MP
316 posts
May 21, 2010
4:59 PM
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i know at least two guys who went on line to become harp players and have totally and wrongly put the cart before the horse.
between them, they posess the finest gear money can buy. various great mics, a slew of pedals, top notch harmonicas(some in odd keys), sonny jr.s and harpgear amps.
niether can play the harp. i'm sure there are many others just like them who think that in order to learn to play the harp you need more than just a few harps. they think you need B-RADS or filiskos at least to get 'em going. then, it's the electronic money hole experiment.
just a word of advice to newbys here that i think may have been overlooked. you don't need a buncha hoorah. all you need is the harp.
LEARN TO PLAY THE HARP FIRST . everything else is very, very, secondary.
buy out of box harps from reputable companys. A Bb C D F G-to get you started. if money is a issue, just an A and a C are cool.
take lessons from ADAM or somebody else who is good.
one last thing;
if you plug in before you have any chops your inexperience is going to just be loud and irritating. it'll help to perpetuate the idea that harp players aren't musicians but dolts. i'm sure you all want to be a musicians and i wish you all great luck. don't get sucked in to the 'i'll learn better with gear nonsense'. see yah,MP
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RyanMortos
712 posts
May 21, 2010
5:56 PM
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I felt compelled to get a amp (chose a harp gear) and a nice mic early on (probably like 1yr in) but it had nothing to do with sounding better. I just wanted to get a mic & amp to practice with cause it's different having a mic in your hands; the sound & feel.
But I hardly touch either, I could have easily gone another year without buying either. Probably even another two years. I kinda regret it cause that's a couple hundred dollars of equipment laying around not getting used because I don't play in a band or anything. I haven't touched my mic or amp in months & spend much more time just learning to play better acoustically. And yeah an amp & mic won't help you play better I agree.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Contact:
My youtube account
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MichaelAndrewLo
392 posts
May 21, 2010
5:59 PM
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That is so true. Learn to play with proper breath force. Ruin lots of harps. Get incrementally better by sitting there playing with some crap for a year. Then get a custom harp and realize it changes your skill not one bit. Then start practicing a lot again and get better. Then all of a sudden hear people say: "you play customs? No wonder your so good! They must be SOOoo easy to play!" Then they go buy the custom and it repeats. You can't buy skill on your instrument. Especially with harp.
Last Edited by on May 21, 2010 5:59 PM
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nacoran
1906 posts
May 21, 2010
6:10 PM
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Hey, there is a recession on and you are encouraging people not to spend money? I guess we know what economic theory you subscribe too. Are you hoarding gold too? :)
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Nate
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hvyj
356 posts
May 21, 2010
6:12 PM
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One reason to get an amp and mic early on is that they are fun to play with. If a beginner is having fun,he or she may practice more, which is certainly not a bad thing.
When a player is ready to start play out, I think getting a good mic is important--more important than getting an amp. For beginning players starting to sit in, there's no compelling reason not to just play through the PA board. For jams and sitting in situations, amps can be way more trouble, inconvenience and aggravation than they are worth.
If a player is developing decent breath and mic technique, he or she should be able to get an acceptably decent sound through the board using a good mic. Yeah, you may be able to sound a little better with your own amp, but if one is just sitting in, the difference may not be all that significant. And the amp may not actually sound any better than going direct, especially if the player is a novice, or if you wind up having to mic the amp anyway. The more gear you carry, the more problems you will confront. And, anyway, it's sort of comical to watch a harp player set up more gear than i have furniture in my living room just to sit in on a couple of tunes. FWIW.
Last Edited by on May 21, 2010 6:21 PM
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MichaelAndrewLo
393 posts
May 21, 2010
6:15 PM
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Public health announcement: GAS is WAY more contagious than PYAO (practicing your ass off).
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Nastyolddog
771 posts
May 21, 2010
6:19 PM
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I started with 1 C Harp I wasn't going to buy another Harp untill i could play some music, started up the ladder learning out of my book the norm song Amazing Grace ect ect, songs,
untill i could play Harp with my Bro i wasn't going to buy another Harp,
he played along with me and my C Harp taught me a 12 Bar to jam with away i went he saids it's time you buy some more Harps,
thats when i bought a 7 harp set Hohner Sp-20's played along for 12months or more acousticly,
then bought a 10-watt travel amp $50 from the Pawn shop a Dynamic Shaker still got it,
i have other toys but very minimal few amps 1 reverb pedal, 1 LW V2 thats it:)
my weekness is mic's and lately vintage speakers quick got to go make a bid see ya:)
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nacoran
1910 posts
May 21, 2010
6:20 PM
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MAL, yeah, I'd agree. I guess I'm lucky. I'm so poor that my GAS has never gotten that too severe. I still use a couple garage sale amps I got for $30, although I do have a complete set of keys now. I find more often than not I have to stop myself from practicing than start myself. I think part of that is the approach I took when I started. There is a whole psychological thing on motivation and how you are praised, whether it's for hard work or for being good. I could go into it now, but IHOP is calling. Have fun!
