Probably should have attached this to What Do You Do To Have Fun While Learning to Play Harmonica.
My favorite activity was recording improvisations to jam tracks. Easy to do, and it’s great to listen to them once recorded. My technique was to play music through my stereo and blow harp through an amp. I would stick an SM58 on a stand between the stereo speakers and the amp speakers and record directly into a cassette deck. Just a simple cassette deck. Nothing fancy.
Here’s a recording I recorded 3/3/93. Recorded to a jam track from Jazz Player Magazine. Named Blues in F or something like that. I believe this is a Bflat harp. but haven’t checked recently. It’s a bit rough because it wasn’t polished, but I had fun recording it, and still enjoy listening to it even today.
This is the second take. If you listen closely you’ll hear feedback at the end of the first phrase. Had to open my cup and tweak the volume of the Astatic crystal mic down just a hair. Later on, during one of the improvised chorus lines that is repeated, at 2:09, I incurred spit on one of my reeds. I had to dance around that issue and it threw off my timing a bit–but I worked it out and finished the recording.
Again, once I could improvise, and I wasn’t playing on stage, this was one of my favorite ways to enjoy practicing harp. After over 20 years on stage, and I haven’t played much since 2006, I would now prefer recording at home to playing on stage.
Hope this link works. Hope you enjoy this home recording.
Thanks Luke. Well, like that harp guy in Portland says, playing harp to heavy metal ain’t fun. There is an R&B scene where I live, but it’s not organically conducive to harp blues, not in 40 years. If I worked harder, I’m sure I could pull together something, but been there, done that. Yeah, I have so much harp gear, and other stuff, including a grand piano, and it sits and I look at all of it. Lol. Thanks again for your compliment. Amazing platform you have here. So many people wanting to play harp. So much easier to learn these days with the internet. Wasn’t so in the 70s. Great job, Luke!
Yes, I agree. But I’m not into R&B after a steady diet for 43 years where I live. I should play it to force myself to learn scales, but you are typically fighting for playing time with a saxophonist when playing R&B. And the grooves aren’t great harmonica grooves. Nor are guitar shuffle grooves in my experience. Has to be a harmonica shuffle. And you play drums, so maybe you can explain the difference to me of how a power trio shuffle groove doesn’t lend itself easily to harp. Or am I delusional?
I prefer anything traditional blues. Although I will say, Aki Kumar’s Bollywood tunes are interesting. Only listened for a minute or so but he seems to be blending blues tones and licks into his Bollywood act. Aki is a great player. I love his and Andy Santana’s rendition of Little Walter harp chops. Those two guys light a fire.
