Re: [Harp-L] 'A' harp cutting through, telling guitarists to turn down

[Joel Fritz <jfritz666@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Seems to me that a lot of people just play too loud.  I've been going to 
a jam in a relatively small club fairly often lately.  It's mostly pro 
and semi-pro players.  When the place empties out it's usually a volume, 
not a quality problem.  There are some really good players I always 
listen to from the parking lot.

A lot of the 40+ players wear earplugs and complain the worst about 
volume.  One of the most common things I hear is people talking about 
wanting to go back to the olden days of amplified blues when 15 watt 
amps were the biggest thing most people had.

R. S. Walters wrote:
> Sorry, but  I don't buy the caught up in the moment excuse.  There is no
> moment when your setting up in an empty club and guitar players practice
> riffs have the barmaids ducking under the bar.  They simply start loud and
> get louder.  My way of telling that they are "caught up in the moment" is
> when I feel that sharp pain in the side of my head, my eye twitches, and a
> tear runs down my cheek for that screaming twang being emitted from the lead
> guitar.
>
> Now waving the band down does work for a moment or two. But the sound
> usually creeps right back up.  One night in desparation, in between songs, I
> simply took the mic and asked the crowd...Are we too loud?  Guess what the
> answer was.  HELL YES!   Pissed off a couple of band members but at least I
> proved my point.
>
> Bobby
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of Chris Michalek
> Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 8:20 PM
> To: Roscoharp@xxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [Harp-L] 'A' harp cutting through, telling guitarists to turn
> down
>
>
> Leave it to Rosco to play devil's advocate.  What he says is true but in the
> REAL world it's not that realistic to go out and plunk down $1500+ for a
> louder rig.  
>
> The best way I've found to get guitarists to turn down is to point directly
> at them and then motion for the them to get soft.  This almost always work
> during a solo - especially yours.  I think most players get loud because the
> are simply caught up in the moment. 
> Most player will comply and it will add a nice sense of dynamics to the
> shows.  Or ya could just use the friggin D harp in 3rd postion. 
> The higher frequencies will cut better than the notes on the A harp.
>
>
>
> >

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