[Harp-L] Jamming etiquette

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm in Hawaii this week, and on Sunday afternoon I went to hear one of the local bands, Henry Kapono, play at Duke's in Waikiki. Very good rock/blues cover band, VERY good rhythm section (bass/drums/percussion) in particular, and a good harp player (Pat Goodrich, who played some very nice Lee Oskar-ish lines) too, which is something you don't hear often in a cover band. 

During the band's performance, a guy walked up--in the middle of a song--and asked to sit in on "Mustang Sally", which apparently is a staple in the band's repertoire. When he was turned down, he next went to ask the harp player, who turned him down again.  The guy then walked over to the bandleader, stood next to him holding a harp up in one hand and a camera in the other, and took their picture together.

This is some pretty spectacularly bad etiquette, and does not reflect well on harp players in general.  I thought I'd take the opportunity to describe a few basic principles for asking to sit in with a band (in a situation other than an open mic or jam session, of course).  

1) Principle #1: it's their gig, not yours. Sitting in is a privilege that you earn first with your attitude and your demeanor, and it starts with respect for what they're doing. 

2) Principle #2: You never approach the band in the middle of a set, much less in the middle of a song, to ask to sit in.  That's flagrantly disrespectful. If you're serious about sitting in, wait for the break, then make your pitch.

3) Principle #3: Sitting in is ALWAYS about making the BAND sound good. Before you sit in, listen hard to the band, and think about how your stuff is going to add to what's going on.  If you can't think of what to play to make the band sound good, it may be a better idea to listen some more than to sit in.   

This isn't a principle, but it's good advice: when you approach the band on a break, start the conversation by showing that you were listening. Talk about something great you heard in the set--a groove, a solo, something the bass player did, whatever. If it sounded good to you, it probably sounded good to them, too, and it shows that you respected them enough to pay attention.

If you happen to be in Waikiki on any given Sunday, the Kapono band plays 4-6 at Duke's.  Worth checking out.  If you go, don't do what that other guy did. 

Regards, Richard Hunter
   

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