RE: [Harp-L] For those new to jams

["Bill Hines" <billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sam,

Awesome post and absolutely true. You know, I've read all of the hints
and tips about how to participate in a jam and what to expect, and NONE
of them said this. I first experienced this sitting in with a band for
the first time. I knew the two solos I had to play. But the first time I
got up with them, there was such a wall of sound around me I couldn't
hear one note I was playing. I was mortified. I was playing through the
PA so all of my sound was outward-facing. This is a very common thing,
if you are new, so expect it. Maybe use one of the other harp players'
amp as a monitor or main if they'll let you, or ask someone familiar
with the jam/venue for advice on this.

Bill Hines

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of vze825jl
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2005 6:31 PM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] For those new to jams

Hi, 

For the player(s) who recently posted about being new to jamming I
wanted to add this comment about what to be prepared for when you first
start to play
with other people.   What you may not expect is that your playing will
be
effected in lots of ways by those around you.  Apart from the 'musical'
issues there, it's going to be really different just because of the
cacophony of sound around you.  The air is literally thickened with
sound and it can feel kind of crowded when you first start.  This took
me a while to get used to.  That's why it's important to be able to play
loud enough so that you will be sure to hear yourself.  I'd played in
jams -before I got the sweet rig I have now - where I literally could
not hear myself playing. If you get into that situation take my advise
and don't even bother playing because it's real likely you'll be playing
like crap and not know it.  

At the club where I jam frequently, several people have commented on my
playing by saying that I seem much more confident as of late and that I
just sound a whole lot better.  My amp has a really great sound but it's
really just because I can finally hear myself clearly above the other
guys and I got used to standing in that loud world you get in when
you're in the middle of it.

Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh

As an aside, I wanted to say that I've been off this list for a while
because spy ware fried my windows XP and I had to get everything
reloaded. I lost all my email addresses and it took a while to get every
thing back up.  With all the conflict in the world right now and here in
America all the animosity between liberals and conservatives I can
safely say there is one thing we can all get behind.  Weather you're
right wing or left wing, Moslem or Jew,  atheist or Christian,
vegetarian or meat eater..I think we can all agree that the &^%king
#$$holes who create spy-ware aught to be tarred and feathered and then
whipped to within an inch of their lives. Gawd, what kind of jerk does
that kind of stuff for kicks?  

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