Re: [Harp-L] asking to sit in

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Hale wrote:
<WHEN IT'S NOT A JAM
<There are situations where a band is working and I'd like to jump up for a
<couple of tunes. I know I'm capable, but they don't. Respectfully asking to
<join them is usually met with "we don't do that," or a polite, non-specific,
<"yeh, maybe we'll call you up." (Yeh, maybe.)
<
<PLAY FIRST, THEN ASK
<To overcome their guard against the unknown, I just wait for the end of a
<set. Greet a band member with a big smile and a compliment. Play them a
<lick. Now the unknown part is out of the way. Takes a little courage, but
<usually works.
<
<What is your experience?

First, I would never do the play-a-lick thing.  To me that's only going to look desperate, like I have to play so bad that I'm going to play SOMETHING whether I'm invited to or not. Not pro, and it makes them wonder if  you're going to step all over everybody else when you get on stage.

Second, I don't approach a band at a major event, like a concert, unless I already know them. Nobody wants to take a chance on somebody they don't know sitting in at a high-profile gig, and it's amateurish to ask. 

I start by listening to the band.  If they're worth playing with they're worth listening to.  If they're not worth listening to they're not worth playing with.  Listening to a band I like makes me excited and happy, which is a great place to start.  And I have to know, BEFORE I sit in, whether I can hear something in my head that might make the band sound better (or at least good in a different way).  Because to me that's the point of sitting in: to help the band sound better in some way than they would sound without me, and to make sure they enjoy it as much or more than I do.  If your only goal in sitting in is to make yourself sound good no matter what, you're going to make the band sound worse, not better, and you're going to make enemies faster than you make friends, because NOBODY wants some joker to come up and make the band sound bad, and they will NEVER let it happen twice.  

Then I approach the leader (or the probable leader) on a break and introduce myself as a musician. I give them a one-liner about my accomplishments, or tell them who I'm working with lately, to establish my gravitas.  (In the days before I had any accomplishments to speak of, I only sat in with people I knew, which sometimes got me invitations to sit in with people I hadn't played with yet.)  I tell them that I really liked something they played in the previous set.  (If I didn't like something they played, there's no reason to sit in.)  I make my comments detailed enough so that they can tell I was listening carefully and I understood what was going on, without going into so much detail that it's boring, e.g. "that thing where you traded licks with the organist on the third chorus of 'I Know You Rider' was killer, especially when you were both doing the block chording," or I tell them what I liked the most, like "the vocal harmony in this band is wonderful, what a great sound," which is good because if it's wonderful, you can bet that they worked on it, and they'll be glad someone noticed. That establishes that I have ears and I know the language.  If I don't have the ears or the language, I shouldn't be bugging working pros to sit in.

If they're engaged at that point, I tell them then that I'd love to sit in, and I have my instruments with me.  If I DON'T have my instruments with me, I don't ask to sit in.  Pros don't borrow harps.  I carry my 14-harp cloth case, and often my Fireball mic, with me if I think there's a good chance I'll want to sit in.

If they say yes, I ask them whether they'd like to do a brief sound check with my mic, or if they'd rather I used theirs.  The goal here is to make it as convenient for them to get me up onstage as possible, and to make sure that when I do I'll have a decent sound.  A really quick setup that almost always works is to plug your vocal mic or Fireball into the PA, or use one of their mics, cut the treble (usually 10 kHz)on the channel a few dB, cut the bass (usually 100 Hz) a like amount, then add a little reverb.  With a decent mic, that usually sounds fine.  With a bullet, it won't sound great, but a bullet won't sound great through a PA no matter what you do, and if you're bringing a bullet to a jam, you'd better know for sure that there's going to be an amp there that sounds good with harp, and you're going to have it to yourself. One of the things that tells the band you know what you're doing is that you get a good sound fast, so keep it simple in terms of the gear, and make sure you get a good sound in a couple of minutes max.

Then play the songs they ask you to play on, start out every song by listening carefully in silence, make DAMN sure that you don't step on the singer or the soloists, play something good (not necessarily fancy, just good) when it's your turn to solo, and smile all the way through.  Hey, you asked for it, so make sure you have fun!  YOU CAN'T SPELL FUNK WITHOUT FUN.  Extra points for responding quickly to all the little things that make a performance special, like a particular phrase in the rhythm section.

If they say no, I thank them again, and I tell them again that I really enjoy the band, and I hope we can play together sometime.  I give them my card, and I go back to my seat, order another drink, and enjoy the music for another set.

This approach works most of the time for me and the musicians involved. I get to sit in, I get to play some good music, and I make friends who are glad to see me again.  And I never go home feeling frustrated, because if I didn't get to play I still got to hear a good band.

Like Billy Joel said, it's good information from a man who's made mistakes.  I'm not talking about my mistakes here, but when I was young and inexperienced I made 'em all.  I repeat that the biggest mistake of all is treating the band as if they were only there to make you look good. It's THEIR gig.  You're there to make THEM look good.  The trick is to convince them that you can, and then deliver.

Regards, Richard Hunter

 



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