toddlgreene
1558 posts
Jul 15, 2010
11:51 AM
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Last night at John Lisi's jam, John called me up to jam with his core band on an original. He shouted out that it was in E. No problem, I thought, and grabbed an A. Whoa, I thought, as he began to play and looked at me to do call and response-something ain't right here. So I asked' Are you sure you're in E?' He confirmed, and I squirmed. I know he never detunes, so I ruled out a half step... This is why I bring a case with every key with me when I play. Luckily, 3rd worked just fine. I now realize I was not thinking straight-maybe shoulda grabbed a B to try...ouch. Beer and thinking clearly don't mix.
I'm sure most of us have had one or two moments where they're in the spolight and on the spot, and eveything seems to be going right, then...oops. Share.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club
Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Jul 15, 2010 12:08 PM
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bluemoose
240 posts
Jul 15, 2010
12:03 PM
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Your A could be flat. Check it against a keyboard.
I had a similar experience with an F harp. Song in C, everything I did in second pos just seemed wrong. Had to shake off a solo. Compared against a keyboard next day. "Oh Sh*t" was putting it mildly! :)
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toddlgreene
1559 posts
Jul 15, 2010
12:05 PM
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Perhaps...something just didn't jive. That's not a problem I ever have. My A harps(both) are tuned fine...it was something with his progression that didn't jive. I've misheard keys before and grabbed the wrong harp, too.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club
Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Jul 15, 2010 12:14 PM
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LittleJoeSamson
351 posts
Jul 15, 2010
12:56 PM
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A number of years back, I was soloing and doing a building crescendo where I really lay into a sustained deep bend. Right at the beginning of the note, the reed broke off and flew into the back of my throat!
Of course, I followed with paroxysm's of choking, coughing, and various prostrations. Everyone that I was acting or something, like it was part of the performance.
I must have swallowed the reed...but no further effects.
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TahoeMike00
35 posts
Jul 15, 2010
1:19 PM
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Here's the way I figure it - if the audience has had more beer than you have, then they probably didn't notice.
The only people that notice are other harp players.
;-)
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hvyj
457 posts
Jul 15, 2010
1:34 PM
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I have occasionally picked up a harp a half step flat (Db instead of D or Ab instead of A). Playing blues in second position that doesn't put you so far out of key that you notice immediately that you have the wrong harp, but nothing seems to sound right. I hate it when i do that and don't realize what I've done wrong.
Btw, some major key tunes just don't work in second position but sound fine in third. Haven't figured out why, though.
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boris_plotnikov
157 posts
Jul 15, 2010
1:51 PM
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Wrong harp or reed sticked by saliva or blowing too hard and having a choked reed always very unpleasant and actually can ruin a phrase or even a whole solo. This is the reason I always have backup harp for key I currently play in my harp belt.
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bluemoose
241 posts
Jul 15, 2010
2:43 PM
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I think I am actively repressing this memory but I'm pretty sure when I started using TurboLids on a lot of my harps and before I got a proper harp case with a tray that will corral them, I dropped 'several' off the back of an amp and ended up crawling on my hands and knees in the dark scooping up scattered combs and covers and frantically trying to re-assemble before I got the solo nod. Don't recall how much beer was involved either.
Now I label my combs and have a mini flashlight in my case!
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Cisco
150 posts
Jul 15, 2010
2:52 PM
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Todd, I'll bet that the song was done in E minor.
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toddlgreene
1561 posts
Jul 15, 2010
2:56 PM
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Cisco-yeah, I believe so(especially since 3rd worked well), although I'm usually adept at playing 2nd pos over a minor...something was definitely amiss! I felt pretty small for about a minute of it.
@ bluemoose-Wow, crawling around onstage? Haha, were you sporin' plumbers' crack? The audience probably thought that was part of the show.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club
Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
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MP
709 posts
Jul 15, 2010
3:04 PM
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was playing a gig(during the urban cowboy scare) doing charlie mcCoys version of fiddle fav 'orange blossom special'
you switch harps for chord changes.
this is rapid fire switching so yah gotta be on it.
successfully went through chord changes and dropped one of the harps(Bb).
it bounced off the floor and jettisoned both coverplates before sliding under the PA main speaker a couple yards away. i'm still playing the F.
so i get down on one hand and my knees (i'm still playing)and holding the mic and harp in one hand, and fish the Bb out just in time for the changes.
somehow i did it sans cover plates. PHEW!!
