captainbliss
399 posts
Jan 14, 2011
6:52 AM
|
@kudzurunner:
/comment on this video?/
1. Seems to me that it's IMPORTANT to check who puts the video in the public domain. In this case, it looks like it's the player himself, comment / criticism = fair game.
2. I think this is probably a fairly typical open mic scene: an enthusiastic player with plenty of energy and ideas trying stuff out, seeing what works, seeing what doesn't.
3. I like the awareness and consideration (I think, hard to tell) I see: he waits for the "nod" to start his solo and is careful not to tread on the piano player's at the end of his own.
@waltertore:
Your post reminded me of this:
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."
(Judy Garland)
xxx
|
Stevelegh
35 posts
Jan 14, 2011
1:28 PM
|
Todlgreene:
'You're right Andrew-this is just one moment in time. This guy might have many other appearances under his belt where he melded better with the music and the band, and kept some of those tricks in the bag. Hvyj, exactly-one has to learn the fine line of staying with the music and showing off a little without sounding like you're playing with a different band in your head.'
I took a look at the posts and at my post and decided to repost with a little reflection.
This guy has some chops that I envy and will try to emulate. I picked up on what I didn't like, which wasn't fair.
Who knows what his aim was here. The crowd loved it. Perhaps he was playing on what they'd heard before and screamed for more. perhaps it was a first time sit in.
Question is: Can many of us pull something like that out of our butts in a jam (assuming it was)?
I've played much worse at times, much better at times and I'm always far better than this.
In my head, which is the reason for the repost.
If the artist here reads this, I'd like him to feel encouraged. He's certainly inspired me.
Only things I'd say is fix your embrouchure in the low end and think of solos like jokes: Story - build up - punchline - smiling audience.
|
MrVerylongusername
1492 posts
Jan 14, 2011
1:48 PM
|
"think of solos like jokes: Story - build up - punchline - smiling audience."
Brilliant!
Last Edited by on Jan 14, 2011 1:48 PM
|
hvyj
1086 posts
Jan 14, 2011
1:57 PM
|
"Question is: Can many of us pull something like that out of our butts in a jam (assuming it was)? "
Well....yeah. i don't think this guy plays very well at all. he just has learned to slur around on the high end so he can fake like he knows how to play fast. Give him a high end run with specific notes he is required to hit and i bet he couldn't do it. As i said before what he is doing ain't very hard to do and i explained how he is doing it.
Now, stylistically, i like how fast runs on the high end sound when played in the right spots and i tend to use them myself when i play. But I play specific notes, not slurs. The only problem is playing large intervals at fast tempo. That's a game breaker that will keep you from playing sax lines at sax speed.
Last Edited by on Jan 14, 2011 2:03 PM
|
MrVerylongusername
1493 posts
Jan 14, 2011
2:03 PM
|
<sarcasm>
yeah he's like all those old blues-fakers who shake their heads whilst drawing to give the impression they are rapidly alternating between notes.
</sarcasm>
OK, sorry, but give the guy a break, not everyone is a pro, the audience likes it and he hasn't asked for this critique.
Last Edited by on Jan 14, 2011 2:04 PM
|
hvyj
1087 posts
Jan 14, 2011
2:09 PM
|
@MrVerylongusername: Well, i don't want to sound disrespectful, but let's face it, the world is full of harp players who play bends, shakes, warbles and a lot of chords because they know how, not because it fits the material.
|
Littoral
248 posts
Jan 14, 2011
2:40 PM
|
Comment?
OK It's a decent format for discussing harp, basically a case study.
It's not musical. The kind of flame throwing kazoo circus noise that gives harp (justifiably) a bad name with people who actually play music. I don't think context is relevant. We're commenting on the video, only.
|
AV8R
98 posts
Jan 14, 2011
4:16 PM
|
@hvyj--"he's just sliding the 10 draw to 6 or 7 draw and 9 blow to 6 or 7 blow or vice versa (sometimes in increments"
Hey you're right, that is pretty simple. Thanks.
|
hvyj
1094 posts
Jan 14, 2011
4:26 PM
|
@AV8R: the other thing he does is reverse air direction in the middle of the gliss every now and then for variety. Again, NBD.
|
kudzurunner
2243 posts
Jan 14, 2011
4:41 PM
|
I'm at peace with the way I put this video into circulation. It was out there; I offered hedged, qualified, constructive critique. For free, I might add. And I asked y'all to be gentle.
If the past is any guide, this guy will soon get wind of what we've been doing here. There's no need to tear anybody down, or fight like cats in a bag. It's just harp playing. We're all trying to improve. This thread, at its best, might be the sort of workshop that I saw writer Richard Ford give recently here at Ole Miss. (We just hired him to head out MFA program.) One story by a student was on the table. It was good, but by no means perfect. People offered constructive critique. The student was sitting there the whole time. He took it well. Learning went on.
Not everybody is good at offering constructive critique. The golden rule is a good guide. But of course the old blues guys could cut pretty bad.
Last Edited by on Jan 14, 2011 4:43 PM
|
AV8R
99 posts
Jan 14, 2011
4:50 PM
|
@hvyj Yeah, and it sounds like he uses the lick all the way from the V, the IV, and 1 to the turnaround. I think.....
|
Joe_L
982 posts
Jan 14, 2011
5:01 PM
|
Considering we know very little about how he ended up on stage, it's hard to be really critical. For all we know, it could be his first time on stage. You've got to give the guy credit, he's out there doing it.
----------
The Blues Photo Gallery
|
hvyj
1096 posts
Jan 14, 2011
5:03 PM
|
He's not very selective about where he puts what. After all you've got a complete mixolydian scale from B6 to B9, so it's sorta hard to hit a bad note slurring around up there anyway.
i was surprised when some posters were expressing oohs and ahhs. So, since i knew exactly what he was doing I thought it was appropriate to debunk the illusion that he was actually playing with real speed and control.
I've been doing a lot of high register playing without blow bends for the past little while and I like to think that I've been able to work some of the sticky points out through trial and error. Still a work in progress, but i feel i have developed enough of a handle on it to recognize the real thing when I hear it and what this guy is doing ain't the real thing.
|
phogi
501 posts
Jan 14, 2011
7:39 PM
|
I see a kid up there who just got a bit too far into his own part. Why scratch our heads about it? Every single one of us has played worse at some point in our lives.
If I were being asked about how to make those fast slides fit into the music better, I would say: let the low and upper notes of the side be parts of the chords, and, even better, let them high light the change. Great example: Start on the tonic during bar 7 or 8. Noodle-slide into bar 9. On beat 1, the and of 1, or on beat two, land on scale degree 2, (the 5th of the 5 chord). Bending into it would be even better.
|
clamsharpplayer
45 posts
Jan 15, 2011
8:11 AM
|
I have been following this post because I have some sort of empathy for this guy. He is young and working his shit out on stage. We all do it one time or another. Phogi said it really well. Constuctive criticism
----------
get off the computer and play some harp
|
hvyj
1108 posts
Jan 15, 2011
11:01 AM
|
You know what? If someone is going to post a vid publicly they invite commentary on musicianship and technique which is what has been posted here.
Nothing wrong with getting up on stage and making mistakes and getting experience by working your shit out on stage. That's how we learn. But why post a show off vid if your performance is nothing to show off about?
Technology has seemed to have spawned a plethora of meaningless show off vids (hey, look at me, I'm playing with other people!) or jack off vids (hey, look at me, I'm playing with myself!) Publicly posting these invites commentary and fair comment is not limited to praise, or to making constructive suggestions.
Last Edited by on Jan 15, 2011 11:16 AM
|