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Nate
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barbequebob
841 posts
May 21, 2010
6:25 PM
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MP, MAL, I`ve been saying that for years. Too many players who foolishly think about getting great gear or the most expensive harps before really getting their sh*t together FIRST is using a mentality that is kinda like if I bought myself a Maseratti is gonna make me a better driver is something everyone knows is 100% BS, yet so many harp players quickly fall into that trap too easily.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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MichaelAndrewLo
394 posts
May 21, 2010
6:31 PM
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I think it's interesting in a way that MOST good players get good on crap then get good gear. The greatest drummers I ever met played crap CB drums, cymbals, and pedals and made those drums sound fantastic. Then they'd get a DW (top of the line) set and because those players playing cheaper sets see them playing $5,000 drums, they think there is a correlation. THERE ISN'T. Luckily for harmonica top of line stuff is only a couple hundred dollars a pop!
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Tuckster
551 posts
May 21, 2010
6:36 PM
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Yes,but you got to look at the other side of it: when those newbie's give up because they didn't practice,you can get some real sweet deals on gear!
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MP
320 posts
May 21, 2010
6:47 PM
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for those who don't know, GAS is the acronym for gear aquistion syndrome. "hi, my nane is MP and i have GAS"
HI MP!!
i love all manner of good gear and it makes me all nice and fuzzy and a better person, someone good. doesn't improve chops one bit though.
learning tool gear is a good investment and will help out the recession too. MPs gotcha covered NACORAN.
i suggest a recording device for private lessons. record what is pertinent. such as, how bends sound. if you have a refence you can actually hear, you'll improve faster.
there is a bit of $40 software called the AMAZING SLOW DOWNER (i'm sure there are others). it's great for slowing songs down you want to learn or steal from but keeping them in pitch. and, you can create loops too.
cheap chromatic tuner:
it will show you 1/2 steps and whole steps and step and 1/2s when bending. it is very important to know what you are doing. 3 draw anyone? how about those two bends on 10 blow? overblow? it'll show you buddy old friend. priceless!
see yah,
your invisible MP
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Rick Davis
450 posts
May 21, 2010
6:48 PM
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I put my students on the mic and amp from the very first lesson. I do it in the last few minutes. It's fun.
There is nothing wrong with amping up if that is the sound the student is after. I would discourage them from spending a fortune on a big gigging amp, but a 5-watt tube amp is something all harp players will need.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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MP
322 posts
May 21, 2010
6:54 PM
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BBQ, i realize you keep saying it but, it has been a while, don't you think?.
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MP
323 posts
May 21, 2010
7:22 PM
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MAL, v. true, but it isn't only drummers -as i'm sure you are aware. GAS infects guitarists and bassists too. even sax players. there are a dizzying aray of custom mouth pieces(metal, hard rubber, wide lay, blah blah, ligatures, reed choices(some synthetic rather than bamboo)etc..etc..
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Nastyolddog
772 posts
May 21, 2010
7:31 PM
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Ok Bro's who is Projecting this Image to make these Noobs think they need a lot of effects pedals and wizz bangery,
is the Trad's or the Mods???????
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nacoran
1911 posts
May 21, 2010
9:48 PM
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Nasty, I suspect it's the guy at the music store who's working on commission.
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Nate
Facebook
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earlounge
74 posts
May 23, 2010
7:04 AM
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I hope I'm not becoming one of those guys. I haven't bought an amp or a nice mic yet, but I want both really bad! I already own a PA and mics, so I can practice mic control at home.
I do have a full case of harps already, but that isn't because I wanted them! I needed them. I kept going out to open mics and couldn't play half the time.
I also unwillingly spent a lot of money on tools. I got very discouraged early on because I got some real crappy OOTB harps. I thought it was necessary to learn to fix harps if I wanted to play them. Now that I have a bunch I know I just got some lemons. I'd rather spend my time practicing not fixing dud harps.
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MP
328 posts
May 23, 2010
11:13 AM
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earlounge,
i notice a lot of people complain about OOTB harps. methinks that most times it is not the harp but technique. if you work on good technique you can even play chinese junk. actually, sometimes the reeds on cheap junk are so thin it is easier to play them. only advanced players are adept at finding boogers in OOTB harps though a lot don't give a shit if they do. they just work around those boogers. if a reed is buzzy they'll just adjust their attack etc.
some harps are harder to play than others. this doesn't make them duds. i've played uncooperative harps since 1972. it has only been a short time that i have been aware of custom harps. i'm really blown away how easy and fast they respond. even so, most OOTB harps are just fine.
sorry if this sounds like a lecture.
oh, one more thing i think is of telling interest.
jason ricci learned to overblow on OOTB harps. i think GMs?
Last Edited by on May 23, 2010 11:23 AM
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earlounge
76 posts
May 23, 2010
11:37 AM
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MP,
You may be right cuz I am just a beginner, but now that I have a quite a few harps I am convinced some are better than others. I bought 2 SP20 key of C harps and one sucks and the other is fine. I "can" play them both, but why struggle with the crappy one when I know I have a better one?
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MP
330 posts
May 23, 2010
11:47 AM
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you're right earlounge,
some ARE just better than others. luck of the draw. no need to play the sucky one. i'll keep harps that aren't so great in the car(too lazy to adjust reeds on 'em)and play 'em to strengthen my chops. then i play my good stuff at home or gigs.
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