Mochamud
16 posts
Sep 05, 2008
11:20 AM
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Ok, I searched (only a little) and didn't see a topic on the subject of Rock harp. I know most people aren't interested in this, even Adam made a comment in a video. The problem is, where I am, if I want to play with people, I have to play rock. They don't usually play blues and I learned everything online (so blues). As such I'm usually just waiting for something fit in and play and it gets old. I play blues on my own and I'd like to play that but, in the same way Adam has talked in his videos about playing jazz, I've had similar frustrations with rock. I can play it but i can't figure out how to really get into it. I can't really access or use the harps potential in alot of rock songs. I refuse to believe its impossible for me but I was wondering if you guys had tips. I'm stuck in the blues phrasing and what not and i want to know how to break out when I need to.
Can you guys help?
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Chris Michalek
Guest
Sep 05, 2008
11:47 AM
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You have to pretend to be something other than a harmonica player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1sgmj7JvCA
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LittleJoeSamson
54 posts
Sep 05, 2008
12:13 PM
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The main problem I have when playing with a rock band is in having enough volume to be heard above the axes and rhythm section. Isolation on solo's is one way. If you have a sound tech, they can add effects to make it sound good.
Wait for your turn, and stay out of the way when guitars are flying!
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bluesnut
35 posts
Sep 05, 2008
7:53 PM
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Steven Tyler dose a fantastic job of rockin'/blues harp.
Last Edited by on Sep 05, 2008 7:54 PM
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Patrick Barker
131 posts
Sep 05, 2008
7:57 PM
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I find that playing like I would in a funkier blues song works fine, but here I'm talking about softer rock like oldies type stuff. Also, the ten hole blow bend sounds awesome in high energy stuff.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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gene
Guest
Sep 05, 2008
11:10 PM
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Here's another thought:
What does this boogie sound like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GQTiD1bFb4
It sounds like some really hard rockin', right?
Without the extreme distortion and delay, wouldn't it just sound like boogie? hmmm...
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shaneboylan
46 posts
Sep 10, 2008
9:27 AM
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I haven't heard any of the rock players (jagger, huey lewis; steve tyler etc) play anyhting that wasn;t already firmly rooted in the blues.
Sometimes I think the problem is in the actual sound that the harp makes - sometimes it's just far too low to make an impact when 2 or more guitarists are getting absorbed in heavy guitar rifs.
For me - I sometimes get a bit annoyed when our band play tunes more rooted in rock music because it's sometimes hard to know when to "fit in." For instance - normally our band does Voodoo Chile by Hendrix somewhere near the end of the night. Initially, I hadn't a clue about what to do because I'd normally just rehearsed 12 bar boogie stuff and played along to older blues music. Eventually, I decided to actually try to learn part of the guitar rif to the tune and then play it on the harp with more volume than normal.
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"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."
-Steven Wright
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jpmcbride
1 post
Sep 10, 2008
1:41 PM
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Mochamud,
I play in a duo with a guitar player who is not a blues player and end up playing harp on a lot of classic rock songs. Most things I play are blues oriented but you can't just jump in an wail away like you might when playing against a 12 bar shuffle at a jam. My approach is to listen to the song and see what the lead guitar (or sax, or fiddle or whatever the lead instrumnet) is playing. Then I try to work out something with the same feel. Occasionally I will attempt to copy it exactly but usually this is not feasible. Normally I will work on a solo that has the same kind of phrasing and timing as the original solo. Try to think outside your blues box in your note choice too. Lots of rock songs sound better with a major 3rd instead of a minor 3rd (this means you might not want to bend on the 3 draw). Use your ear and try bent and unbent 3 draws and see which works better with the song. Also watch that flat 7th (5 draw). It works sometimes but other times no. Think about using the 5 blow too. Lots of rock songs use the vi chord (Em in the key of G for example) and you can get this note on the 5 blow. Lots of rock songs are in minor keys so get your third position playing up to speed - it works great. Think of All Along the Watchtower and Rockin in the Free World. Also don't be a harp snob ;-) Go ahead and learn some classic rock harp solos note for note (or as close as you can get). I'm thinking of songs like Heart of Gold, Mary Janes Last Dance, or Love Me Do. You can blow your brains out with cool blues riffs, but you'll often get better crowd response playing that easy solo that they recognize. Plus you'll play it 10 times better than the original player since you actually know how to play your instrument!
One more idea - sometimes you can learn the melody to a classic song and just crank that out. Sounds corny but it can really work. I happen to know the melody to House of the Rising Sun and was at a campfire jam session at the Bean Blosson Blues Festival last weekend when a guitar player started playing this song. After someone sang a verse I played the melody as expressively as I could and it went over great.
Hope this was helpful.
Jim McBride
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harpdude
Guest
Sep 19, 2008
5:43 AM
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My band plays Blues, and Rock. I love getting outside the blues on harp. I play thru a Boss ME50
http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/PRODUCTS/EN/ME-50/
, and when we're playing tunes like "Time" by Pink Floyd, or 'Come Together" I'll take advantage of the adding rotary, with different delays, etc.... to totally fit in with the feel of the song. Maybe try getting a cheaper multi-effects pedal to experiment with. Digitech, Behringer and Zoom make some cool , inexpensive multieffects pedals. I love playing trippy rock stuff nowadays!
Chuck
http://www.reverbnation.com/harpdude
http://www.reverbnation.com/sundogone
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Blind Melon
5 posts
Sep 19, 2008
6:35 AM
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I have a book that I bought a long time ago called "Rock Harp" by Tony Glover. Tony also wrote "Blues Harp" that Adam references on his YouTube lessons.
Tony's books are not the easiest read, but I think you will find some things that will help you. There are several tabs of rock songs included in the book.
Just search "Rock Harp Tony Glover" on google.
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