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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Bottom of the barrel
Bottom of the barrel
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Leatherlips
187 posts
Mar 12, 2013
3:02 PM
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Well in the last couple of years I've had to come up with licks for around 200 songs which I had never heard before.
I think I've done pretty well, but finding things which sound different to the last sequence is becoming harder and harder.
What I find I much prefer is to have something which already has harp and I can adapt the sound or riffs which come from me and I can make it my own.
We had a session recorded at a tavern where we played some weeks back and I got hold of a copy, thinking that I would like what I heard. But no. It all seemed to be harp centric and showed up my limitations on some of my made up numbers. ( not a bad thing, mind you ) So from this, I can make changes and/or not play at all.
The band leader has always insisted I play in every number, but I think harp can become noisome if played too much, so I will be informing him that I won't play in certain numbers.
How do others go in making up new riffs?
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KingoBad
1265 posts
Mar 12, 2013
4:29 PM
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Ack... I can't think of anything worse than thinking of riffs unless it is a particular song or head.
Just listen to the song. The singer - or guitarist- or bass will give you places to go...
Start working on being able to copy exactly what you hear - not what you can force fit.
Your study of licks will add to your bag of tricks, but should only be part of what is in there...
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Danny
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robbert
196 posts
Mar 12, 2013
8:46 PM
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Yeah, it can be difficult to not sound repetitive, unless of course the material you are working with is varied.
I often borrow melodies or parts of melodies that I have somehow retained and use them.
It is a challenge, though, to not have every solo sound similar to your last one.
I'm lucky in playing with folks that have a variety of material, largely non-blues, and I can use different approaches. Different positions will yield different licks, or melodic lines, and so does using some chromatic harmonica.
When not playing any leads, I've been playing some rhythm, but more and more just not playing, leaving space, trying to play only when necessary. Less is more.
At first, I thought it would be hard to just be there without doing anything, but it's actually pretty cool.
I just hang, and groove with the music, listening, enjoying it, and then when it's my time, I play.
But always working to be versatile. After all, don't want to sound boring, do we?
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Baker
282 posts
Mar 13, 2013
1:54 AM
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It's a tough one. As Kingo says listen to the song, I often run the melody in my head and play around it as a way of keeping in the theme of the song and adding something which makes musical sense.
Also try approaching each song differently. Just play fills on one song, try comping on another, only play a solo on the next one etc.
I think I heard Dave Barrett say once that he always reminds himself that he has to play all night – meaning don't chuck all your bag of tricks into every song. Try sticking to themes. Play a lot of warbles on one song, play mostly rhythmic/chugging stuff on another, try playing sweet melodic stuff one the next one etc...
.. and also, as you have said maybe don't play on every song. There are several songs I don't play on with my regular band. Variety is a good thing, especially in a live situation.
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Rubes
672 posts
Mar 13, 2013
3:16 AM
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Ditto......ditto.......ditto..........I mix it up with a bit of percussion and..........singing......it really works! Also, someone has to get the beers, right!----------
One of Rubes's bands, DadsinSpace-MySpace
Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
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