Mr. Gussow just posted what I believe to be one of the best videos that he has ever made. He is giving an example of the concept of solo harmonica that I have been trying to develope as my primary style since last year. This is what solo harp is all about folks:
Here, Mr. Gussow is showcasing all that he has ever told me about solo harp done right. Stronge groove combined with high paced harp action, while keeping the entire piece interesting. It's hard work, but if done right, you can be the best busker ever. All you need is a harp, an amp, and an accoustic stompbox, and you will be well on your way to being the next solo harmonica god. This is a style that few harp players have really made a living doing. The biggest name in this style is probably Son of Dave. There is much to be learned from this folks. I might have to swipe this piece from you Mr. Gussow ;) ---------- Brandon Bailey
this is the best thing I have heard from Adam to date.
Fantastic!!
I noted on the video but I'm proud to say it again, very very few harmonica players inspire me these days and very few have ever inspired me. Only ONLY one player has inspired me twice and that is Adam Gussow.
I'd love to be able to play like this someday, heck even play half as well as Adam can. Since I know the music scene around where I live is mostly grunge/punk/no talent bands I guess I'm in the same boat as you superchucker in having to be a one man band
I remember Doc Gussow once joking on a vid about how he might be spawning a lot of clones.
If they can entertain like that, I hope he does. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on May 28, 2009 3:55 AM
Thanks, guys. I'm glad y'all enjoyed this. I had so much fun working it up that I may just add it to the Satan and Adam show--either as a solo piece, or a duo piece (our drummer can pound on those tubs), or, if Sterling can learn the words (!) as a full-on trio performance. Or maybe start as a solo thing and morph it into a band thing.
Adam get one of those toe tappy things for your other foot two! It's fun keeping the rhythm with your feet. I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years. I think it's a great way to play/practice! I've been working pretty diligently on my foot work and have worked a lot on tongue blocking/chording rhythms that go along with my foot work! It's a lot of work, but I don't know of anyone that is doing it and now I know why! Does that count as Modern Blues Harmonica? I say that jokingly because what I'm doing is playing the way someone would have 70 years ago if they had the opportunity to hear you and all the others that have come before me!
I just checked out the website. That's a real instrument! I'd have to relearn the whole thing all over again! I think it's to complicated for me. The demo is impressive. I have an acoustic box and that's not perfect by any means. To make them sound good they have to be pretty big, but the good thing about a box is you don't have to be to concerned about where your feet are. You can get into what your doing and move around a little and it doesn't matter where your foot hits the box. That's just something to think about before you jump into anything. I agree it is neat. That's something Howard Levy could have used when he played with Bella Fleck and the Flecktones. Nothing was to wild for those guys!
That was really cool, I like that sound ! I kinda play that way when I'm playing for myself, not as good of course ; but I mean, keeping a strong rythm with a repeated riff and soloing around it. I don't really stomp my foot, I mainly wander around my 30m² room. I think I can keep a good groove, helped by the fact that I took djembe lessons for about ten years.
I have had a chance to see this guy play these foot-drums a couple of times--I think his shop is close around where I live.
The most remarkable thing about it is that I always see him with a bucket full of money and people being drawn to him by those drums--and he's not really all that good as a harpist, guitarist, or singer--I don't mean to be too critical, I have just never heard him do anything really remarkable to me.
I might have to get some of them drums yet--they sure seem to expand the potential for getting the bucks to fly.
Great job on the video, Adam--I'll be trying that one soon!
Yeah jay that is a very good idea!! Build it for two feet though! I would use a 8" or 10" cheap radio shack woofer speaker. I think the trick to that would be to put it close enough so that the thud moves the speaker' but not tight up against it. That will blow the voice coil out. I'm going to do this myself! I can see this working quit well!
Man, I could only get the first 45 seconds to play inthis shitty internet cafe in BFJ (butt f*cking Jordan), but thats all I need to hear to know that this groove f'n ROCKS!!! I wnat to hear it all!!! Man I miss high spped internet (and english keyboards!)
That's a good idea jon. Keep it simple and cheap. It's just an experiment! A little food for thought. I think different size speakers are going to change the frequency response. The bigger the speaker the bigger the sound. Like real drums. With that in mind it is possible to build a foot drum set with different size speakers. All the speakers would have to be in there own separate semi-enclosure, but I think it would work. Did you check out the farmer foot drum? I thought that was cool, but a lot of money and maybe more than I need.
You've got me running around my house looking for old stuff I can tear the speakers out of to try making a stomp box.
I'm suprised it doesnt need some sort of pre-amp before it goes into the standard guitar amp, I would have thought the signal to be tiny from stoping but hey what do i know I'm not an electrician (or physicist ) ---------- "imagination is more important then knowledge" - Albert Einstien
I Just finished building an acoustic stomp box a few weeks ago.(which was my second). Then jay mentioned the site he found(Thanks jay). I took that apart and built a new one with a speaker in it. Not only was the speaker a great idea, but when I saw how tom built his at an angle, like a ramp. The light went off in my head. I've been battling with acoustic stomp box's because they have to be pretty big to sound good. Then you have to use a tall chair. Trust me that's a problem for an energetic harp player!! So I just finished my third last night.It's 30" wide x 24" deep x 1" in the front sloping to 5" in back. I mounted the speaker inside the box in the middle of the top stomp board. I used 3/8" plywood on top and 1/4" on bottom. I drilled two 2" holes in the end board( at the 5" end) lined up with were my feet tap. Drilled a hole out the side for the 1/4" plug. I haven't wired it up yet because I haven't figured out how to mount a 1/4" female plug in hole that is 1/2" thick(at least radio shack didn't have anything). Oh and I used 1/2" pine for the sides and end. I drilled small pilot holes then screwed it all together. The plus side of building it this way is it is acoustic and electric. So I can practice acoustic at home and gig amped. The down side is you can't use to big a speaker because you'll have make the slope of the ramp steeper. I used an 8" speaker out of a Alamo amp I planed on putting a 10" speaker anyway. Yes I put a lot of thought into it. anyone else doing anything with a stomper?
