Hi guys I'd really appreciate some comments [good or bad] on the playing in this 'video' [I don't have a video camera so you'll just have to listen]. The backing is the band I have just been sacked from.
I think you need a stronger, cleaner tone, more variety, more confidence, more experience. You need to be a little bit less busy when the singer is singing. I thought there was too much 6 blow. In fact the regular 6 blow+5 draw was monotonous (but part of this is that you weren't in tune with the band, or they weren't in tune with you). I liked the gargles and the tongue-blocking.
Last Edited by on Aug 09, 2009 5:53 AM
At the risk of sounding lazy - and I am in a rush to get out - I concur with everything that Andrew just said.
It sounds like you don't have much of a resonating cavity in your mouth, which is easy enough to adjust.
That recent thread I put up about 1-4 draw glissandi on low harps - A and below I suppose - was really about the problem of adjusting that cavity at speed; either that or where you're pulling the air from. The thing is, at the speed you're playing, that shouldn't be to hard to work on. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Andrew/Mickil Thanks for taking the time. How do I go about changing the resonating cavity in my mouth? the glisando thread hasn't as yet come up with any answers. Being completely self taught, this is the first time I've had any comments from harmonica players I respect. I have very few other decent enough recordings to post for comments, this was on of the few where you can hear me properly. Not sure if it is typical of my playing, but I guess it is for this type of song. As for playing over the singer, I have been told that before and have actually tried to cut down [but that was by someone who I have no great respect for as a musician], this was the first number of the night, so I was still in sort of 'warm up' mode. It amazes me that you know it is a 6 blow+5 draw, I couldn't have told you that.
I'm glad you posted this, because I've gained something from it. I'd say we're facing many of the same challenges in our playing - and perhaps one obstacle is gaining the confidence to 'own the moment' as an accompaniest. When you're woodshedding, I'd imagine you find yourself producing bolder, better comps and solos. There are as many psychological hurdles, I've found, as there are technical.
It's a bummer they booted you from the band.
Andrew and Mickil, thanks for your feedback - I'm making a note of it too. -------------------- www.murrayhunter.net
It's very easy to fix your tone / resonating cavity.
Doc Gussow's early YT vids and his cheap as chips tone clinic discuss this.
However, in short, it could be one, any or all of the following:
1) your jaw probably isn't that relaxed: it may be too high;
2) you may be stretching your pucker out to the harp, instead of letting the harp go into your mouth a little;
3) you may be pushing your tongue forward, thus thinning the tone;
4) and, you may be breathing from your chest, not your diaphram. Practice playing blow and draw notes with one hand on your chest. It should be your belly that goes in and out, not your chest.
It sounds like a lot, but it's not really that hard to fix.
Afterthought: the guitar player is out of tune. If you were playing a harp with JI tuning, I wouldn't necessarily have the confidence to say that, but LOs are TET, they're only about 4 cents above A = 440. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Aug 09, 2009 8:46 AM
Lumpy - apart from the good advice written above, I can think of three or four things to work on. I'd look to avoid playing the 5 draw "part-bend" as much. It's fine for expression now and then but I think a clear and strong 5 draw is much more effective - and it works over all three chords.
Also check out Adam's videos on the "blue third" - that's the 3 draw bend which I think would work well in this track - and to my ears that's *the* blues sound for harmonica.
Timing - while the tune is a lazy shuffle, I thought your timing could be improved a little - both hitting the beat and synchopating against the beat. I've seen a few youtube vids on playing on/behind/leading the beat that would be worth checking out.
In your solo, while there's a few repeated riffs I thought it would benefit from a definite head riff or theme. I think that a lot of players could "ground" their solos more, and then embellish on the basic riff.
And lastly, once the other stuff is sorted then it's always good to add a few oher techniques to add some colour to the mix - trills, gliss, split chords, tongue slaps etc.
hope of some help - and best of luck with the next project
From the very intro, you were not on par with the sound of the band, whether or not it was your amplification or the bad tone, you did not match.
I agree with everything above. I would also say that your bends are also weak.
I don't mind playing WITH the vocals such as a call and response or cool vamping, but it sounds like you just wanted to play something. Make it part of the music.
Lumpy:Well good for you man to be brave enough to put yourself out in the big wide world.
My question is what do you think? Do you think it's good.I don't like it but that is just me.Hey if you brave enough to put your self up then i'm sure next time from the advice given above you will be much much better.
The most important thing is to be doing it with no fears.If your doing that and learning on the way and doing the best you can then that is all you can do. Good luck
Oh don't worry if you were sacked for lack of musicianship because that band hasn't got any anyway ha ha.
Last Edited by on Aug 10, 2009 12:19 PM
I'm glad you are man enough to ask for and take criticism. What hit me was the rhythm. It's what I call noodling. There's not much difference between the soloing and the rhythm in this track. It's a continuation of the same in both. On a good rhythm, you've got two options A) be quiet while the singer is singing and play fills when he's not or B) play a chord rhythm and add fills when the singer pauses. The rhythm differs little from the solo. While the singer is singing, it should be like you are this caged animal, holding back at the locked door. Then when solo time comes around, somebody approaches the door and opens it with a stick, you bring forth this emotion that a caged animal has when it's turned loose, then at the end you go back to your cage and the door shuts. Glad you're asking. That's how we get better. We've all played like that at some point.
