[Harp-L] Re: Sitting in

["Jonathan Metts" <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"I am subsequently working on a "policy for harp players"  who do rude stuff like that.  I'll let you know when it's done.  Younger/newer players:  Don't ASK to sit in.  It's rude.  (check that....  I think it's rude)

dg"

I asked to sit in once, at the insistence of my friend who is an expert A-hole and is quite proud of it.  Actually, he asked for me because I was too chicken.  It was a good time to ask though, because almost no one was in the audience, and the band had an easygoing jam style that I could get into without knowing any of their original songs.  I played the last two songs with them, and they seemed to enjoy the experience.  So it went well for both parties.

The next night, we saw Jason Ricci perform at the same place, and that same friend tried to ask for me again, but I shut it down immediately.  My friend didn't seem to understand the difference between playing with a guitar jam band and playing with a world class harp player.

So yeah, I think there's a time and a place for asking to sit in.  It is probably always a bit rude, but if you don't ask, it'll never happen, and then a magic moment might not take place that could have.  Just choose a low-risk situation to do it (e.g. tiny audience, crappy audience, or crappy band), and try to do it with a band compatible with your style and abilities.

Jonathan Metts