[Harp-L] Volume Challenges

[Warren Bee <wlb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I had been playing harp for a long time before discovering things like
Harp-L and SPAH. Rarely did I meet other "real" players to find out if some
of the challenges that I was dealing with were just personal or universal in
the harp world. This volume thing when playing electric with others has
always been an issue for me. For many years I just blamed myself for being a
"self-taught ear player". I just figured I was missing something because I
didn't learn in a conventional way. My cries for volume control by other
players usually gave me the "cry baby" tag. To "just play" was so much
easier said than done. I blew out a lot more harps in my earlier years
before I learned to just walk away from the impending disaster. Loud
situations also put me in what I called "survivor licks mode". Zero
creativity, just blow as hard as I could with basic riffs that I didn't have
to hear clear to pull off. The results were and still are always the same
after gigs like that. I felt like crap and I dreaded getting back home to a
quiet environment to discover just how many harps I destroyed. The one
positive thing these experiences have done for me was push me into a lot
more acoustic based situations. My love for playing acoustic harp more than
electric is a direct result of hating coming home feeling like crap. The
only reason I got into music in the first place was to have fun, feel good
and express myself. I also credit the acoustic stuff for bringing a lot more
melodic ideas into my head. If all you have to think about is listening to
the other musicians and playing off of them your mind has more "space" to
create. In the right situations those melodic ideas work awesome in the
electric environment.

 

WB