I was at a blues jam recently, and was reminded again how tolerant the public are for newbie harp-players.
Don't get me wrong, I also think they appreciated the step change when those better players came up, but I was surprised that the audience of probably a majority of musicians were to bum notes, somewhat aimless honking and a lack of any kind of solo structure.
On one hand this is great; beginner musicians should always be encouraged to play live, and like most I personally hate the cutting competion vibe you occasionally get at jams - and I'm sure still would even if I were lots better. But on the other hand I don't think a guitarist or drummer of the same limited ability would get the same (possibly slightly tounge-in-cheek) response.
Do you agree, or are your local jams different? Is it just the relative novelty of the harmonica? That the public has probably heard more Dylan than Little Walter?
You're absolutely right, I think. Unfortunately, I realised this through my own lousy playing. I'm a relative newcomer to the instrument (less than two years) but have tried my hand at open mics in recent months and found people to be generous to a fault.
There are times when I know I've delivered a sloppy 'solo' (in the heat of the moment, things go wrong) but somehow got away with it. Even with the guitarist I've been playing with, who's a very capable blues musician, I've found him to be enormously receptive to harmonica accompaniment that I know is sub-standard; stuff I wouldn't post on this forum for any amount of money in the world.
I do think it's the novelty factor, though. People can certainly tell the difference between a Bob Dylan and a Paul Butterfield, but only when there's a Paul Butterfield there for comparison. Otherwise, Dylan gets a free pass.
By the way, is it significant that you started this thread mere minutes after commenting on someone's first-time video post?
I used to play at local jams when my playing ability was more limited than it is now. And I must say that folks were always complimentary.
I suppose it's because it's easier to 'get away with it' on a harp than it is on a guitar or keyboard. As long as you stay below hole 7, you're bound to be playing more or less the right notes most of the time. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
i think the audience will be kinder to harp players cause they arnt really sure what is good an whats not on a harp. more people are custom to guitars an drums. if the band sucks at either of those two they can get booed off stage. for example billy joe from greenday played harp in this clip an they loved it. even the description in the video says "it was awesome!" you be the judge lol
well thank bob dylan for a lot of that tolerance. there seems to be a mystique around harmonica playing. there's a camp of people who just don't know better who attribute bad playing of an instrument to an artist's muse and to their right to do what comes to them. on the other hand, try doing what dylan did on a few things THE WAY HE DID THEM. it is not so easy as you'd think. i know, i have tried a few things. he did exactly what he set out to do, the way he did them.
remember this too- 1- most people in an average audience can't play anything at all. 2- a guy like billy joe has people who like him enough to love anything he does. that counts too somehow.
i spent my share of time playing the same tired riffs on jam stages until i finally personally got sick of how limited i was. and for most of that time i got nothing but encouragement from both musicians and audiences. one thing that may count is, playing with feeling even if you don't have a big bag of tricks to draw from. if i had a do-over, i would get some lessons from someone who knew what to do with a harp. i'd study, practice, and rehearse until i had some respectable chops before i ventured out in public. i would spend much more time with friends in the living room on the porch or whatever until i had a real feel for the harp. but i don't have a do-over. i have gotten to where i am and i do pretty dang well these days, and have for a few years now. but if you DON'T want to spend YEARS getting the basics down, on the fly out at jam nights, maybe making something of an ass of yourself, learn the instrument for a while before venturing out in public. i personally was a stubborn and prideful beginner for about 20 years. i would not seek out a teacher nor would i look up a book that may have given me what i needed to make better progress. instead, i spent that 20 or so years fumbling around, doing fair sometimes but having no clue about the real potential of a harp in knowledgeable hands.
this era we're in, there is so much teaching out there, for FREE thanks to the internet. let alone the kind counsel of those who know more than we do, who are happy to pass along some insights and suggestions. some of us remember a turning point, where a peer was kind enough to lend us a hand. and we pass that along the best we can.
some 15 years ago i met a cat who was a killer drummer, he was in college at a prestigious music school nearby. he was at a jam and watching the harp guys, and later on he took a turn on stage with a harp. and it was rough. he was new to harp. a couple of us answered his questions and pointed him toward our favorite harp guys. within about 6 months this cat was doing stuff on harp i had never dreamed of! that right there showed me what a real student mentality can do. this guy ended up teaching ME some things. and i had another guy, a band mate who was doing lead guitar at the time, one night after a rehearsal, whip out a harp and just melt my face off. not to shame me but to show me what was possible. it took my thick head a while to absorb the lesson but there came a turning point for me thanks mainly to those 2 guys- troy and tim, wherever you guys are today, thank you.
so yes, we do need to support the new guys, and the not-so-new guys who are struggling. after all, if it weren't for people volunteering to show me a better way, i'd be much less a player than i am.
