Re: [Harp-L] Open mic

[BluesinZ@xxxxxxx]

>I just went to an open mic night, hoping to sit in on a couple songs.  I
asked the first harp player if I needed an amp and mike to sit in. He  said
that he and the other 2 harp players always bring their own equipment.  Is
that common practice? Could he have let me sit in using his mike and amp?  Or
should I just bring a mic and amp next time?

Thanks,

Unhappy  I didn¹t get to play tonight....>
 
Randy,
 
I go to open mike blues jams all the time and have been for years. Most  
blues jams are harp friendly, a few are not. There is almost always a  PA  but in 
my experience the harp players usually bring their own rig.  As others have 
said if you don't bring an amp you should have a mic and cables  otherwise you 
might not be taken seriously. I am in construction and when a new  carpenter 
gets hired the first thing I do is take a look at his tools. 
You don't really say if you asked to borrow someone's rig. If you asked me  
and seemed like a decent person, I would have let you. I myself hate using  
someone else's rig for the same reason I don't want to drive a friends car or  
borrow a neighbors lawn mower. I was at a jam once and the house player was  
letting the other players use his rig mostly cause space was tight, time was  
short and he wanted to leave his stuff set up. He was warning everyone that his  
JT-30 had some old crystal in it and sure enough one of the more experienced  
players carelessly let the mic slip off the 1/4" connection and hit the  floor.
 
The jam you went to is obviously harp friendly so next time ask if you can  
borrow equipment if you need to. If you are using the PA ask the jam leader for 
 some help in getting the sound adjusted, I'll bet that at least the volume 
will  need to be lowered from the vocal setting.
 
Introduce yourself to the jam leader, applaud for the solo's, drop more  than 
a dime into the tip bucket, if there is one and you can afford it. Tell the  
other players that you enjoyed their set yes even the guitarists.
Follow jam etiquette:
Just go around twice on your solos
Fill in after the vocals, if the other players are leaving room
Don't play on top of the vocals or anybody's solo for that matter.
 
When you bring your own rig make sure you can set up quick and be ready. I  
go against convention, leave my Silvertone 1482 and Bassman RI home and  bring 
a Laney GC 50 solid state amp to the jams. I use an EV-10. I get a clean  
sound, can crank it up w/o feedback and I can stand next to the thing  and  hear 
what I am doing over the mix of other instruments. I gladly  sacrifice some 
tone and IMHO, find that less distortion sounds better when you  are thrown into 
a jam mix.
 
Hope some of this ramble helps. Have fun and good luck next time.
 
George 
_http://www.myspace.com/jblaketheearthquake_ 
(http://www.myspace.com/jblaketheearthquake) 
 
**************You can't always choose whom you love, but you can choose how 
to find them. Start with AOL Personals. 
(http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000002)