Great Gig

Just had a great gig (although Kev was on holiday so absent). Yay!

Gear Gig

The gig itself went well. However, we had many troubles with the PA and my Harp shield and G3 appeared not to help much. The problem was I think, that the G3 should have been switched to passive (whatever that means). Once I'd changed that setting on the back, the feedback reduced considerably.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to use the effects I'd created much as I was very worried about it causing feed back. I did try the Wah but I couldn't hear if it worked. Sadly, the batteries died before the end of the gig so I had to plug it it mid song (which must have looked funny from an audience perspective!) I think I'll get some brand new rechargeables and give them a try (Zoom reckons they should last up to 6 hours, mine lasted about 3).

So it was an ok start to using the gadgets but still plenty to improve.

Tech Stuff's First Outing

So tomorrow night is the first time I shall have both the Harp Shield and G3 box hooked up to play in public. I'm quietly excited. I tried them both at work and there wasn't much feedback so that's a good sign. However, tomorrow with the entire PA the result could be very different. I fear feedback may occur. It will be fun to try!

I have rigged up the G3 with 4 very basic settings.

A0 Wah wah
A1 Overdrive
A2 Clean
A4 Distortion

These are very simple sound effects but they make a difference. I will be interested to hear how it sounds tomorrow especially as, for the first time ever, I will be able to change the volume of my output! Oh yeah!

I wish myself luck!

Gig

Ok so last night was back to the pub for a gig! Great fun and especially brilliant as my darling wife was able to come. I got a nice compliment from the man who at the last gig said he couldn't hear me. It turned out that this time he could and he loved it!

The slight disappointment of the night was that my overdrive pedal broke. I plugged the battery in and there was no life at all in the thing. So consequently, the Harp Shield was no use whatsoever! I plugged it in anyway just to get some use out of it (although I guess, in actual fact, I was really just draining the battery).

Anyway, I've decided to use my birthday money on a Zoom G3 module. It's for guitar but according to the harp site I read, it can be used for harmonicas too. I'm excited at what it may do. I am not going to get the overdrive pedal fixed since this module should be able to do all that and plenty more besides. I am unsure whether the Harp Shield will still be required, I think it will, but we'll see.

On the practice front I've been trying some of Lee Sankey's exercises for improving 3 draw bends and working the major scale in 1st position all the way from 1 to 10 blow. I try to practise on different harps (usually A and F) to get used to how the technique needs to slightly change according to the pitch of the instrument.

Lastly I am going to try and work on We Wish you a Merry Christmas in 1st position (Start 2 draw). The lower octave needs both a 3 draw whole step bend and a 2 draw whole step bend. The upper octave (start 6 blow) is taking me ages to get my head round!

Golden Wedding Gig

Played tonight for a golden wedding anniversary. It was very odd. On the one hand the playing went really well and was huge fun. On the other hand there was random drunk woman and people from work. It all went a bit awkward for a while.

At the end a very nice man told me that he hadn't heard the harmonica played so well since the 60s (which he said was his era) and that I should be very proud of myself! Always encouraging to get a compliment. Another lady said I'd done well tonight too.

So all in all, a very weird but exciting gig.

Another gig

Just a quick update really. We played last Friday at St Nic's in Durham. We were the second of three acts and followed an amazing choir (who were an offshoot of the Sage choir). I was extremely nervous that our style of music would not go down well. I shouldn't have worried. We were greatly appreciated, people clapped along and generally had fun. Afterwards, folks were really complimentary (someone came at the end and said how much she had enjoyed my playing! How very kind!)


I've also started to try and get some new harmonicas with my piano teaching money. I wanted a few spares in the keys I play most often. So now have a new A Bb and C. All are Big Rivers so they should last a while.

Chartity Gig

Had fun tonight. I hope that it sounded as good to the audience as it did on stage. Overall there were only a few mistakes by me. The new £5 microphone is working out ok. I still haven't had the chance to use the overdrive pedal. I'm looking forward to when we can actually sound check with it.

Fun :)

Another gig

Last Friday (15th Nov) played another gig at the pub beer fest. It was the usual mix of fun and mistakes. We did get some video footage of ourselves but the quality of the sound is awful so I'd rather just remember it in my mind (where I was incredible!!!)

Mordon Gig

We played Mordon hall last night. We are now 1 band member less so the sound has changed somewhat. I actually found it easier in the new format and had a really fun gig. I was, I think possibly for the first time ever, pleased with how I sounded pretty much throughout!

Also we had some good new songs in which went well. The speed we played Let's Stick Together at meant that my solo would never have worked so I just made one up. Mr Pitiful was a not too good (I think we missed a guitar solo) but my brass riff intro went well. And She Was, which I suppose isn't new any more, was cool. Born To Be Wild was awesome! I didn't quite time the switch from triplets to the main riff but I doubt it was very noticeable. My solo was loud and brash. Love for the Common people was great fun and worked well.

All in all, lots of fun :)

Gig two

It didn't go so well for me last night. Various solos went awry and it took ages before people seemed to start enjoying themselves. Completely mad dancing bloke was quite funny though, in a scary sort of way.

Tudhoe gig

Played last night at the Tudhoe Victory Club. We were the first of three bands. It worked out pretty well and I think a good sound was created overall. I was feeling fairly confident and the B/Blues lead and solo worked out well. The solo for Grapevine was good too. I think I'm doing ok.

A quick review

The Saturday gig went well and sounded good.

Birthday gig on Saturday

So we are playing a gig for a 50th (I think) birthday party on Saturday. As a result I have been trying to squeeze some practice time in. I've taken old songs from the set and worked them through. The surprising thing is that despite having played them many times before, I've never really worked out a harp line. So it have been very useful to sort things through. Now I have a fairly simple but decent part for Black Magic Woman, In repair, I will Survive and A better Man. Also I have worked out the solo/fill thing to This is the Life but I doubt we shall use that on Saturday. I've decided to largely leave the AC/DC thing alone, just the odd 4/5 draw here and there. So that's the state of play today.

No beer, just cars

So another 2 nights 2 gigs goes by. The first was at the pub and was supposed to be a beer festival except the landlord hadn't ordered in any novetly beers, so it was instead, the pub. It proved to be good fun and although I couldn't be heard -again- in the first half, I still enjoyed it.

The second night was the Morgan owners yearly get together. Average age appeared to be around 60. I was delighted that we were well received. Folks got up to dance. Nice moves! Confidence levels are on the up and the chromatic worked well for And She Was (although it is hard to play 1 handedly).

Plus I got some money out of the gigs!!!!!! Yay!

Okey Dokey

Nice work tonight. Really enjoyed playing. Had a blast! Feeling above averagely groovy.

2 nights 2 gigs

Really good fun and am enjoying playing miked up a bit more. It is a case of experience breeds confidence. The only thing now is that I would like to be able to hear myself more (but that's something which every member of the band says.)

Anyway, tired but happy.

Middlefest

Rain! Playing on a balcony. Didn't go too well. Don't care because it's the last one of the summer and now I get a rest! The gapping worked really well and the harp played nicely (even if I did miss a few notes).

Mordon Fest

Huge fun! The family came, horrible rain but I enjoyed playing. It didn't sound too bad either!

Yay!!

A good gig

Been playing a lot. Last night was a good gig. I think I'm starting to get the hang of playing amped up.

Used my new G harp (Blues Harp Hohner) Still disappointed that one low draw reed sounds off. Perhaps it will play in?

Day after the gig

Didn't go very well last night. I find playing amped up really hard. Too loud/ not loud enough/ only picks up wrong notes. Reminds me a little of playing an electric keyboard. Everything seems wrong.

Oh well.