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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Few conclusions after Jamming
Few conclusions after Jamming
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gad wagon
47 posts
May 24, 2013
3:14 PM
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Had a little jam tonight for the school:
1. If you think you are playing poorly, your poor thoughts will make their way through the harp. - Don't doubt yourself.
2. If you are simply playing with joy, within your limits, occasionally pushing the envelope, in the right key, you will probably sound pretty good. - As corny as it may sound, think positively.
3. You could play pretty poorly for a crowd of non-harmonica players and you will get good crowd feedback.
4. When you really hit it well in front of a crowd of non-harmonica players, you will sound amazing and get great feedback.
5. "Sweet Home Chicago" is a fun song to play in 1st position in the first and third registers.
6. Get lost in the music. Don't think about it. Let it rip. (Thanks Jimi Lee for this advice)
7. A little digital delay is your friend when playing amped.
8. When in doubt, playing in second position, always play the blue third!
9. Octaves have a lot of body to them.
10. Clean is good sometimes, but a bit of grungy distortion goes well with the little bit of delay mentioned above.
11. - a follow up from the above mentioned crowd feedback - the louder they get, the louder you play.
12. Go on a limb and play in a new position (Thanks SAJ for the advice). I had a blast tonight with first position stuff.
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-- "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts" -- C.S. Lewis
http://www.youtube.com/user/gadwagon/videos
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ReedSqueal
434 posts
May 24, 2013
8:24 PM
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I am at this point in my development. All good really good points, but #2 really works. Kind of ties in with #6.
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Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
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nacoran
6820 posts
May 25, 2013
3:16 PM
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12. Go on a limb and play in a new position...
Always good advice, for harp or anything else... :)
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Nate
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jbone
1261 posts
May 26, 2013
6:12 AM
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My post got disappeared yesterday and I ran out of time to reply here. What I said was, You said a mouthful Gad!
Most of my development as a player, musician, and band member began on jam stages and at open mic nights. My recruitment into bands began there as well, and not because I was the only harp guy around, people chose me based, I think early on, on my attitude more than my skills. That attitude was a long view of the idea of playing harp and a willingness to be a student and learn as I went, from better musicians than I was.
Without a real positive attitude, it's very hard to learn anything or to make progress in such a social atmosphere as a band on a jam stage. My mission became- and still is- to not only learn stuff about my chosen craft, but to do my best to spread good feeling via a harp, my voice, and maybe a mic or two. Music has been one place where, if I'm giving it my best, working within my boundaries but willing to expand them, and always going forward, I always get good results. Whether we are playing $5 Johnson harps or $200 customs, through a vintage amp or the p.a. or no amp at all, what we are giving a crowd- large or small- is a release from their cares. A place they can listen and relate on some level and have a good time.
If I had to count all the small mistakes I've made on stage I'd have to quit playing. If I could count the times I've successfully played a song DESPITE mistakes, and been forgiven by peers and audience, that's a big number.
I would only add to Gad's list that if you play with those who are further along than you, more accomplished, you will be challenged to go farther and farther.
Good post Gad!
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Last Edited by jbone on May 26, 2013 6:15 AM
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Rick Davis
1855 posts
May 26, 2013
12:29 PM
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All good advice, except for this: Jams are not the time for wood-shedding. They are for stage polish. Work on your alternative positions at home and have your chops together before you take the stage. If you decide to "go out on a limb" and try an unfamiliar position you are probably going to sound bad. Nobody wants that.
A few more tips for newer jammers:
1- Keep your solos simple. VERY simple. Establish phrases and repeat them. Leave lots of space. You'll sound like a pro.
2- Never show that you made a mistake, and NEVER apologize over the PA for mistakes or poor playing. Just roll with it. When I hit a bad note I hit it again, hard, and say, "Hey, it's jazz."
3- When soloing do not attempt to play your favorite Sonny Boy lick note for note. You should have a road map in your head of where you want to end up on each 12-bar verse, but how you get there should be at least partly spontaneous. New players who mimic known harp solos often sound bad. It is too hard to get the timing right in a jam. You can't force-fit your favorite lick into every groove.
(Note: new players should definitely learn classic harp solos note for note because it builds up their riff repertoire, but don't force the whole thing into a jam set.. Make your own solos with the riffs.)
4- Play on the beat. This is a jam, and attempting to play after or before the beat is a recipe for train wreckage. It takes rehearsal to do that well, or you may throw off the other players.
5- Mark out the changes.
6- Most important: Do not play at all when other instruments are soloing or when the vocalist is singing. You will piss them off. Do not take a 96-bar solo, or you will piss off the jam host and bore the audience. Take at most 24 bars, two times through. Build tension in the first 12 and wail in the second 12. People will tell you it sounded great.
And, have fun! Two rules at the jam I host: Everybody plays and everybody has fun.
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-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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DukeBerryman
56 posts
May 26, 2013
6:16 PM
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I agree with Rick - reward yourself for all your practicing by playing your strongest stuff at the jam, it's your time to shine.
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Duke Berryman - Chicago blues, harmonica, guitar
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