[Harp-L] amp and tone

["Jim Alciere" <jim.alciere@xxxxxxxxx>]

Some thoughts after a few weeks of woodshedding:

Listening to recently recorded amplified harp work I've done I thought the
tone was a little shrill. Yet the acoustic stuff I recorded sounded good.
Then I realized when I play amplified I tend to play pretty hard, trying to
get that overdrive sound,. What I heard as shrill was actually me playing a
little flat.

I've been recording through the old 48 champ. I might use my live amp with
the EL 84s for recording--all you have to do is look at the amp and she
distorts.  I like the two twelve inch speakers better than the little six
inch amp too. Either that or get custom harps that are tuned a little
high--though the Lee Oskars already are tuned up a couple cents. Of course I
could do some deep breathing, relax, and just play quieter.

Another bit of trivia--I find, for me, octaves sound better with a nice
crisp attack. Stacatto. Do the head shake if I want to sustain them. That
might be because I'm using equal tuned harps.

-- 
Rainbow Jimmy
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