tookatooka
2735 posts
Feb 23, 2012
2:57 AM
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I was conscious of hijacking Adams Clinic and gig thread so thought it should have its own.
This is how it went:
"Hey Guys, just a thought. What happens when you have a load of hyped-up blues harpists, fresh out of the clinic, waiting for a gig, a couple of hours to kill, with St. Pauls Cathedral just down the road?
Just ripe for a "flash mob blues busk" if you ask me?
This could be a YouTube opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Ideas anyone?"
So far Will Greener (captainbliss), peduarte and myself are up for it.
The opportunity will probably never occur again, especially near St Pauls in London.
Anyone done anything like this before?
Will we need amplified backing track?
Anyone got good video kit and skills?
You sure you can't come Oxharp? We need you man.
Someone with good organisational skills needed. HELP!
Properly handled, this could go viral on YouTube.
Can anyone point this in the right direction please.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2012 3:04 AM
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toddlgreene
3557 posts
Feb 23, 2012
3:01 AM
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Very cool idea-please make sure someone gets video if it comes to fruition.
Maybe you could all flashmob iside the cathedral and play Ave Maria together...
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Todd L. Greene
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eharp
1730 posts
Feb 23, 2012
12:21 PM
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sounds like fun.
i would suggest some simple percussion to help carry the event.
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toddlgreene
3559 posts
Feb 23, 2012
12:27 PM
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Get SonOfDave to join in the fun if he's still a local yocal-there's your percussionist.
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Todd L. Greene
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tookatooka
2737 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:32 AM
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@eharp. Yeah! Massed stomping would sound cool.
@toddlegreene. Wouldn't feel right approaching him. Wonder if anyone at the clinic would have a drum?
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eharp
1732 posts
Feb 23, 2012
12:58 PM
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i bet some drum sticks on the steps would work.
maybe a 5 gallon bucket, too.
but you gotta get more than 3 guys to be a mob!
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kudzurunner
3032 posts
Feb 23, 2012
1:31 PM
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I'll have my footdrums, of course. Perhaps if I had some help we could walk them and a chair down to the appointed spot.
I think this is an exciting idea. The bobbies don't carry pistols, do they?
Don't shoot me, I'm only the harmonica player!
Pow! Revenge for jealous trombone players everywhere.......
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tookatooka
2739 posts
Feb 23, 2012
1:38 PM
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Well Adam, that puts a totally different perspective on things, I didn't dare ask but hey, if you're offering, that would be fantastic.
No the bobbies don't carry pistols.
OK, lets see how the interest grows now? This could go ballistic.
Come on guys, lets get the show on the road. Literally.
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eharp
1733 posts
Feb 23, 2012
2:28 PM
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the idea of a flash mob is that it springs up.
setting up a chair and footdrum..... maybe.
but aint nothing wrong with a public jam!
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Whistler
6 posts
Feb 23, 2012
3:17 PM
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Dependin on how many people are in the clinic you could have different sections so to speak, bass section, rhythm section and build it up like choral rounds starting with one person then building from there. Just an idea. But simple is the key to cohesion with flash crowds
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tookatooka
2740 posts
Feb 23, 2012
3:24 PM
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@Whistler. Thanks yeah! It will need to be fairly simple because there will be no time to rehearse and the mob could have varying levels of playing experience.
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tookatooka
2745 posts
Feb 23, 2012
6:47 PM
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bump!
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kudzurunner
3034 posts
Feb 23, 2012
8:24 PM
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Yes, eharp is right: when you wheel in a drumset, that begins to seem a little less like a flashmob.
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MagicNick
57 posts
Feb 24, 2012
5:22 AM
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Sounds great, I'm well up for this.
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You Tube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/MAGICNICK145/videos
Follow me on Twitter @The_Flaz
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tookatooka
2749 posts
Feb 23, 2012
9:29 PM
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OK. Understand. I'm doing some research about flash mobbing and will report back here when I'm a bit more knowledgable about it all.
Meanwhile, here is the site in front of St Pauls. I suppose the first thing we should ascertain is whether there would be sufficient people around who would be our audience. At the time 5.30 - 6.30 ish I suppose we'd get sightseers and workers going home.
Traffic noise?
If you grab the N on the little compass (top left in the image) you can see a 360 degree view of the site.
Any ideas about this please captainbliss?
View Larger Map
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2012 9:31 PM
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MagicNick
58 posts
Feb 24, 2012
5:37 AM
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Aren't the step of St Pauls covered with a tent city at the moment? Protesters against capitalism and all that.
