Re: What tunes would be best on an blues jam CD for harp players?

[Jp Pagan <jpl_pagan@xxxxxxxxx>]

- --- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Rick B"
<rick@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> Hi All,
>     If you could choose the tunes that could be on
blues jam track album
> especially designed for harmonica,  what tunes would
you pick? 

i have one question: what does it mean "for harp
players"? does that mean the collection would be
geared towards harp-heavy tunes, like "Off the Wall"?
or is there just something about the instrumentation
and approach that would make it more easily accesible
to harp players? (like not having an organ in the
background, or something...)

as far as what I'd want in a jam tracks collection:
not necessarily the backing of "Off the Wall," but a
broad sampling of blues styles. i would like to learn,
regardless of my instrument, how to fit in to many
contexts. so yeah, a slow minor blues, a fast minor
blues ;), a shuffle (SRV style would be nice, since
guitarists like that), a tune with chord substitutions
(like "Stormy Monday"), 8 bars, 12 bars, a stop time
tune, songs that just have one chord all the way
through (like "John Lee Hooker style"), a tune with
some "country" (acoustic probably) sound to it ("Can't
Be Satisfied" for example), another one that's harder
and closer to rock. see what i'm saying? that way, i'd
have practiced fitting in to many contexts, expecially
ones likely to be encountered in a blues jam.  

SOME songs, i think, should have vocals. you have to
learn to play around those just like everything else.
or put vocals in just the right or left channel on
some tunes, that way you can play without them (if you
have a good stereo, that is...) ;) 

and speaking of which, it'd be nice to have space to
be able to join in playing back-up. we shouldn't have
tracks that are only good for practicing solo pieces.
and one last request, which is hard to articulate:
don't let it be cheesy! Jon Gindick's jam music, i'm
sorry to say, is cheesy. Jam Trax is too, alot of the
time. the tracks on Jerry Portnoy's and David
Barrett's CDs, those are cool.  wish i could be more
specific... 

keys: stick close to guitar keys: G, D, Dm, E, A, Bm
and i'd throw in Bb too. 

oh, and call me when it's done ;)

       --Jp

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