No overblow yet, and it's hurried somehow... can I get it? let's see.......
Does it matter if the tempo isn't exactly spot on as long as the timing is okay, i.e. will it be judged to be worse if the length isn't 41 secs or whatever it is? (I think my timing is nevertheless hurried at points; missed beats)
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2012 4:29 AM
I'm amazed by how many of the participants in this thread are brand-new members here. It's like Adam shook a tree and they started falling out, armed with videos-good ones, at that.
Yeah! Can't work it out Todd. Where were thay all when Blow Your Brains Out was running. Maybe just shows you what a 100 bucks prize money can do? I'm being flipant.
Last Edited by on Feb 29, 2012 1:36 PM
Honestly, I'd feel bad getting $100 from Adam- I feel like I owe him so much more than that; if it weren't for him I don't even know that I'd be playing harmonica, and if I was I wouldn't be half as good as I am. ---------- It's all in the tongue
I second Patrick's sentiment. After achieving bare mediocrity in the early 1990s, my playing remained completely stagnant until inspired by Youtube and Hill Country Harmonica. My renewed interest came from a mix of factors, but it's fair to say that the most influential ones stemmed from Adam.
I can sometimes get the overblow... unfortunately not this time.. This competition has encouraged me to learn them.. Anyone find that the overblow sometimes makes the 4 blow reed stick in the phrase that comes a bit later? I had to learn to blow that part extra hard to overcome it.
Last Edited by on Mar 01, 2012 8:18 AM
If your harp is sticking after the 4 overblow I would think it's one of two things:
1. If you gapped or adjusted your harmonica to facilitate the overblow, you may have your gapping too tight.
2. Because you are still getting the hang of overblows you may be getting alot of saliva on the blow reed which is causing it to become unresponsive or slow to respond after popping out of the overblow.
Weeeeeee.... I love playing again now. Was so stressed out after trying REALLY hard for days, wandering around Edinburgh for hours practising it. I got this take whilst relaxing after watching some Tai Chi videos. Everything is sort of in the right place. This thing has taught me to overblow.. Trial by overBLOWTorch. And I got it just before running out of time... (I now have to pack my bags and get ready to catch a flight). I don't think I'll win, there'll be some really good ones and they'll crush me I'm sure but I'm happy to have Adam and you other guys watch my video. Thankyou Adam.. I can't wait to start learning something else with the same kind of focus. Hmm, Horton... Bell... That funky Hound Dog Junior Wells stuff... More Gussow.. sorry for waffling on. THANKYOU ADAM and also RIDGE and EVERYONE and also thank you to my sister for having her art grace the video. Gordon 'Horwellston', Edinburgh, Scotland.
Last Edited by on Mar 03, 2012 12:09 PM
Played with a new, previously unboxed Marine Band Classic in E. Unfortunately, my video cam has broken down some weeks ago, so there is only an audio recording. My playing is a little bit sloppy. But well, that's the way it is.
Anyway, thank you Mr. Gussow, it was a lot of fun and I learned a bag of new riffs! I'm looking forward to the next competition.
Wow... more good entries! I really enjoyed the one by BrotherAndy, but now, for my money (no dogs in this race), I think HarpKeyAl has taken the lead! Woooo doggy! This is fun to watch! ---------- == I S A A C ==
Enjoying and having fun is what music is all about for me, so I'm very very happy about your comment. Winning this competition would be nice reason to travel all the way from Funland(Finland) to HCH!!!!!! So I hope Adam is enjoying my video too ;)
Greetings from Chile. A lot of fun trying to understand Adam solo. i learn a lot from it. This is my entry. i am not Overblower so i replaced the ob for a simple bend. I hope you like it...
Here is my attempt. Man has it been an experience trying to do this!!
Well, if my neighbors hadnt figured out I play harmonica already they definitely know now!! Thanks for this opportunity Adam!!
Last Edited by on Mar 04, 2012 8:30 AM
Several folks have emailed me video clips and mp3s over the past 24 hours. Apparently they waited until this point to register for the forum, then hoped they'd be approved immediately.
I've just approved the few that were there, but at this point, I need to stress the following: This competition doesn't have many rules, but what few it has are listed at the top of the thread, and I'll clarify one of them now.
I don't accept emailed submissions. If you want to be part of this competition, you have to upload a video or an audio to some filesharing site that is accessible to the general public--i.e., I need to be able to "go there," wherever your URL sends me, as do the rest of this forum's members and the interested general public, and easily view/listen to your submission. You need to link that video or audio clip from this thread, so that it's either an embedded video or audio clip or, alternately, a video or audio that comes up when you give the link in your post on this thread.
The burden is on you. If you post to Youtube, as many or most folks here have done, you make it easy for me. If I have trouble accessing your submission--i.e., if I can't access it after a couple of tries--I won't consider it.
