ReedSqueal
334 posts
Nov 15, 2012
12:22 PM
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A general musing, but this has crossed my mind several times since I began playing harp and really listening AND studying the blues. Yes, there was a time when I was all about rock & roll. Never gave blues the time of day. (Although there was plenty of blues woven in the fabric of rock and roll, little did I realize back then)
I try to recall how I interpreted harp when I heard it. Sure, there was Dillon, Neil Young etc. but I don't really recall listening for harp specifically.
The ONLY song that really got my attention [and take notice of HARMONICA] when I was a kid was On The Road Again by Canned Heat. I knew I liked it but never went any further as far as harp enthusiasm. Sure, I had a C harp in the junk drawer for many years, like countless others. but never went past Oh Susanna.
But for whatver reason late in life it just clicked: I gotta play harp, and the blues. Now it's almost an obesssion.
So my muse? What about the people that aren't "like us" total harp nerds. At what level do people who aren't harp players listen to and enjoy (or not enjoy) the blues harp? As my wife tells me, my music is very harp-centric now.
I've even heard people say "that's annoying" when they hear a harmonica, even if it's excellent playing.
Oh well, yeah it's a slow news day so I thought I'd post this.
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Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
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Jehosaphat
341 posts
Nov 15, 2012
12:53 PM
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When i first started playing in a band it was the era of Neil Young,Dylan and that would of been the only harmonica most people would of heard.
Quite often during a break I'd get approached by someone who'd say something along the lines of "...I've never heard a harmonica sound like that before.."
You could take that two ways ^) but as usually they bought me a Pint as well i assumed they meant it in a good way.
Not saying it was because of my brilliant playing but more the fact that i knew the basics and played tightly cupped through an overdriven valve amp.
Now after a long break i am out there playing again and have seen where a crowd of drinkers might be leaning on the tables not really concentrating on the band but when the harp starts up they often start to listen to us.
To people who havn't heard some reasonably good 'Chicago' harp before it can make a nice change from guitar lead breaks.
So in general from my experience people do like some harmonica in their music ,especially live.
But of course there are exceptions.Actually the people i have found to more likely anti Harp are other musicians.
They have often had bad experiences in the past with harp players which has lead to them to disrespect the harp and harp players.
So in general i think that if you can play and actually add something to the music,the ordinary Joe will appreciate some harmonica in the mix.
Joe'esses even more so ;-)
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bluemoose
816 posts
Nov 15, 2012
1:02 PM
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It's always a sobering thought to realize that a large percentage of the people you run into throughout the day have never heard or heard of the music you listen to eight days a week.
But yes, you do get the reactions (+1 on the Joe'esses :) and the free pints and shots really help but as Dan said they don't realize how woven into the music we grew up with harp was. And continues to be if you watch just about any car commercial. I'm especially impressed by the sound track of 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' (my not so secret other addiction).
bluemoose.
MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids
FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
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Harpdude
9 posts
Nov 15, 2012
1:22 PM
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I notice that I have some friends that absolutely love it when I play harp,but I also have had a couple friends tell me they cringe at the sound of the harp.They tell me that my playing is great ...they just don't like the sound of a harmonica.I guess some people just don't find the enjoyment in harp that we harpheads do.I know that my wife and kids always encourage and ask me to play harp.We can be at a party and there's a band jammin and my kids or wife will always tell me....go up there and ask if they don't mind if you sit in on a song.I rarely get told no ,we don't want you to sit in with us ,but it has happened.There are other times I got up there and some of my friends are blowin away and look at me and say "Dude....I had no idea you can play the harp like that!" I think the general concesus is that most people don't even think about or hear the harp in most songs other than the few that stand out that we all grew up with like Dylan stuff, Canned heat ,some Neil young.I got an ear for it early on cause I had an uncle that played and turned me onto it.I am thankful that he did at such a young age.I was listening to Paul Butterfield ,James Cotton ,Junior Wells and many others when I was like 10 years old.That is when I really started to listen to harp closely in songs and was mesmerized by the sound these guys were gettin out of it.I can't put the dang thing down now
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wolfkristiansen
140 posts
Nov 15, 2012
2:33 PM
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Harp, played well, turns heads. People notice, listen, and like. The operative words-- played well. One more thing. Harp, to me, is like icing on the cake. Too much icing spoils the cake; too much harp spoils the song.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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Jehosaphat
344 posts
Nov 15, 2012
4:54 PM
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@wolf
Yeah totally agree on that.
