Re: [Harp-L] The DUKE’s “Harp Off”

[Bob Cohen <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mar 20, 2011, at 1:16 PM, Garry wrote:

> offhand, i can't imagine why anyone would want to participate in this.

Cutting Heads can be a lot of fun.  I doesn't have to be like the scene in CROSSROADS in which the Ralph Macchio's character "Lightning-Something-Or-Another-Daniel-san"" played against the devil's minion for his and "Blind Willie's"  souls. ;-)  

I often do a variation on this at jams, which the jazz cats call "trading fours." It's a great way to cope with the monotony of shuffling off to hell where all six guys on the bandstand get two verses thus turning a three minute song into a twenty minute opus.  

During the solo section, you start it by playing the first four measures and then direct the next guy to play four, and the next guy plays four and so on.  Do that until everyone has played once or twice and you can get out of a song in considerably less time. 

And, it's a win, win.  All the people on the bandstand get to solo and the audience doesn't get numbed by a 20 verse shuffle.

Bob