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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Please help with my upcoming acoustic show.
Please help with my upcoming acoustic show.
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Mirco
599 posts
Jun 28, 2018
10:05 AM
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I could use some advice.
I’ve been hired to do an acoustic duo gig at a couple’s 50th wedding anniversary. It’s in a public park, no amplification, just me and a guitar player. There's no electricity at all, so no vocal mic. Since we’re being hired to provide ambiance and we’ll be background music more than anything else, I thought we should play mostly instrumentals.
It's a small gathering of 40-50 people, mostly in their 70's or 80's. Should I stick to instrumentals? Should I attempt to play popular songs from the late 60's (the wedding was in 68)? Should I be careful with any blues songs I play, because of the subject matter (such as "Throw this Old Dog a Bone", "This Woman is Killing Me", "Scratch my Back")?
Please help.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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jbone
2605 posts
Jun 28, 2018
11:36 AM
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I'd see if I could get an idea from the celebrants. They may get a kick out of some songs that were their favorites back then and also from some more bawdy blues numbers. I'd say there is a lot that can be adapted from those days into guitar and harp. Jo and I do this sort of thing quite a bit.
What is crucial though in an all acoustic setting is, know your limits with volume. A harp- and your vocal cords- will produce a limited amount of volume. I learned this the hard way some years ago and ended up with blown harps frequently and also a polyp on my vocal cord, which kept me from singing for 3 months.
I don't mean you have to play and sing too low. I mean use your air column to get resonance with voice and harp both. You won't need to attract anyone from across a busy street so I'll bet your volume will be fine.
Instrumentals are good to a point. You want to read the situation. Probably later on you'll want to do some lively stuff so people can dance if they want. We've had this happen plenty of times.
It sounds like a fun gig. On July 6 we play a steak night at a local American Legion and we're going to do acoustic this time. We know how to project, we've done plenty of farmers market and street performance. We do stuff Jo sings and stuff I sing. Jimmy Reed, Dylan, SBII, Walter, Muddy, Wolf, Memphis Minnie, Big Mama Thornton, James Cotton, we even do some Hank Sr. and Johnny Cash. America. And Pink Floyd. David Bowie. Working up an ELP and maybe a Stray Cats.
Duo work has put me much more up front than side man gigs and even as a band leader. Still it's important to let songs breathe.
Does your guitar guy sing as well? Always nice to split the duty up if possible, both for vocal cord rest and variety.
Have a great time! It's contagious to communicate your joy man. For real.
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nacoran
9888 posts
Jun 28, 2018
2:19 PM
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You might want to drag a friend down to the site before hand. Play a couple songs and have them stand at various distances and see whether you can be heard, but keep in mind you'll have to compete with conversation levels too.
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Nate
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SuperBee
5455 posts
Jun 28, 2018
2:46 PM
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I see this sort of thing as not competitive with conversation but conducive to conversation. It enables people to converse by interfering and blending with what would otherwise be discernible conversation from others. It’s intended to be harmonious and tuned out. Effectively it’s a screen to enable people to ignore other groups. Your idea of being primarily instrumental is good but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if you sang. As long as you aren’t too distracting. People will distance themselves as suits them
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dougharps
1780 posts
Jun 28, 2018
4:05 PM
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I was concerned about unamplified volume at the Roots Walk gig in a park I played with a guitarist recently, but it worked out fine. We drew larger crowds than I expected, and apparently our vocals, the guitar, and the harp carried well. There was no nearby traffic, always a consideration. People who were listening placed themselves. I did notice on a video that when I turned to watch the guitarist for signals my volume in the video was reduced. In the future I will turn less and project in the same direction as the guitar sound hole. That isn't an issue when using amplification.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Jun 28, 2018 4:06 PM
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robbert
469 posts
Jun 29, 2018
6:16 AM
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If you’re able to work up a variety of songs, that’s great so there will likely be something for everyone who actually happens to be listening. I perform acoustically often with a singer/songwriter/guitarist in loud, crowded situations, and we tend to move around like wandering troubadours, reaching different parts of the crowd. So, we place ourselves, play a few songs, then move, play a few songs, etc. That’s the beauty of being unplugged(or wireless, I suppose). I use the Seydel belt pouch for this, and carry a pandeiro under my arm. People do seem to enjoy the wandering minstrel approach.
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The Iceman
3610 posts
Jun 29, 2018
7:33 AM
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If you were hired by folk that have heard you already, you need do nothing more than what you usually do.
Background music at an event will put you in the same category as hor d'ouevres, floral arrangements and other social settings, so don't expect to be a focus point with a listening audience. It won't matter much if it is all instrumentals, a mix of vocals and instrumentals, (or one song played over and over the whole time.. ;>).
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Jun 29, 2018 7:35 AM
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Chaz
33 posts
Jun 30, 2018
8:15 AM
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Do you have a small amp? In a situation like that a small amp set pretty clean has a very organic sound that doesn't hurt the acoustic vibe, and you can sing a bit into the harp mic to give your vocals a touch of old school amplification. You could even set up the mic on a stand if possible if you don't want a cupped sound.
