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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Sitting In, The Politics
Sitting In, The Politics
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Littoral
953 posts
Aug 04, 2013
7:26 AM
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Not much new to say but the vent may exorcize thinking about it. I've been trying to get out a lot more because that's what I have to do. Here's my problem (my problem because I know it's mine): negotiating the harp/player reputation as a pain in the ass (noise, no musical understanding...) and that it is just a crowd pleasing -like a karaoke moment to make people happy. I should mention that I have nowhere near a critical mass of players in my area to sort things like this out.
Another issue is "territory" and it's a recurring issue for me. I really like talking and sharing with other harp players but "competitive" and positional attitudes frequently present themselves. This does occur much less with experienced players. Maybe I'm just overly enthusiastic about harp, gear and music in general. I have no intention of changing that so oh well there.
I do admit that I have a bit of a mercenary attitude about the music. I am confident and it can look arrogant. That's a minor part ability but much more about an intentional mindset I have about playing. I think Carlos Santana and Duane Allman (and try to play Willam Clarke). I expect what we do to be really good.
Ok, thanks for listening...
Last Edited by Littoral on Aug 04, 2013 7:29 AM
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jbone
1322 posts
Aug 04, 2013
8:07 AM
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Been there. I am lucky I have a couple of really good projects these days. There are few jams I go to these days thanks to the attitudes you mention. I paid a lot of dues for a lot of years, and the fact is, I DID sound bad and had little knowledge or skill for a long time. It was a catch-22 in that I needed experience to improve and I had to somehow prove my worth to be allowed to get on stages. I made up in attitude what I lacked in skills for some time into the 90's.
There are certain folks who would rather just keep their stage to themselves and that's only fair. Unless they bill as a jam night or open mic. Even then whoever hosts has the power. I like to think I got to be skilled enough to be a threat to some folks who run jams here and so they try to keep my performance to a minimum. Which is fine, we don't need each other and I'm not willing to play that game any more. I'm plenty busy with other musical pursuits, so I am fulfilled.
Of course I used to use jams and open mics to connect with peers and future band mates. At the age I'm at I really don't need to go searching. One project, we're about to try out some rhythm guys and we will decide who to hire or work with. A far cry from the old days.
This project is 8 years old and we know each other very well indeed. The other project is with a guy I've known for several years and we work well musically together. He handles the details, I come in and play and sing. We both bring material to the table. He books and takes top billing, which is great.
We both work hard to have a really cool band, as does my other partner.
Jam stages are usually someone's territory. Having hosted some jams I can say this as well- if you are the host and the music stinks- for very long- you will not have a jam to host there for long. This means that an attitude does develop of over caution on a host's part sometimes. It's a thin line sometimes. From either side.
Having messed with these things for over 40 years I've seen some crazy stuff and had some very frustrating- and very wonderful- times. At some point I decided I'd be my own man and keep making progress however I could.
The big picture to me is I love playing music and I love reaching an audience. Whether it's at a jam or opening for a big act at an auditorium or playing on a corner or in a park or on a porch, I love the music. the rest is details.
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KingoBad
1366 posts
Aug 04, 2013
5:55 PM
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Personally, I'd never expect ti sit in. I have plenty of musician friends that do ask, but only because I have known and played with then on other occasions, or someone has convinced them that they should.
I'd try and hook up with a single guitarist that enjoys playing with a harp player and make him sound good. You don't have to fight for territory and you can make friends with other musicians everywhere you play. Then start asking other musicians you know up to sit in. Then the terms change the next time you are out. Not because they owe you, but because they are now comfortable with you.
I don't like the whole jam situation politics/hierarchy stuff. I don't have a lot of time to fraternize for hours every week in a bar -I've got 2 young kids and a wife. Wile I may WANT to do it, it just isn't practical.
I actually got hooked up with a lot of charity events that encouraged spontaneous collaboration. I got to play with a lot of musicians I would not have otherwise. On the down side of that, I still play a lot of charity events. But, I do get to play, and typically with some very talented musicians. I now play with many of them in some fun and exciting configurations. I also have a group that I regularly gig with spin out of it.
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Danny
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