harp-er
329 posts
Jan 29, 2013
1:54 PM
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Hopefully the Modern Blues Harmonica admins won't ban me for posting some POST Modern Free Blues links, by yours truly.
Just hangin' out and playing with my amp and mic. Can you guess what amp and mic? Anyway, I like doing this sort of thing. While the solid in-the-pocket groove thing is not going away, there's a whole other realm of free improv that is also dear to my heart. Not restricted by time signatures, for example (I speak as a drummer who understands the beauty of time signatures). Not for everyone, of course. Have a listen if you care to, to one or more.
1) http://sclk.co/s785ur
2) http://sclk.co/s785ut
3) http://sclk.co/s785uw
4) http://sclk.co/s785v2
Thanks.
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Oisin
1001 posts
Jan 29, 2013
2:47 PM
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Harp-er...I've listened to all 4 "tracks" now and I'm racking my brain trying to decide which would be the best drug to take to appreciate them and I'd have to say Rohypnol is the only one that comes to mind.
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Oisin
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harp-er
330 posts
Jan 29, 2013
5:08 PM
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LOL! But rohypnol? Those tracks must have really set you spinning. And I read your member page, where you say, and I quote: "......the madder the better." Well.........?
Really though, thanks for listening.
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Oisin
1002 posts
Jan 29, 2013
6:09 PM
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Well there's mad and there's insane Harp-er! You can obviously play man but to me that sounds like noodling rather than improvisation, although that is only my opinion.
But at the end of the day if you like it that is the main thing. I think you are cornering a very very tiny niche in the blues harp market and most of that audience would be staying in locked wards at night.
I'm not trying to insult you Harper only trying to stop you heading off in a very lonely direction with your music.
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Oisin
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harp-er
331 posts
Jan 29, 2013
6:55 PM
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Well then, it's a very good thing I have no ambitions musically speaking. That leaves me totally free to play whatever I like, even if only locked up loony's will listen. Or if no one will listen.
On a technical note, what is the difference, to you, between noodling and improvising? Just curious.
And don't worry, no insult taken. I think it's funny.
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Oisin
1003 posts
Jan 29, 2013
7:39 PM
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I think noodling to me is practicing in an unfocused way....just picking up a harp and playing a bit like what you are doing above..just doing little runs etc.
Improvising to me is when you play along with something but don't play what's expected...you make up something that fits that piece of music. It doesn't have to be an actual tune you play along with...it could be a simple as a drum beat.
What I find really enjoyable is getting my looping pedal and laying down a beat with my mouth, loop it and then play the harp over the top of it. Very simple but very satisfying. I'm thinking your getting the same feeling from your free blues improv. Like I said above Harp-er...as long as you like it then that's the main thing.
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Oisin
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harp-er
333 posts
Jan 30, 2013
5:29 AM
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I realize I should have entitled the post:
Post Modern Blues FREE Improvisation.
Free Improvisation is a genre unto itself, whatever the instruments happen to be. Not a very widely appreciated genre of course, but there are some stellar musicians who have found there way to it none the less. I'm afraid that I'm one of the not-so-stellar musicians who have found their way. As a drummer, I've played with some pretty impressive people along these lines, and I have to say it comes naturally to me, and so on harp, having learned enough technique to give me some free reign, I seem to be naturally leaning back in that direction.
Of course, playing more "normal" music will never completely disappear, but I have to say that there's a creative part of me that finds it somewhat boring/restricting at times. That's just me. No offense meant to anyone.
The structure of the music becomes much more intuitive, because you can't depend on formal song structures any more, whether that's rhythm or melody or harmony or whatever. To me that's quite liberating as a musician. Of course as a listener, one is required to be able to relinquish the need for those structures and to be able to "flow" with what I would call the deeper intuitive "structures". Again, not for everyone.
Hey Oisin, lay off that rohypnol!
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Kaining
16 posts
Jan 30, 2013
7:41 AM
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I liked your impros. I'll need to listen to them more later to fully get them.
There is just 2 thing that didn't sat right with my ears.
- When you get to fast rythms, your tone deteriorates. The notes you play looks like more sound that notes and thus, it give me the feeling that there is no rythms at all, wich is weird because i could swear to hear somesort of beat. A beat that fluctuates a lot but a beat none the less.
I don't know what you can do about it, maybe try to play just a little slower you fast lick atm. Not that much, just enough to sound good at any tempo.
- Your overnotes... you get them, but their pitch is not stable enough. It shriek more often than not.
That's all, it's not big but imo, that maybe what set what you did for some into the noodling part and not the impro one.
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harp-er
334 posts
Jan 30, 2013
9:40 AM
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Kaining: thanks for the feedback. I'll keep working on it. Glad you enjoyed them.
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