more rock and roll harp

[alciere@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

The Electric Starlight Space Animals recorded a rock and roll tune 
yesterday-Little Shelly. Here's what I found helpful with 50s style rock and 
roll harp: 

Keep it simple. I found I had to really concentrate on keeping right on the 
beat, accenting the down beat. The few takes where I tried a few 
pyrotechnics didn't work. 

Keep it short. Hey there's a reason all those old songs were only a couple 
minutes long. It makes everything much easier. 

Since we wrote the song, we got to choose the structure. I found playing 2nd 
position for the verses then modulating to 1st postion for the bridge really 
helped change the song, from a nice driving wall of sound to a good wistful 
little break before slamming back into into it for the break. 

Funny thing is I like the 1st postion stuff I played better than the 2nd 
position. I never really thought 1st position would work well on rock and 
roll. 

When it came time for a quick mix down we found the combination of a short 
song, a simple mix, and a clear song structure made the mixdown much easier. 

We've got a lady coming in to sing backup next week. Keeping the harp line 
simple should make it easier for her. I can do the loud shouting vocals, but 
we're hoping her voice will add some depth and dimension to the sound. The 
harp can stay out of the way. 

Keeping the song short also means less of me singing. 

Rainbow Jimmy