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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Our Version of Sky is Crying and Night Train
Our Version of Sky is Crying and Night Train
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harpdude61
1707 posts
Jun 09, 2013
7:15 AM
I would love to get feedback and opinions from all levels of players on a couple of covers my band does.Continual improvement is our goal and sometimes other musicians can hear things that we don't. We stay local and play for peanuts but have a good time and love what we do.
I'm interested in your thoughts on harp parts, fills and solos, as well as when I play and how much. Opinions on the other musicians vocals/playing and overall sound are welcome as well.
Our drummer is singing Sky in C(F harp 2nd position). Our bassist is singing Night Train in A (D harp). I like the fact that Night Train is one chord...well..almost. Our guitarist sings Crossroads in A as well.
I'm using a Ultimate 57 and a Harpgear50 4x10.


Last Edited by harpdude61 on Jun 09, 2013 7:21 AM
harpdude61
1708 posts
Jun 09, 2013
7:29 AM
Some pretty good pix of marina party on our FB page. Feel free to like. www.facebook.com/catfishfryeband
harmonicanick
1954 posts
Jun 09, 2013
12:31 PM
@harpdude61
General comment: Tight all round, and very together, you must play a lot! Good endings and I enjoyed hearing the tracks, I was boogieing around my kitchen to Night Train.

You must go down very well at parties.

The material is standard blues/rock stuff, and not where I am musically personally, nevertheless it is very professionally delivered.

Do you do any instrumentals? Try something completely different. My band never rehearse, and we try doing different keys etc as instrumentals. I love minor keys. Just a thought because I do get bored playing the standard stuff all the time, also if you a bit different people will like that.
harpdude61
1709 posts
Jun 10, 2013
1:26 PM
Thanks Nick! We don't do any instrumentals but should. Some tunes are minor. We have 5 songs that I play in 3rd position including Spooky and Black Magic Woman. Two songs I play in fifth and I do a couple of the standard high end solos in 1st.

We discovered that sticking strictly to blues with every 3rd song being slow with a 4 minute guitar solo don't get many gigs. It has been good for me to get outside the blues box, but that is still where my heart is.
groyster1
2259 posts
Jun 10, 2013
5:58 PM
great job duane....and yes as much as I love blues....there is other music to be blown on harp.....albatross and stranger on the shore....learned them from greyowl....
capnj
108 posts
Jun 10, 2013
8:35 PM
Super nice selection of material.You gave a nice harp touch to night train,I play it more like a lead guitar,but your guitar man carries his end very well.easy to get carried away with that one.

Crossroads you tried to do to much,and lost the beat a bit,no big deal.

Sky is crying,all time classic,good harp,probably change around some nights,improvising with the feel.

I own a HG50,will not part with it,not saying it's the best,but that SON OF GUN sings.I have had great mus.,and total strangers tell me,that amp sounds rounded and beautiful.Mooncat ain't BSing.

Last Edited by capnj on Jun 10, 2013 9:01 PM
Pistolcat
400 posts
Jun 11, 2013
3:25 AM
Very nice overall music experience! You guys sound real pro! Your playing is very good and measured. There are a couple of bends that, to me, sound a bit flat in the beginning of both sky is crying and night train. Nothing major. Nerves? The rest is spot on.

You and your sm57+HG have that butterfieldy sound, mellow... Sometimes it sounds a bit bullied by the guitar, in sky is crying it could have been nicer at spots with a bit more 'open', cutting and less compressed sound...

These are just minor details, mind, just to have something constructive (i hope) to say.

Great songs! Keep it up!
----------
Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube

Last Edited by Pistolcat on Jun 11, 2013 3:26 AM
Martin
365 posts
Jun 11, 2013
4:42 AM
The harmonica is too much upfront on the fills -- add some reverb and mix it down a bit. Will lift the general impression.
harpdude61
1710 posts
Jun 11, 2013
5:51 AM
Thanks guys, I appreciate your opinions.
capri...I did notice where I lost the beat. To be honest, playing a four hour show as a harp playing frontman that does not sing, It is very hard to keep the licks original. I do need to clean up the faster licks a bit. Love my HG50 as well.

Pistol, I DO have a terrible habit of bending too much. I see Cotton doing it in the popular "Slow Blues" vid on youtube. He is everywhere on the two hole bend, but I do need to be more on pitch on these type songs. WIth the 57 and HG50 I can set it to more open tone.

Martin....Like I said, fronting the band as a non-singing harp player probably makes me want to jump all over every fill possible. Very hard to stand up there and not play for long periods of time. Still, quality music should be the priority, not how much I play.

groyster...right on. If I had not jumped outside the 12 bar blues box we would not be playing at the larger venues where I live. Some venue owners hear the word blues and are not interested. They say the general public party audience wants the majority of material to be songs they know and can dance to. That is why I promote us as playing the Rockin Boogie Blues. I amazed at how well you can adapt harmonica to a non 12 bar bluessong if you take time. Especially if it has organ or horn parts you can learn from.

Thanks again yall. Your comments raised my awareness level on several good points.
Martin
366 posts
Jun 11, 2013
7:08 AM
@harpdude: My comment was not about the quality of your playing or the all-pervasiveness of it -- just the mixing of those fills parts.

I fully understand the situation of "just standing there" (been there etc) but you appear have a commendable attitude. Having a resource of some kind (pedal) so that you can get something of an organ-like sound is one way to be more ... meaningful in the non- fills/solo parts.


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