My plan is to sit down at some point after the close of the competition with a pen and a pad of paper and go through every submission pasted into this thread. I may go through once very quickly to create a competitors list, and then go through a second time, making preliminary judgments before going back through a third time to listen to the best 7-10 entries a final time. I'll winnow. I can already tell that competition is fierce.
When I've got a winner and two runners-up, I'll post the results HERE, this thread, but I'll also create a new thread and post the results there, then post a link to this thread in that thread. I may also create a new page on this website in which I post my video, then the three winning clips.
I think I'll have time on Wednesday to judge everything. I'm going on vacation on Friday for a few days and I want to get this done before I go. So let's assume that this will all be done by 8 AM CST on Friday, March 9th.
Last Edited by on Mar 03, 2012 11:39 AM
Hi, I just finished my version of the solo. I played my guitar and my homemade stompbox to make a backing track for this. Thanks for the opportunity Mr. Gussow. It was a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun. See you at HCH!
This is my first time embedding a video, so hopefully it works. Mr Gussow thank you for the contest, great idea. Greetings to everyone from Colombia/Southamerica.
I'm glad I participated in this challenge. It's provided some solid musical motivation that I've been lacking for quite some time now. While I'm still not entirely satisfied, I think I accomplished what I set out to, and I'm a better player for it. My best to you all,
I don't know if I missed the deadline for submission as this is my first ever post of a video, but what the heck. It's been a real learning experience either way! thanks for the motivation Adam et al.
Hmmm - thanks for the heads up tookatooka. I am really new to how to upload videos. I could watch it from my own computer; didn't realize others couldn't see it. Looks like I was able to "unlock" it - but not sure if that changes the one above. So here it is again (probably too late now). Oh well. It was still a lot of fun. Thanks again to Adam & folks at the forum!
Man, this competition is a total trip! I can't decide!!! Every time I hear a new one, I'm like "THAT's the ONE!"!!! Seriously! The last clip from Dan Gage, the new one from Dan Ridgway, Throttelskeezer's clip, JodanChudan's clip, the one from HarpKeyAl, and now also the one from surrealIdeal, those are the ones that would seem to be front-runners according to Adam's criteria. There are other notables that have made very very good entries that I really liked, but which don't meet Adams "note for note, same groove, same tone" criteria. Those are the ones from BrotherAndy and ToddAllenGates. All the entries are great, and everyone should be really proud. It's been really cool to be a bystander on this one, and I'm quite curious to see who Adam picks!! ---------- == I S A A C ==
Not much of a competition in my opinion... That Justin Boots kid won it hands down...
MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: That's my 12 year old son playing his heart out.
Seriously, everyone that entered should be proud of their accomplishments. I am amazed at the ability to listen to a piece of music and to reproduce it... Add to that the pressure of a short time frame, and to me, the results are fantastic. Good work everyone... I am impressed.
Just turned 12 in January... He's been playing for about a year and a half. "Just for fun" he says, "Its not near as hard as the guitar..." (Which he plays pretty well)
Not to soften my edges up too much here, but you guys were very "cute" as a dad and son. That must have been a fun experience to share. As a dad, I enjoyed seeing you guys there.
Good luck to your son and see you in MS if you are going again...
I've gone through all the entries and made a list of the competitors. Since only one official entry is allowed per entrant--your best shot--I've scrolled slowly through the three pages of the thread and made a spreadsheet that reads as follows:
ridge Throttleskeezer jodanchudan Tiandrezio BrianFalther Patrick Barker Tonyh Kingobad [ignore this first submission] ToddAllenGates alejandro86 BrotherAndy Horwellston Slewis [ignore this first submission] HarpKeyAl blythelight [ignore this first submission] ErwinChinolost blowasaurusrex Kingobad Slewis [ignore this second submission] Boots toepickle12 12gagedan [ignore this first submission] surrealldeal Hemoccult Blue jaimekike 12gagedan [ignore this second submission] 12gagedan blythelight Slewis
If you are an official entrant, PLEASE READ THIS LIST CAREFULLY. If I have left you out of the list, please, IN THIS THREAD, let me know that, and please tell me where I can find your official entry--i.e., between which two names in the list above.
I plan to judge the entries later today, so if I've made a mistake here and you need to contact me, time is of the essence. Please DON'T post any comment to this thread for the time being unless it specifically addresses an error that I've made in assembling this list of finalists. Thanks.
Last Edited by on Mar 08, 2012 9:48 AM
Adam, greetings. I just got out of work 4:30 p.m. (EDT)and read your post. I don't know if you've made your choices yet; this may be all for naught. That said, unless you were unable to follow my Youtube link or my post missed the original deadline, I thought I'd point out my entry between the last two posts (blythelight and Slewis). Regardless, thank you for your time. It was a blast trying to replicate your solo and watching other's wonderful posts. Peace, Steve (Bluevooch) Here is the link again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lASm2QtFrY
Last Edited by on Mar 08, 2012 1:37 PM
Last Edited by on Mar 05, 2012 7:39 AM