Last Edited by on May 11, 2009 1:01 PM
I'm with you there. It's not just the practice time you put in; rather, it's the willingness to break out of your tired okd riffs, and keep moving to another level.
I suppose when you get sick of your playing, it's the time to stand back and reflect on what you need to add to it. It's at those times that you need the most discipline.
What do you think, fellas? ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Well done you young guys for getting up there and 'giving your all' Remember: - harp is a novelty for the public - whatever you play, as long as its in the right key will go down ok - performance is everything..even if your playing is shit; with the right body language (confidence) you will get away with it - express yourself body and soul whatever your ability - most advanced players are up their own asses, including me. - leave spaces in your solos in jams - watch the other musicians carefully - watch the singer and fill and solo when appropriate - dont play over anybody esp the singer - drink plenty of alcohol but dont let it affect your listening/performance etc - stand up and be counted..dont sit and hunch with self conciousness at jams..look up and enjoy you are as good as the next man! - get the right key in jams Goodnight
A lot of Jam bands are a pretty cliquey bunch where i live, They don't like Harp players for some reason , It's usually loads of guitarists, 1 or two bass players and no singers except the karaoke sort who can't sing wit a live band. If you get up there and play confidently, the audience usually love it ,but thte jam band fell threatened by you , and think you're some sort of big headed egomaniac (which i am not). But Harp players are looked upon as someone who doesn't care what mike your using ,and if i bring my own , No one will ever let you plug into an amp . I did once and it was the nastiest little sqawk box i've ever encountered , If I take my guitar , different story ? but i don't want to play guiatr at a jam coz everyone wants to play all the old rock standards , i always have to rediall the amp for blues as the last guy had distort everything mode ! Anyway ,I'm off jam bands , I prefer to go out with my own band , play harp through my own amp ,get the sound i want and have a better time ! Also i agree with the above post , I just don't like playing generic blues , Bores the hell out of me on a personal level . That's all for now .
i always try to bring something fresh even to the tired old standard songs one hears at jams. that's what it's about for me. i feed off someone else's take on a song or a riff and they feed off mine. synergy happens sometimes. something bigger than the sum of its parts.
when i go to a jam i either take my own rig or take a low z mic and plug into the p.a. or on occasion at some jams there will be a harp guy there as part of the house band and i get to use his rig. whatever, it doesn't matter, i'm going to play and sound as good as i know how to.
a plus for us harp guys is the ability to sing. what that means is, we get to call off songs as long as it's within the confines of the house band or the guys we're on stage with. i have gotten pretty used to just calling off a med shuffle in whatever key works for me, and whatever the band does i sing something that hangs together in that key and tempo. i always cue the guitars and keys and whoever else is on stage and get them in the spotlight, and i always take a solo myself. but no hogging the light, i'm already leading the band a lot of the time! or on the other hand, sometimes i'm "just" a side man. an accent here or there, a solo here or there, but whatever the case, i want to add to the groove without taking it over. that's how musicians get an attitude about other musicians.
of course i'd love my own band. lately- the past 3 years, i have had it much simpler as far as gigs: wife and i do a duo thing. much easier all around. when i can i sit in with a band here and there. and if the opportunity presents, i will join or form a 4 piece band in the future, in fact wife tells me this is what she wants for me. but i can always depend on my partner in the duo, and i've had so much fun and learned so much, i can't imagine not doing the duo thing.
at any rate, confidence will definitely take you a long way on a jam stage. so will decent chops and bringing your own mic or harp rig, and signing up to sing a few songs. if you treat the band with respect and act as if you have that respect back, amazing things can happen.