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You Tube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/MAGICNICK145/videos
Follow me on Twitter @The_Flaz
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peduarte
22 posts
Feb 23, 2012
9:57 PM
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Yo, just saw this.
Yes I am still up for it and my friend Stuart is up for it too. (He's not a member of the forum but I'll ask him to join and confirm here)
However, can someone just explain to me what exactly a flashmob is?
Are we just getting together and playing harmonica?
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Cheers,
Pedro
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tookatooka
2750 posts
Feb 23, 2012
10:14 PM
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A flash mob is an organized routine of a group of performers working together on a large scale to surprise and amuse the general public for a temporary period of time with a spontaneous performance. Flash mob performances can include dances, songs or even record breaking attempts.
Usually the Flash starts with one person, then others nearby join in to make it a mob performance.
Finish as if nothing ever happened. Once the flash mob event is over, they need to mingle back with the crowd and head off into the sunset as if nothing ever took place.
But I suppose it can go in any direction you want. Ideally it should be captured on video and put onto YouTube so the performance can last into the future.
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tookatooka
2751 posts
Feb 23, 2012
10:16 PM
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@MagicNick, the protestors are around the corner from the steps. But according to the radio news they have been given their marching orders and told to leave very soon.
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tookatooka
2752 posts
Feb 24, 2012
7:14 AM
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Can't tell if this thread is quiet due to forum problems or what?
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BronzeWailer
408 posts
Feb 24, 2012
4:29 PM
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No Took, it's just restin'... I wish I could be there. It sounds like a lot of fun. Just a thought, large numbers of harp players need a bit of wrangling. All at once and it can be more cacaphony than symphony. I was onstage at a jam once and there were six or seven of us blowing at once. Maybe it reflected a lack of skill, myself included, but it was not pretty. May I suggest you take turns? One over here plays, then over there, then over there. Looking forward to the YouTube mayhem!
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nacoran
5309 posts
Feb 24, 2012
4:40 PM
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I know it would be a lot to ask, but a live internet feed would be awesome. Maybe you could even have guest solos from Skypers. In a WiFi zone you'd only need a laptop and an out to a better speaker to pull something like that off.
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Nate
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peduarte
27 posts
Feb 24, 2012
4:42 PM
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I guess we'll have to see how it goes!!! We might all be too drunk to care anyway!
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Cheers,
Pedro
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tookatooka
2753 posts
Feb 25, 2012
1:03 AM
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Thanks guys, it all depends on the amount of interest we can garner. So far we are only about five strong, hardly a mob.
I'm hoping for more interest and support but time is against us. We only have a few days.
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gene
1030 posts
Feb 25, 2012
5:44 PM
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A backing track can be played from a boom box.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
533 posts
Feb 25, 2012
6:20 PM
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you'll just have to get all the clinic participants to do it, and spend 10 minutes of the clinic practising the 'tune'. Can't Adam base the clinic on that 'tune'?
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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tookatooka
2754 posts
Feb 25, 2012
6:45 PM
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The take-up has been poor lumpy. I think we needed more time to organise this properly. At the moment it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Never mind, the clinic and show should be good though.
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tookatooka
2755 posts
Feb 25, 2012
7:36 PM
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Yeah! We'll just have to see on the day.
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eharp
1734 posts
Feb 25, 2012
10:41 PM
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tooka- the problem may be that you are expecting a bunch from the forum to be there.
how many forum members are near london? that's the pool for your mob.
or maybe adam has a list of folks attending, that aint on the forum (as regulars, anyhow), that you can contact thru phone or email.
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Littoral
491 posts
Feb 25, 2012
11:27 PM
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The Cambridge Harmonica Orchestra, with + 100 players at once, used to take over malls, parties, polical events, parades ect.
It was awesome. Legendary in fact.
Cambridge Massachusetts btw
Last Edited by on Feb 25, 2012 11:31 PM
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tookatooka
2757 posts
Feb 25, 2012
11:48 PM
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@eharp There were a few brit harpers who were going to make the clinic and show but it may be they don't check the forum as often as I do and missed the initial notices. I did put it onto Wills London Harps FaceBook page too but once again they may not have had need to go back to the page. In retrospect, I think something like this needed more time and notice to set up and gather momentum.
@Liitoral. I've seen quite a few spontaneous flash mob performances on YouTube. When they get it right, it's quite astounding.
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