DannyRanch
42 posts
Jul 26, 2015
11:35 PM
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Hi
Haha, This kinda sounds like a stupid question, but I wanted to check for ideas.
Tomorrow I challenged a local harp player to a harp duel on a jam session thats organized by a local blues band every Monday.
The harp player plays with the house band, and I have been playing there almost every monday as it is so awesome.
I get the space to play 2 or 3 songs per night, but sometimes when the other guy doesn't show up I get more time on stage, specially when they did a tribute to Jimmy Reed c:
Anyway I asked the harp guy and the front man of the band and they agreed and were exited as that has never happened, (I once wrote here that in Costa Rica there are only 5 players in the whole country (I have searched a lot) haha )
lol back on track, I never been on a "duel" (or whatever you call em')
So I wanted to check what you normally do?
THe house band is playing some I IV V progression probably some blues standard and then the players just take turns with solos? or I seen people do some lick and the other guy has to figure it out and repeat it?
Is there any specifi rule for this type of activity?
Haha
THanks
Dan
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didjcripey
941 posts
Jul 27, 2015
12:23 AM
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You can take turns at solos or trade licks, or do both. Don't feel like you need to copy each other; might be more fun to build on and vary the other persons riffs.
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Lucky Lester
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BronzeWailer
1743 posts
Jul 27, 2015
1:37 AM
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I have not so much dueled but another guy got me up with a low D and regular D and he had the same; we took turns chugging with the low D and the other guy riffing over top, back and forth, mix and match. Kind of fun.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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dougharps
979 posts
Jul 27, 2015
8:03 AM
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Are you looking for a "duel" (as in head cutting)or a "duo" as in the two of you working together as a band with two harps? If you are each trying to top the other and dominate, then you don't want to play while the other is playing. Each of you should get a chance to do your stuff. You might take turns playing 12 bars or you might even trade 4s after you each solo. Discuss this before playing, as well as how many bars to solo.
If you want to play as a band with two harps taking turns then you might work out who plays when and agree to take turns of fills and agree to some simple comping during each others solos. You might even plan to do a breakdown with just harps and maybe just simple drum beats.
I have played cooperatively with other harp players and it can be fun and a good show for the audience. It can be mildly competitive, but not nasty. Head cutting is a little more cutthroat. I don't care for it, even if I am the better player.
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Doug S.
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DannyRanch
43 posts
Jul 27, 2015
3:52 PM
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Awesome!
Great ideas, sounds like fun haha c:
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walterharp
1655 posts
Jul 27, 2015
3:52 PM
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i would say be respectful. it is his band. show the audience and band a bit of what you can do.. but just try to make the music a better sound.. first priority..
sit back, listen, try to keep ego in check
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inkstainedwretch
1 post
Jul 28, 2015
10:55 PM
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This activity is always fun, whether dueting or cutting heads. I tend to treat them the same; keep the musical context in mind and not just sound good myself, but make the other guy sound good.
It helps when the two harp players have their own distinctive styles. Mine is more jazz-like, a single-note horn-driven sound. So when I'm opposite a straight-ahead blues guy the styles set each other off pretty well.
Solos back to back? If there is a sax player in the bunch I'll have the blues harp player take his solo, then I take mine, then the sax. Keeps a bit of continuity, and I'm sort of the evolutionary bridge between harp and sax.
Trading licks? I like what didjcripey said. Build off each other. Have a musical conversation, answering one another, maybe even arguing musically. Or play it like one tells part of a story, hands it off to the next guy, and you never know what the result is gonna be.
Last Edited by inkstainedwretch on Jul 28, 2015 11:03 PM
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