[Harp-L] busking/street performing -- seeking advice

[Bwyman]

Peter,

   I cannot answer any of the technical questions, but I can support the end result. Where will you be so that I can possibly sprinkle some "seed" money....

Bud Wyman
815-715-1626


> On Jun 30, 2016, at 10:41 AM, Peter Beck <kpfbeck at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Hello Fellow Chewers of the Tin Sandwich,
> 
> I believe that many harp-l participants have experience as street
> performers, and I would greatly appreciate the benefit of any advice and
> wisdom you can impart. I’m inbetween day jobs and hoping to fill some of
> the time with busking as a solo act. I’m going to be “official”; the street
> performer license in Chicago is $100 and it’s good for two years, so that’s
> not a significant barrier.
> 
> 
> 
> My questions divide into two streams. General questions about street
> performing, and specific questions about street performing with the harp.
> 
> 
> 
> General: I think I know what to do about bathroom breaks, and how to keep a
> fleet-footed thief from stealing all the tips. I’m curious about requests,
> as in, do you get them, and what songs do people request? But there’s a lot
> I haven’t considered, I’m sure. If there was one thing you wish you’d been
> told, before you started out, what would that be?
> 
> 
> 
> Harp: I’d like to describe my planned setup and see if it seems workable,
> or if improvements can be suggested. I’ve got a Crate Taxi wedge amp, 15
> watts. Please don’t tell me that’s not enough power for playing outdoors,
> cuz that’s the amp I’m stuck with. I have a Shure microphone. The Crate has
> an XLR input, so yay. It’s also got a stereo input from my mp3 player, and
> I’ve got a bunch of good backing tracks ready. (I’m a big fan of the Jimi
> Lee GrooveTrax set, and I’m augmenting that with some bluegrass tracks from
> a Homespun set, and some of the Steve Cohen Little Walter play-alongs.)
> I’ve got a cheat sheet prepared that reminds me of the key and BPM of all
> the tracks.
> 
> 
> 
> Here's where it gets more granular and I need more guidance. I would love
> to be able to vary my harp tone, and I have a little Zoom effects processor
> that offers lots of possibilities. But it doesn’t seem to work well with
> the mic and the amp. As in, the bypass doesn’t seem to be a true bypass,
> and when I cut in the effect, the gain really jumps and I have to do a lot
> of knob-twiddling to resolve feedback. (Yes, I’m running the mic thru the
> effects processor. I realize that’s not optimal, but when I take the time
> to fiddle with settings, the result is pretty decent. It’s just that I
> can’t expect passers-by to hang out while I fool around with stuff in
> public.)
> 
> 
> 
> Much obliged for any assistance you can provide.
> 
> 
> Bright moments,
> 
> Peter Beck
> 
> kpfbeck at xxxxx