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
Last Edited by on Jul 15, 2010 3:05 PM
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Joe_L
461 posts
Jul 15, 2010
3:12 PM
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I have a ton of these stories.
I bought a bunch of replacement Hohner MS reed plates sets. I had a C harp go bad. I was in a hurry. I grabbed a box labeled C and quickly swapped the plates before heading out for the evening.
The singer called out a tune in the key of G. I grabbed my C harp with the new plates and started playing. It was really loud on stage, I couldn't hear myself, but the singer could. Something was off. He asks, "We are in G. What key are you in?" I look at the harp and it's labeled C.
I start thinking, "what the hell?" and pull out a different C harp. Sure enough, the one with the new plates was in the wrong key. There were A plates in the harp.
After the set was over, the guy who sold me the plates was in the audience and laughing his ass off. I told him what had happened and he asked, "Were those the plates I sold you?"
I said, "Yes."
He replied, "I forgot to tell you that I had dropped all of the boxes and the plates fell on the floor. I was in a hurry and put them in the boxes. I guess I put them in the wrong boxes. I forgot to mention it to you."
Now, I check them.
Last Edited by on Jul 15, 2010 3:12 PM
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PaulM
34 posts
Jul 15, 2010
3:46 PM
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Last week: Concrete block bar (terrible acoustics), drummer really feeling it (loud), tight stage (too close to the drummer); couldn't hear myself. Played half of "Sweet Home Chicago" with my mic turned off.
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hvyj
458 posts
Jul 15, 2010
4:39 PM
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Speaking of repressed memories, now that you mention it, I'd almost forgotten that it's never a good idea to put your harps on the top of a bass amp because the vibration will cause them to fall on the floor behind the amp.
Dark stage, more than moderate amounts of this and that, the band is rocking hard, the dance floor is full. Next tune gets called, can't find the harp I need--what to do? Well that was my first attempt at playing in 4th position because that was the only way i could get the key that was called on the only harps I was able to find...not one of my better musical experiences.
I sort of miss the old days when B-3s were more common and if you stood next to the organ you had a nice, solid secure place to put your harps.
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Greg Heumann
663 posts
Jul 15, 2010
4:44 PM
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For me, it is going up on lyrics. I suck at lyric memory. So I bring a book with a chart for each song we do. And I still screw up once in a while. I've gotten good an lyric invention on the fly, and, failing that, effective mumbling.
By the way, especially when the music is really loud, I've also had the experience where I just couldn't "hear" the right key. I'm generally good at hearing the root note and identifying the key of the music with my C Harp, with a finger in one ear so I can hear it. But when it is REALLY loud (my band isn't gigging enough so I don't always have control) that can happen. So I ask the bass player....
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/Greg
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MP
712 posts
Jul 15, 2010
4:59 PM
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me too gregg,
iv'e even asked the bass player (in mid song) the lyrics to tunes i wrote!
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
493 posts
Jul 15, 2010
6:36 PM
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One onstage "oh sh.." moment was when I said "oh sh.." onstage. It was at a charity fundraiser for mentally handicapped kids. I was playing a mandolin solo on "Ghost Riders in the Sky" when I dropped my pick and said that. I asked the bass player later "did the microphone pick that up" he said "of course it did, what did you think microphones were for?"
Luckily, the benefit was in a bar and nobody said anything. I guess even if I hadn't said that, simply dropping my pick during a solo would have qualified as one of those moments.
There was also a horrifying moment at the West Virginia State Harmonica championship a few years ago, first time I was ever there. I was playing a chromatic and reeds kept choking out on me, bad enough I had to stop playing it. It was extremely embarassing. The deal was, I couldn't hear myself at all, so I was playing harder to compensate and the chromatic was choking - the good thing is I did learn a lesson from that.
I had a diatonic in my pocket and I nervously played the first thing that came to mind, it was this real fast number I usually played on a C, but the harmonica I pulled out was a G and it didn't feel right. I'm naturally very shy, and not very confident, that moment kept me out of contests for a while.
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www.harrisonharmonicas.com
Last Edited by on Jul 15, 2010 6:38 PM
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jbone
364 posts
Jul 15, 2010
9:16 PM
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while my band was in the middle of opening for Bobby Rush a few years back, i stepped on my harp mic cable and yanked it out of the mic in the middle of a solo. oh shit.
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