Re: [Harp-L] What is the minimum blues band?

[BiscuitBoy714@xxxxxxx]

I'm not trying to disagree with  anything said here in your post Winslow, I 
just wanted to relate that I was  going down the road Thursday night and went 
past a place that has a good PA and  stage set up and I see that there is 
somebody playin'. I got about 3 or 4 miles  down the road when I was hit with the 
thought to go back and check it out, so I  did. I had been to the place before 
shooting pool and noticed the PA and stage  so I figured it might be cool. I 
walked in as the guitar player was starting a  blues tune, which he did with a 
harp on a rack. It was just a guitar and a  bass with a girlfriend that sang 
every once in a while. They were pretty good so  I stayed for a couple of songs 
and when they took a break I got into a  conversation with the guitar player. 
One thing led to another as I told him  about my 9 string and showed it to 
him. He asked me to play a song I had written  while we were outside takin' a 
smoke break. He loved the guitar, said I had a  good voice and asked did I 
really play harp and I said yea but I don't have any  on me. "Play mine dude, I got 
14 brand new ones". Long story short, he had 14  brand new Blues Harps and we 
ripped the rest of the night. When I went on we  started out with Wang Dang 
Doodle and I never left the stage. I didn't even  notice the bass player really 
he stayed out of the way so much, I guess that  means he's pretty good. It 
was a great night. I hadn't played wooden combed  harps in at least 30 years or 
so and I enjoyed them, but I wouldn't switch from  the Special 20's. It just 
so happened that I had on my Hohner T shirt that night  too. So now I have to 
decide if I want to do the blues gig I was offered (full  band) Friday night 
and then drive all the way to Erie to do the gig I have  Saturday night there, 
it's about 400 miles. Serendipity is a hell of a  thing 'aint it?
          Randy
     BiscuitBoy Blues
 
In a message dated 5/26/2007 12:15:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx writes:


Bass  players can weight things down. This may sound like heresy, but
listen to  some of those bass-less Walter recordings. I think there may
may have been  a good sonic reason for it.

Of course, you can have a duo of piano and  drums. The Doors never used
a bass player live, only on records; they never  found one they liked.
Ray Manzarek played bass on his keyboard (or did he  use some kind of
pedal bass?)

It's quite conceivable you could have  a blues trio of harmonica, drums,
and either guitar or keyboards.

Of  course the classic guitar/harmonica duo is also perfectly  workable.

Winslow


 



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