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outdoor joe
72 posts
Jun 30, 2018
7:41 PM
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Looks like you got a lot of good advice here! Anyway you can post a video after?
j
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Martin
1480 posts
Jul 02, 2018
4:46 AM
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If you have a battery powered amplifier -- and if there´s no explicit rule against amplifcation! -- I´d go with Chaz´ idea of a small (but decent sounding) amp at discreet volume.
I´ve gigged regularly with a singing/guitar playing partner who has at times been totally unamplified and it´s never been a problem. You adjust your volume with closeness to the mic.
I find that the harmonica lives better if you have a delay/reverb option, especially if you´re supposed to play things in the background, as well as do instrumentals.
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snowman
355 posts
Jul 02, 2018
9:05 AM
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Havn't done a wedding in awhile--But I agree "instrumentals" mostly
Here comes the sun--Blackbird beatles--summertime etc what I did was extend every instru mental---ie 3.5 minutes t0 5 minutes or more---just mess with dynamics --no one notices
find or do songs with maj 7 chords, maj 7 is an appropriate sound at weddings
hope that helps
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Mirco
600 posts
Jul 02, 2018
9:19 AM
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Lots of good advice here. Thank you.
I'll be prepared to play mostly instrumentals (but will be ready to modify that plan), and we'll bring battery powered amps just in case. Walking through the crowd seems like an interesting idea. I don't know about any video, but I'll let you know how it goes.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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jbone
2610 posts
Jul 02, 2018
9:10 PM
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Knock it out of the park Marc!
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Mirco
602 posts
Jul 06, 2018
6:27 PM
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We played the anniversary party today. It was a good learning experience. There were some real challenges, from a musical standpoint. But we got paid and I left with a container of leftovers from catering, so it was a good gig.
Most of my past experience has been with full bands, and this was my first time playing out with just a guitar player. The party was held outdoors, at a public park, and we were worried about being loud enough, so we brought battery powered amps. We were also worried about the sound dropping out whenever the guitar player took a solo, so he brought along a looping pedal. With most songs, my guitar player would loop some kind of rhythm pattern in the first 12 bars. The idea was that it would enable him to take solos while keeping the song going.
Problems:
1) It was a challenge working with the loop pedal in real time. There were occasions where the 12 bar loop wasn’t perfectly timed—where he sped up or slowed down, or dropped a beat—and we would have to continually readjust to the loop.
2) The looping pedal made ending songs a challenge. With a real band, I like to use different kinds of endings, like ritards, clean breaks, fade outs, etc. Since the looping pedal would be going, it made all of our endings somewhat abrupt.
On the plus side, the audience didn’t notice any of this. It was a family event, and everyone was drinking and eating and talking. We were positioned off to the side, and we were just background music to everyone’s socialization. We got some good feedback and I noticed some people bobbing their hands, tapping their feet, appreciating the music.
Before heading to the gig, I had a solid idea of songs and grooves I wanted to try out. I ended up not sticking to the list at all. Songs would kind of expand and take on a life of their own. We did a good job of mixing up grooves and keys, nothing with any vocals.
Good learning experience. In the future, I think that we would not use any sort of looping pedal. Music lives and breathes, and using a loop restricts that (especially if the timing is off in the loop). For future events, I’d like to go back to the roots of the music and do something in the style of John Lee Williamson or Junior Wells. So just acoustic guitar, acoustic harp and a vocal microphone. I think I’ll work on that.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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jbone
2618 posts
Jul 06, 2018
7:44 PM
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Cool, you got through it, got paid, discovered some important facts! And I bet you had a good time as well, which turns out is contagious.
I have never used a loop setup, either I've worked with a band or pared it down to a duo format.
We had a gig a month ago and used our amps and p.a., tonight same place but different location, no amps or p.a., totally different gig. Last time in the dining room on the stage, with the folks. Tonight, in the bar at one end out of the way. We did have a few folks come by tonight but we were at a remove from most everyone. Pay was the same but a key element of a great gig for me and Jo is, reaching people and seeing the response, interacting between sets.
It sounds like you adapted ok to challenges, which is also key to succeeding. Playing live is like battle, you can have the best of plans until the first note gets struck. Or in our case until you get 2 steps in the door and told where to set up. (We did manage to do a great job, got paid and came home with ribeye dinners. A+)
We do Raw Real Right Now as a philosophy. Sure bobbles happen, mistakes get made. But out live they are forgotten very quickly if they are noticed! More important is repoire with audience.
One of the very best things I ever did for my music was take a few voice/breathing lessons. I found my "good" keys to sing in and learned where to sing- and play harp- from.
Junior and Buddy did a great album, Alone and Acoustic.
Jo and I took some inspiration from that album. Muddy did some early acoustic stuff, like in the 40's before he headed to Chicago. And we've found, you can break a lot of songs down to basics and use them in a duo format, and still get a full sound and get the vocals in as well.
One of our favorite things is to find a groove or a riff and work with it, and come up with verses, and viola, original song. We have several we do out live and they help sell CD's!
Glad you guys did good.
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