I am a certifiable harp maniac and 95% of my record collection would feature Harmonica to a varying degree.
But:With a live band harp on every song in a set tires me quickly.
I finally figured out why this is so.I'm so harp centric that i almost block out the rest of the band trying to concentrate on the harmonica player.
After a while i think that this sort of intensive concentration just tires my brain out and it demands some respite.
Theres gotta be a name for this syndrome..just keep it clean ^
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Gnarly
399 posts
Nov 15, 2012
5:05 PM
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I play harp everywhere! And it turns heads--and it isn't my playing, usually I am just playing a little on chromatic on the bottom end (which is tuned to start on the same G a diatonic starts on, so it's lower than normal chrom, but higher than a tenor--but I digress).
Harmonica has a catchy sound! And most people like it really--trust me.
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Frank
1398 posts
Nov 15, 2012
5:16 PM
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William Clarkes playing, at least on his studio recordings - even his "instrumentals" are so easy to listen to...he seemed to be acutely aware of trying to make his harmonica playing easy on the ears and totally listenable, even when blowin like hell!
Last Edited by on Nov 15, 2012 5:19 PM
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FMWoodeye
484 posts
Nov 15, 2012
7:23 PM
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At least the harp sounds better than a trombone.
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STME58
286 posts
Nov 16, 2012
12:01 AM
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My experience is similar to @Gnarly's. People dont seem to mind the harp played in public. They either ignore it or make a positive comment.
I don't have the guts to pull my trombone out in a park or on the sidewalk so I can't verify @FMWoodeye's statement. Perhaps my unwillingness to try it proves his point.
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Steamrollin Stan
614 posts
Nov 16, 2012
1:28 AM
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Here here, too much is boring, too little not good, nice fills and bits here and there are welcome, jamming in a call and response with a band whilst the crowd is pissed gets the encore.I never played out btw.
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ReedSqueal
335 posts
Nov 16, 2012
12:24 PM
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@steamrollinstan - I assume when you say "pissed" do you mean drunk? ;-)
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Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
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chopsy
13 posts
Nov 16, 2012
3:20 PM
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my biggest critic is my dog... she runs for the hills everytime I start practicing. girlfriend isn't too fond of it either but I haven't managed to get rid of her that easily.
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STME58
288 posts
Nov 16, 2012
3:25 PM
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@chopsy,
My dog sometime "sings" along. My son contends he is howling in pain!
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Gnarly
403 posts
Nov 16, 2012
9:11 PM
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I took a chromatic down to the pound to play for my prospective new dog to make sure I wouldn't have any competition!
He has some cameos in my videos 8)
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TheoBurke
192 posts
Nov 16, 2012
9:57 PM
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in the seventies i worked in the carnival, traveling up and down california, a situation that took me months on the road and gave me plenty of time to play the harmonica, honing my chops. romantic, no? anyway, we were in costa mesa , at the fairgrounds. after the show had closed for the night, a bunch of us were drinking beer in the back of some games. as usual, i took out my harmonica after a couple of beers and started to play the various butterfield/musselwhite licks i knew. most of the guys, a gnarly bunch of fellas , seemed to enjoy what i was doing. after playing a few minutes i saw a very big, very big ride jock saying something to me. i couldn't hear him because i was playing loud and fast. i stopped playing and asked him to repeat himself. he made it fast and emphatic, drunk as he was:
"how would like that thing shoved up your ass?"
i put the harmonica in my pocket and walked over to where i had my gear stashed.
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TED BURKE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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Steamrollin Stan
616 posts
Nov 17, 2012
1:50 AM
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@Red, yep, pissed= drunk....lol.
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Frank
1415 posts
Nov 17, 2012
7:31 AM
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THANK GOD there are some crazies left out there in this wicked and cruel world who still love the sound of the harp searing the silence and disrupting the natural order of things in this cluttered universe of lifeless airwaves...There is still something about the harmonica that some folks who inhabit listening land just love to hear that harp do its thing...Play for those people who appreciate your style of "harp sounds" and you'll feel good about being just another wacko harp player amongst the millions who love the instrument!
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