To illustrate my point, I offer a teenage Jason Ricci:
I'd seen that video of Jason before. It repays a couple of listens because, although it's superficially awful, actually I think you can hear that Jason has some technique, he just doesn't have any ears!
For you, squirt, this is the time to forge a playing style. You've already proven that you have balls of Krypton by posting that and following up with intelligent questions after your style was described as lazy and lousy. You, my friend, command respect here for your self reflection. Now, go turn it into something. Start playing scales. Start listening to what others are doing.
Go to the link below and listen to Jason playing the same song a mere 15 years later. That. my friend, is where you could be 15 years from now if you work your ass off. You need to report back to us in a few months. Jason Ricci Summertime, 2006: http://www.archive.org/details/jrnb2006-05-04.flac16
errrr thanks guys .... I think. I never realised I was that bad. But then as I said before, I've never had a lesson and never actually talked to another Harp player before about playing as I have never met one. Hang on though I did go to a 1 hour workshop with Johnny Mars a couple of years ago when I started on the blues I nearly forgot that, it wasn't 'one on one', but it did get me started on the bending. Mickil, I think point 2 is relevant, that I don't push the harp into my mouth fully, I tried it today and it felt really odd, but I will work on that. I think I breathe from the diaphram, but that may change when I am not thinking about it so will work on that as well. Elk river.. not sure about the caged animal bit, but I can see what you mean. I wish I had gotten this advice before, but I wouldn't have got it from the band, they have even less idea of harp and musicianship than I do. my private playing over the last 25 years has been much more folk/melody playing, and I am finding the blues different, sometimes it goes well, especially when just with my mate on guitar, we hit a groove and it feels good. Now back to the woodshed. thanks for being [reasonably] gently :^)
Last Edited by on Aug 11, 2009 10:10 AM
There you go...the groove. Your old band doesn't have.."it"... and you are better off. Have a blast. Try recording yourself and be critical of what you hear. I play trumpet and really hated my tongue attack on harp the first few times i heard it, so i work it harder now, among many other things i am constantly improving on. Really hearing yourself and critiquing it like it was someone else can help you alot. A video will help you with stage presence as well if you can record one. I do mine right here in front of the desk with a webcam and small mixer for the audio. I am hating my playing less every day now..lol.
Last Edited by on Aug 12, 2009 9:28 AM
I forgot to mention, in my band, the lead guitarist and i take turns on fill licks. Sometimes we alternate phrases, other times i take a whole verse, then he does..etc. We make a tremendous effort to do it differently for songs played in succession so they don't sound alike. The last thing we need to be is utterly predictable. Blues structure has enough of that, so the flavor you add needs to be your own (my personal opinion). Your band clearly spent little time figuring any of this out as a team. It is alot of work playing in a band until you get enough experience to jam with folks you never played with and can actually make music that way too. Jamming helps, BTW (not to be taken wrong on the previous sentence), but your band needs to figure stuff like this out so it's tight for paying customers.
The number of times I asked the guitarist to trade fours, he couldn't even handle that!!! I was at an open mic last night and two guitarists asked me to play with them [oooeeerr missus], but I recognise that I still have a lot to learn. In some ways I think they have done me a favour :^)
gotta get to the woodshed more, but I have always been a bit lazy like that, don't really like playing on my own, never have done.
just thought i'd add some words! Huge respect for being openminded about the advice given by others that want to see you succeed. Just to add , the band was from what i hear dabbling in the blues , it sounds like so many bar blues bands that drag their feet with old standards that have no life or bounce and swing to them! Also , try and listento the song before playing , I mean really listen , and complement the vocals and other instruments rather than just noodling any old techniques cobbled together. you don't have to play all the way through a fill , add space with your phrasing, try little breaks starting off with 1 note but a long bend , or 2 notes to lift the song up , and on a turnaround , work out who's playing what so you don't all end up tripping over each others notes and the song collapses in chaos. as congaron wrote , don't be predictable , and don't play the same licks on every song. My guitarist has a habit of playing the same solo for every song , but i have to show him this isn't the way forward! lastly , delve into listening to as much blues as you can , with or wthout harp in it, listen to brass , sax lines ,organ , guitar phrases and see how you can use them to your advantage. learn how to alternate between tongue block and pucker , all this will come , it takes time , just enjoy it and keep it up!
we both also experiment with one or two note solos. our goal there is maximum expression with minimum number of notes. it really helps us appreciate the rests in the music. there is a tremendous amount of "music" in the spaces.
I like the main melody. Also that rattling effect that you use on the bent notes is cool. As was mentioned I would mix it up a little once the singer sets in, play less and "around" the melody (if you see what I mean).
