[Harp-L] To mic or not to mic/creating variety

[michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>]

Abner was expressing dissatisfaction that his mic limited his hand
motions and unless you use shaker mics, which produce a different tone
from bullets, they definitely limit your hands.

Most players will create a compromise where they will play with a
bullet for the darker sound and stand a few inches in front of a vocal
mic on a stand to allow for their hand effects and a more acoustic
sound.

The trouble comes with getting heard over loud bands while using a
vocal mic.  Most bands I work with are schooled so when I go to the
vocal mic, they bring the volume down.  Some sound guys are smart
enough to actually watch the show and turn the vocal mic volume up if
it needs it.

To me, using both mics creates variety, which I think is really what
keeps the audience interested in your harp playing.

I do not play blues gigs much, but when I do I try and follow this path:

2 songs cross harp amplified

1 song variety

2 songs cross harp amplified

1 song variety

etc.

The variety could be chromatic amped or not in combination with a
loose influence of the Little Walter style or Stevie Wonder style,
diatonic cross harp played acoustically,  First position in either the
first or 3rd octave, 3rd position, use of pedal effects, playing
another instrument for a song, etc.

Of course, I may break pattern if the band calls a song that screams
for a variety technique when I expected to do cross harp.  For
example, if the band calls out Honest I Do, I will do first position
in the 3rd octave no matter what I played on the last song.  If I had
just played a song in the 1st position, 3rd octave Jimmy Reed style
and the band leader chooses Honest I Do to follow up that song, I
wonder if he is listening or has a different sense of how important
variety is.

Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com