I think one of the things I have been missing in my playing is watching other great harp players. I watch a good amount of live music, but not harp players. There just not in great supply around here.
Last night I went to this bar. It's about 15 minutes up the road. Just a little spot. I went there to see Jason Ricci n JJ Appleton for part of their Dirty Memory tour. For those of you who haven't heard it, its an acoustic collaboration album. Its really good, it's definatly a different sound, i like it alot. So obviously it was just Jason on Harp, JJ on acoustic Gtar, and they had a guy with them playing Stand Up Bass. The Bass was Awsome btw, i don't remember his name I'll have to find out.
The show was great. Which is a total understatement. It was only a 45 person show, so it was a real intimate type setting. At one point jason argued with a dude about football for like 10 minutes. I could care less about football, but it was cool because it was just that type of deal, Ya kno. Real personal. I was entertained by the bickering either way, lol.
Anyhow when the show was over there were alot of people kinda hanging around wanting to talk to the both of them ( and im not one for crowds) so i just walked over, told em both how great it was n how much i enjoyed it. They signed a hard copy of the album for me and i rolled. Plus even tho they were more than happy to talk to everyone and it seems they actually hung out for a little while. I was a sound tech for years. So I know they really just wanna rap up n get back on the bus. Lol. (They re back in DE on Saturday and i got tickets for that show aswell. So I figured I can hopefully talk to em then anyway.)
The point is on the car ride home i played some of the best harp of my life. No joke. It was just pouring outta me. It was incredible. It was just pure Inspiration. Actually, I didn't even realise it at first, but after a while it dawned on me how good i was sounding. I was impressed with myself. And that doesn't happen often. The couple times i played today I sounded pretty good too. Idk. Is it all in my head or Did I get temporary Super Powers from the handshake?
Either way i thought it was an experience worth sharing. So .... there it is.
---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Feb 11, 2016 4:25 PM
I was wondering if this had happened to anyone else. Have you ever been so inspired by something that your playing got dramatically better as a result?
This was the first show i had seen live with a pro harp player. Like i said I was a sound tech for years And i worked with some big acts, but having never played an instrument i guess it never really got to me on that level. Watching him play even made me realise how hard some of the parts of his songs were. And not the obvious ones, but even some of the simpler melodies had pretty big jumps and difficult note combos in them. Usually until i actually try to break a song down i dont really notice how complex some of the licks are, but watching him play i could actually see most of the notes as he played them. It was just an all around awsome experience.
N like the thread title says ... I just got inspiration on tap. It's comin out my ears right now. Lol. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
That sounds like an awesome show! I'll have to do some surfing and see if they will play near me any time. I have not heard the album but might just have to get it. As to your question, yes I've been inspired, recently saw a Jazz quartet that was awesome. Unfortunately, it did not soak in enough to improve my playing. Some day I'll be good enough to play what I hear. I hope.
This was a video taken by someone else at the show last night. I took alot of videos too, but mine are from my phone so the quality isn't great. As you can see it was a low light room. Phenomenal show. My god.
---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Feb 11, 2016 6:13 PM
Ok well since that previous song isn't off their album, i created a youtube account just to post one of my sorry shaky videos. Sound is still good, but sorry if you get nauseous.
This is one of the songs i was talking about. Where even the simple parts have some big jumps and crazy notes. Dude is nuts.
---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Excellent. That's the way. My money's on the super-powers thing, did it wear off?
When I wrote about liking 'few notes vs many notes' I forget to mention JR as the exception. He does often play a lot of notes (or as I think he said: a few notes, very fast!) but there's something special about it that emerges. I can't work it out, even as a listener.
Don't you think it's remarkable that you can get to see and hear that kind of performance in a 45-seater room? If you were into another music genre you'd likely be in big venue, 100 yards away, watching it on a big monitor.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 11, 2016 11:41 PM
I don't know and I wasn't there, but if I went to a show and the performer got into a 10 minute argument with someone in the audience...I probably would have walked out.
Mtg ... it did kinda wear off. My new theory is that it came from just hearing his tone and correctly adjusting mine. Its not the same as hearing it recorded, not at all. But it was also the attack i was using due to being hyped up. I still think I'm playing better, but not as good as right after. It was awsome that it was a 45 person show. That's what i liked about it so much. Im not sure how big the venue on saturday is, but all his venues are not like this. Most of the places ive seen him at on video seem much bigger. So i feel lucky to have seen him in such a setting.
Few notes very fast. Yes that is a good discription. Alot of his licks are scale and triplet based. But they are awsome.
Spder it wasn't really 10mins. I actually have most of it on video. It was more like a few minutes i haven't looked at the time, maybe 4 mins, but it felt like a while. It was just in between songs and JJ was looking for his tuner to tune down his guitar. (Which he never did find. And it kinda turned into a running joke. ) So it was a time killing thing. Jason eventually just hit a song with the bass player, real improv like, givin jj time to find it. Which he didnt. Lol. But i liked it. I know what your saying, but it wasn't like that. It made it feel like we were Chillin at a party and they were just playin. Ya kno. It was Epic! (To use MTGs favorite phrase) It was one of the best shows i have ever seen. And ive seen some shows. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Feb 12, 2016 10:01 AM
It is actually Jason's superpower to inspire you and confer temporary musical greatness upon you just by proximity.
I was the recipient of this gift several weeks ago when Jason held a harp workshop for Dave Barrett's School of the Blue. For days afterward, I experience a similar uptick in my harmonica abilities. ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
Really? Awsome. I felt like it was all in my head n people would think i was full of it. But i really have been playing so much better. I'm seeing him again tonight at 8. I can't believe they re in Delaware twice in one week. I'm so hyped. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
He does lessons on Skype, but I don't know if his superpower works through Skype. You might have to see him live for the music to rub off on you. ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
