[Harp-L] RE: The Gear and set up

["Robert Gaustad" <robertgaustad@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yeah, maybe I wasn't clear in my post.  I don't mean that one should only
practice acoustically and then be expected to play amplified at will.  What
I mean is that in my opinion it's a good thing to learn harp fundamentals
without an amp, so as to get an excellent acoustic tone.

Once that's achieved, practice acoustically or amplified to your heart's
content.  Yeah, you may play differently when playing acoustically than you
do amplified.

And, hey, I love playing and practicing with an amp, getting all those
wonderful sounds that an amp can give you.  But I spent at least the first
five years of my harp life playing acoustically to Paul Butterfield and
Sonny Boy Williamson LPs (and later the first Lee Oskar record for melody)
over and over and over again.  I didn't have an amp in those days and I
think it might have helped me to learn great fundamentals.

And when I finally got a decent amp...wee doggie, that was fun!

Robert Gaustad  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Michalek [mailto:Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 12:13 AM
> To: robertgaustad@xxxxxxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: The Gear and set up
> 
> 
> >>Practice acoustically and forget the amplification.  When you sound
> >good
> >>acoustically, you'll sound good no matter what amp or mic you use. 
> >Plus,
> >>you can hear the nuances of your tone and the notes you are playing.
> 
> I disagree with this.  I play both electric and acoustic.  My 
> acoustic absolutely do not translate to the amp. My electric 
> chops work acoustically but it's not my regular sound so that 
> doesn't work for me either.
> 
> The best thing to is practice with your electric rig for 
> those eletric chops and practice your acoustic stuff in the bathroom.
>