BluesGangRon
1 post
Mar 21, 2009
1:34 PM
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It's time to blow a riff as it were...
Close to 40 years ago my co-counselor at a camp I worked at, who played guitar, presented me with a Hohner Marine Band, showed me a few things for a few minutes, and said take it away. He knew I was blues keyboard player, and soon we were a duo entertaining the campers and staff with some blues around the campfire. I continued along all these years, never having had a lesson, or knowing the "right way" how to do it, yet developed a technique and got out a lot of decent blues. I suppose I was a saxophone wannabe, as I always tried to get as loud a sound as I could from my harps, and it will come to no surprise to you all that I kept destroying my harps, not knowing better.
Now, after all these years, through the miracle of the internet, Adam's videos and the late and great Paul Butterfield's instructional CD , I now known that I must reform and break that old habit and try to be kinder to my harps. (Interestingly, so many of the techniques and attitudes they speak of were learned intuitively.) It sure hurt when the 4th draw reed of my pride and joy, a Hohner Meisterklass, bit the dust. Yet, when the spirit moves me, and I get carried away in a Dionysian blues ecstasy, I forget myself and I'm just sucking out a long wailing bending note, and another harp is going to bite the dust. Oh well - maybe I might learn one of these days.
It's like what my sister, a voice teacher, told me. She claims that the blues singers who growl, like Koko Taylor for one, are ruining their vocal chords. Yet I argue with he that that is part of the expressiveness of the sound. She just won't accept that, and sticks to her guns that one should not sing that way.
Maybe that's like blowing my harps to strongly....
cheers y'all!
Ron
http://www.myspace.com/thebluesgangband
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tookatooka
159 posts
Mar 21, 2009
1:44 PM
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Hi Ron, welcome to the forum.
One blues harpist on another forum always tells his students to get the best from your harp you should always play as though there was a sleeping baby in the room next door.
I've tried that and although it's possible to coax gentle nuances from the harp, it's no fun at all. You've gotta let rip occasionally.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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BluesGangRon
2 posts
Mar 21, 2009
2:03 PM
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Hiya, John....
Well, this is far out! You are also a brother painter. I especially enjoyed your atmospheric landscapes - great control an skill with a non-forgiving medium. You may enjoy my oils on www.rongang.net.
Enuff - I've got to get to bed,
and I suppose we should stay on topic :-)
Music and Painting follow the same course, tho....
cheers
Ron
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harmonicanick
201 posts
Mar 21, 2009
3:56 PM
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Ron,
Do you blow your harps out a lot? I dont quite get what your point is man..
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oldwailer
610 posts
Mar 21, 2009
6:52 PM
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Like Freddy Roosevelt said: Play softer, but carry a big volume knob!
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BluesGangRon
3 posts
Mar 21, 2009
8:34 PM
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No specific point -
the wisdom is expressed by oldwailer above.
There have been many years of not knowing that you have to play softly, and I have been blowing out harps. Not always having amplification in a jam session has contributed to this habit. I have seen the light. If you want to be heard, one must rely on a amplifier.
Old habits die hard sometimes.
Peace and joy to you all.
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scstrickland
28 posts
Mar 21, 2009
11:33 PM
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BluesGangRon Good stuff, I particularly enjoy the Impasto.
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harmonicanick
202 posts
Mar 22, 2009
2:03 AM
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Ron check this lot out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0rGO6U7wcQ
Hazmat Modine, from the big apple, have 2 harp players and they live on the edge of sounds!!!
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BluesGangRon
4 posts
Mar 22, 2009
2:36 PM
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Bummer, harmonicanick - that video is no longer available. Looks like I really missed something.
Take good care!
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harmonicanick
203 posts
Mar 22, 2009
3:38 PM
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try
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_PtLa3si0
good luck
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BluesGangRon
5 posts
Mar 23, 2009
12:12 PM
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Yes - I was expecting to hear some Turkish music with a name like Hamzat Modine :-)
Very good and soulful - I like the touch of the tuba playing bass. Good band.
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