RE: [Harp-L] Loud band

["John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxx>]

     Sorry this is such a long post. Print it out and put it in the
bathroom for later...

     While I do own an amp setup which will shatter glass from 3 blocks
away, my favorite gigs are the ones where you can hear the audience
reaction during a song. That interaction is what differentiates a band
venue from a throbbing dance club. There is no replacement for dynamics
in the total control that you can have on the presentation of your
music. Great lyrics, great hooks and great solos get lost in the shuffle
(no pun intended) when the music is too loud and sometimes even painful
to enjoy; from the audience or the stage. 
     I really appreciate a band who will "work" the songs; using the ebb
and flow of intensity and release to incite emotion and add
"punctuation" to certain passages. So, in certain instances, I can let a
few "loud" parts slip through the cracks. However, "loud" is relevant to
the mean volume of the gig.
     For example, if my band is playing at a comfortable volume level
(one where audience members can order drinks without screaming in the
waitress' ear), then we suddenly quiet down to a "pin drop" level, then
hit a rim shot and change gears back into the final chorus of the song,
then we would seem loud in contrast to the previous passage, when in
reality, we simply raised the volume back to where it was before the
quiet passage. Most on this list know exactly what I am speaking of.
Yet, so many out there just plug in, turn up and drive SRV licks into
the ground night after night. I admire more the band which can keep the
intensity and interest level up while leaving the volume down.
     I think a lot of people get the impression that by "not loud" we
mean "coffee house acoustic" level. That's not what we (I) am proposing.
I believe that most on this list would agree that a "comfortable level"
is one where audience members can communicate with each other without
tearing up their throats over the course of the evening or going home,
lying in bed and listening to the ringing in their heads. I described on
this list once a 5-minute Rod Piazza solo which left my eardrums
"flubbing" and on the verge of bursting (according to my doctor). He
said the effect was akin to that of going to a firing range without
headphones. I do not think that most "musicians" deny that loud is bad
from any angle, I just think that most of the weekend warriors don't
know what else to do. They learned and practiced in their bedrooms,
cranking the stereo and wailing away. When you get a band comprised of
those kinds of players together, the outcome is almost inevitable.
     Of course, let's not forget the effects of alcohol. Alcohol numbs
the senses, including hearing. If the band is steadily drinking, then it
stands to reason that the volume will gradually increase over the course
of the evening.
     Perhaps we should start a thread about solutions to loudness. In
other words, what can we do to counteract the loudness in favor of more
control of the overall sound. What can we do to send the audience home
remembering the music and not the volume?  I've tried the universal
"bring it down" hand gesture many times, to no avail. Or, more often, it
only brings "ludicrous loud" down to "ridiculous loud". I have even
played alone during a few practices, to show the effect of adding
dynamics to the music. Of course, while everyone was sober and paying
attention the idea was well-received. But at the gig it's a different
story. That's why I own both a Fender Champ and a Fender DeVille.
     It is hard when there are so few outlets for a harmonica player.
Most of us cannot afford to be picky or demanding of the bands we play
with. In a city of almost 300,000 people, there is only one "true" Blues
band here in Tallahassee, FL. All others are actually not Blues, but
Southern rock with a heavy-duty dose of distortion pedals, cranked
Marshalls and some dude in the crowd who swears that this is the next
Allman Brothers Band. For me, I have to take what I can get most of the
time if I want to play. There aren't even any open mic nights anymore.
While loud is not my bag, sometimes I have to pop in the little orange
plugs, crank the DeVille and go with the flow. I think many out there
can relate.
     So, I would be interested to hear what others have tried and what
did or did not work. Perhaps we can all do ourselves, our bandmates and
the audience a favor by changing a few things for the better.
     
     And brother Vince, I feel your pain, but I think you've
misunderstood the tone of this thread. This subject has been raised many
times and always gets a LOT of responses from both sides of the isle.
There are some who think that a four-piece band should be pleasant to be
with in an elevator and others who feel that The Who could've cranked it
up a little more. I must admit, I like it loud every now and then.
Especially when I dig out my old AC/DC or ZZ Top albums. But for me, my
Blues is an emotional music and a fun music as well. But I cannot bring
about emotion or conjure up a feeling if the music is at full tilt
constantly. There needs to be dynamics in order to communicate. Have you
ever tried to hold a conversation with someone who speaks monotone? You
can only take so much of it. In speech, inflection keeps the listener's
attention. Most speech instructors will tell you that, to hold an
audience's attention, you must change inflection every 10 seconds. Could
not the same concept be applied to music? Not every 10 seconds, of
course, but can't we learn to shift gears every now and then, give it a
rest and keep the audience interested and involved with the band?

By the way, I once heard that the William Tell Overture could not ever
be truly represented on a stereo until the advent of CD technology. The
LPs and tapes didn't have the dynamic range to accurately reproduce the
jump from the quiet spots to the "loud" spots. Pretty interesting. The
old longhairs "got it", why can't we?

John Balding
Tallahassee, FL