Andrew
82 posts
Jan 18, 2009
4:32 AM
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I've got a work colleague who once sucked the 3-hole draw reed down his throat on stage. His band members laughed at him as he was rolling on the floor coughing! I hope it doesn't happen often.
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jbone
5 posts
Jan 18, 2009
7:23 AM
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that happened to me way back when. the circumstances seem to be drawing WAY TOO HARD on a harp usually because the band is pretty loud and we operate on the idea if we suck harder we will hear ourselves better. but it's like trying to build a 250 mph lawn mower. ain't gonna happen.
it IS pretty rare. that same night i blew out 3 other harps. best way to avoid this is to just not abuse a harp in the first place. if you can't hear while you're on stage, find a quieter stage or a ballsier amp.
this phenomenon that leads up to this is called the volume disease. in my experience drummers and guitarists drive the volume higher and higher as a night progresses. all out of proportion. a lot of musicians think they need to be equipped to play to 5000 people, and the same sound equipment is used in a 50 people joint.
maybe my opinion is showing here. i think great music does not have to be loud as hell. dynamics are king. listen to some of the old guys like muddy, wolf, jimmy reed.
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snakes
77 posts
Jan 19, 2009
12:44 PM
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I agree jbone. I want to hear the entire band in a balanced way and I don't want to wince or experience pain in the process. That is a little spooky about actually inhaling a reed...
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oldwailer
457 posts
Jan 19, 2009
6:57 PM
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I think the loudest concert I ever went to was Canned Heat--back in about summer of '65 or'66, I think. I thought I had a stomach ache for a while--then I realized it was just the vibration rattling through my body.
Well, Maybe Janis Joplin & the Holding Co--but that was outside and there was a lot of space for the solidity of the standing wave of sound to dissipate into like a cannonball through the air.
Of course, there was the Moody Blues--they were loud but really good and there were these mushrooms in my ears anyway so it didn't really matter.
Hell, even Simon and Garfunkle were pretty amped back in those days.
But--uh, back to my point--if you got enough chemicals and beer, there ain't no "too loud."
At least, that's how I don't remember it. . .
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Bluzdude46
12 posts
Feb 07, 2009
11:00 AM
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I was a lot harder on harps when I was younger. I got tired of blowing "A" Harps out. so I figured I'd upgrade to Hohner Meisterclasse when they came out, sounded like just the thing. First night on stage with it I sucked the 3rd draw reed right outta it. I was pissed that I spent that much $$ on a Harp and it held up no better. One thing I learned was if you gap your harps correctly they respond better and you don't overplay them as much. I started playing in the late 70's when harps were awfull out of the box. Now I keep harps alive much longer. Gapping and working on harps will save lots of $$ and frustration
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