't, you don't. Most people focus more on what others think about their music vs. letting their inner self shine. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller link to cd
SonnyD, thanks for asking the question, "How to put soul into harmonica?". In my humble opinion, the very asking of the question means you will do it one day, if you don't already. You know enough to recognize its importance.
What I say here comes from an unrepentant blues player's perspective.
Soul = feeling = emotion. That's the ultimate goal, when I play, and the goal, I think, for the blues players in this group. Technique is just a means to an end. (You can't have too much skill, as long as you understand it's there to serve the song, not impress the audience).
So, how to bring soul to your playing? Not sure you can take lessons, but I would say this: If you're a singer, try singing songs that really mean something to you personally. Your harp will probably come along for the ride. If you're a harp player only, it helps if the singer's songs mean something to you, or at least to him or her.
Playing with fellow instrumentalists who are truly feeling the music is good, too. Some of that rubs off on you. For the oldtimers: remember the talk about a "contact high", back in the day? Musicians get a contact high from each other when things are going well.
I shall let you in on a little known trick that I utilize when I go on stage to play, this is just between you and me: I consume a beer, or two, or three. For me, it takes away my stage fright, and lets the passionate bluesman in me come out.
Lastly, not sure you can learn this one, but playing blues, of and by itself, brings out the natural soul in some players. I've loved blues since I first heard it when I was about 9 years old. It inspired me then, and inspires me now. The very playing of a blues song brings out the soul in me, as opposed to playing, e.g., a pop, rock or country song.
Soul= *Varying the volume--Within a note AND from phrase to phrase. *Playing "soulful" riffs/lines. *Good use of vibrato. *Good bending technique. *Hand effects. *Good tone. *Using the right articulation for each note. *I'm sure there are more. *Using or NOT using any of the above at the proper time.
IMO, you don't necessarily have to feel it (though it helps)...You just need to make it sound like you feel it.
This is my own experience and may not apply to you: When I learn a new song, be it a cover that I'm trying to copy or something I'm trying to make up for a song,at first I learn just the notes. Only after I am comfortable with where all the notes are can I then try to put soul into it. That comes from within you. Sometimes I'll think of something happy or sad that's happened to me to give me more "soul" i.e. emotion.
Be confident in your playing. Be in groove with the music.
That's all there really is to it. You'll naturally play with dynamics, etc, according to your current level.
When you hear the song and it tells you what to play, and you don't have to over think it, you are golden. Granted, not everyone will like it and it may not be as technically demanding as you want it to be, but it is honest, and that is always satisfying.
To find soul, you have to remove the "you" from the equation (ie ego). Easy to say, hard to accomplish for many. It's not about "dig me - check out my chops", but "dig the music - it will make you weep with sorrow or dance with joy" ---------- The Iceman
If you are talking about playing Blues, the old adage about "playing what fits" comes into play.
Quite often that means, you have got to spend time doing your homework. My answer isn't an instant gratification kind of thing. You have to spend time doing a lot of listening and absorbing.
The early joke of putting a fish between your cover plates(putting 'sole' in your harp) is comparatively much easier to explain and understand than playing with soul is, now isn't it?
Bottom line is this:you will know when you are playing with soul-the music will just flow through you and you'll feel it, free of thought. And soul has nothing at all to do with style-the most simplistic harp lines or some of the notier runs can be dripping with soul, or be as cold and 'soulless' as if they were sight-read. Soul comes from the player, not the music itself.
Any soul's better than no soul, imo. Caring about it is a good start. I play the blues 'cuz I love 'em, not 'cuz it gets me gigs, ha! I play keyboards and trumpet too, but I'm really a harper, 'cuz for me, it's got more soul ( whatever that is, :) )
That's a soulful melody to begin with. She generally sings louder near the beginning of the phrases and drops the volume down near the end of them. She uses a little vibrato on the longer notes. The tone of her voice has a rich timbre. She attacks some words (notes) harder than others (good articulation). She bends some notes.
Analytically explaining it is easy. Describing the feeling isn't....Except to say "soulful."
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 1:45 PM
harpdude61 sez: Please tell me you do not need a hardship filled life to have soul as well.
I don't know of anyone who hasn't had a hardship filled life in one way or another, whether it be my wife left me and took the house (it was a mobile home) or I got a lousy grade on my home economic final (hardships being relative). So anyone with true life experiences can find the good and bad to tap into to soulfully express through their art. ---------- The Iceman
If all soul is was use of dynamics, then a computer can play with soul.
Soul is not something you can bottle. It's what makes me cry when I hear "Strange Fruit", it's what makes me feel alive when I hear Aretha. It's the emotional connection I feel with Springsteen's Darkness On the Edge of Town. It's in lyrics sung from experience. Soul is the sound of Johnny Rotten spitting out his anger and the love you can actually hear as Stevie Wonder sings to his newborn child.
Soul can be expressed through the voice, an instrument, a presence. It comes from the performer but is perceived only by others: you cannot say "I've got soul". As Iceman says it is not an ego driven thing.
Soul is the human connection and it is the ultimate X-factor
A lot here said well on a topic that isn't served well by words. I've been told many times that my playing has it, but I know I have to go get it. I think it's a very serious thing to me but I generally don't like to talk about it. 3rd works pretty well though.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 4:14 PM
I just though of another "soul" factor: Lagging a little behind the beat can add soul.
---- When you hear soul, you're hearing...SOMETHING. You're not telepathically receiving emotions from the performer...or from the CD. If you can hear it, it can be defined...and replicated.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 4:34 PM
Being free of the constrains of your instrument as much as it's possible...
Then thinking of a moment of your life, a picture in your memory and feeling, and using it with control when you play...
A certain sense of the "Taste" (good or bad) can helps too ---------- Never try to be as good as someone else, succeed to be the best player you can be!
"Gene - then please define it in absolute, objective terms."
I did a few posts back, though that list doesn't list ALL the factors, I'm sure. When it is defined in absolute, objective terms, however, the definition itself does not sound soulful...It just sounds clinical. Nonetheless, it is a definition of what you are hearing.
I would venture to say that if there existed a high enough quality software (timbre adjustments, etc.), and enough time and patience, soul could be acheived on a computer. Once again, sound is a physical phenomina, and the feeling of soul is (much more easily by a human than a computer) conveyed by utilizing that phenomina...Not by telepathy.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 4:56 PM
On my compuer claim: Let's take a look at just one note...An 8 beat long note. Plug in a note using a guitar voice...Just a raw note. Now add some vibrato starting about halfway through it and intensify that vibrato 'til the end of the note. Also increase the volume of that note from beginning to end, and maybe a quick drop in volume right at the end. Now add a touch of reverb. It still ain't human, but it does sound a lot better than just the raw note.
Oh, and maybe you could start the note a little below pitch, and bend up to pitch.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 5:13 PM
I talked about shared emotion and experience. You cannot share emotions and experiences with a computer because it doesn't have any.
Some things defy definition without comparison, they can only be experienced.
What is happy? Define love What do you see when you see yellow?
I don't think you could ever truly define 'soul' in objective terms; it is dependent on the listener. What touches and moves me could seem cold, boring and clinical to you. Matters of taste, life experience, culture, age etc...
I do not agree though that it is as simple as adding vibrato and dragging the beat.
Last Edited by on Sep 12, 2011 4:42 PM
