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FOR YEARS I ONLY PLAYED AT HOME when I thought no-one was listening. I still play at home for my own pleasure. In fact, I've used this to try to perfect a few tunes which are suitable for playing unaccompanied. I've found this very useful on occasion. On the whole though I don't think you can beat going out and mixing with other musicians. Traditional music is a very social thing. What's more, I think I've benefited a lot because I've been exposed to those almost intangible interactions and interdependences you get in group playing. You just don't get that when you join in with a CD!
For a number of years I played in an informal trio with two other chaps who play guitars, mandolins and fiddle. Unlike me, they both sing. I found this set-up to be a great discipline, as well as a lot of fun. Obviously we had to work on things together, considering such matters as how we balanced and complemented each other, arranging sets of tunes and songs and building up a good repertoire. It was well worth it and it was good to see our names on the blackboard outside the pub!
Much more informal is the pub session. At the moment we have a fortnightly get-together in a local pub, in which the aforementioned threesome is augmented by, among others, a great bunch of fellows from deeper Cornwall whom we've known for years. Other musicians drop in from time to time. Obviously other sessions take place in the area (it's very rural so travelling is involved) but this one is my home base. We generally expect, and end up having, a brilliant evening.
There are lots of things to discuss when it comes to sessions, but I really want to confine myself here to matters specific to harmonica playing that I've found important.
Our number one BIG problem is making ourselves heard. Very tricky. With half a dozen or more other people all playing louder instruments than yours, you are just going to disappear. All those hard-won tunes are lost in the cacophony, and what's more you're flogging your harmonicas to death. There's nothing else for it if you find yourself in really noisy surroundings: you need a microphone and amplifier. This means spending a wad of money - but at least it's a one-off.
I am no expert when it comes to amplification. All I want is a clean, natural harmonica sound. I started off with a 15 watt guitar amp and a Shure Green Bullet harmonica mic. The mic has a volume control, which is very useful. Whatever you get you'll have to practise a lot at home before inflicting your suddenly-acquired loudness on others. You will find for example that the way you "cup" the mic in your hands dramatically affects your tone. You may prefer a smaller mic, so you need to do some research. I found that my £30 minidisc lapel mic works amazingly well! It is absolutely ESSENTIAL that you try out an amp/mic set-up in the shop, at the volume you expect to use, BEFORE buying. You need a friend! It is vital to realise that amplification can never compensate for any defects in your tone. Working on getting a good acoustic tone should come before getting yourself amplified. For your safety, I think you should always use an RCD circuit-breaker if you use a plug-in amp.
Getting yourself accepted as the only amplified player in your session is something you can really only do if you can show that you are there to play appropriately and tastefully, with the determination to blend and not overwhelm. I've managed to achieve this in my own setting. I have no idea how many other harmonica players get themselves "amped up" for pub sessions. When I played in a couple of pubs in Dublin I found that the musicians made a conscious effort to allow everyone to be heard and that the immediate audience of the session was quiet for the playing. In those settings I found that I was able to project my playing sufficiently well so as to be heard without amplification.
A few years ago I acquired a Yamaha VA10 mains/battery amp (great for busking!) and I now use this exclusively for my pub sessions. The batteries last for ages and I don't have to bother about finding a socket or trailing extension leads.
For EXPERT advice on mics and amps you need to look elsewhere!!
A FEW THINGS I've discovered about the actual playing: 1.If there are several melody players it's OK to DROP OUT MOMENTARILY to swap harps for a key change. 2.It's amazing how SOME PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY MUST PLAY 100% OF THE TIME. Can lead to inappropriateness, eg trying to accompany what should be an unaccompanied song! I like to sit back and let the others get on with it every now and again. 3.ACCOMPANISTS: This can be a real pain. You can have three guitarists, all playing their own (different!) versions of the chords, whilst at the same time drowning you out. The really good accompanists usually play other instruments as well and don't want to be stuck with the guitar all night. To be fair, there's a damn sight more to accompanying Irish music than meets the eye. But sometimes there's a limit to what you want to put up with. If you find that you're suffering from, how shall we say, less than sympathetic backing, you either have to say something - preferably not in the heat of the moment - or smile and put up with it though your teeth be gritted. And finally:
4. SPEED RANT!
As much Irish music is played today without accompanying dancers, it would be futile, and indeed undesirable, to insist that the music should always be played at dance-friendly tempi. However, there is a worrying trend among some musicians, often the young bucks it has to be said, to play the tunes at breakneck speeds. They may be doing this just “because they can,” or to impress the listeners with their prowess, or even, in some cases, to keep the riff-raff from being able to join in. Whatever their motives, it’s a tendency that I feel we harmonica players must try to resist. This isn’t sour grapes because we harmonicists can’t keep up (it’s possible to play extremely fast on the 10-hole harp actually), but because extremes of tempo work to the detriment of the music. Traditional Irish is very melodic and lyrical in nature. Working on rhythmic nuance and ornamentation is integral to the player developing his or her own musical “voice.” These areas are the first to suffer if the tunes are played too fast. The faster the tempo, the more the player has to deal with the technical issue of keeping up, and the more these finer points of interpretation are sidelined.
If you are not happy with the tempi at which tunes are played in your session there are several things you have to do. First, say something – a good time to speak up is when a set has gone badly because of excessive speed - but keep your expressed concerns cheerful and strictly non-personal! Second, take the lead – start a set yourself at your chosen (carefully-considered) tempo. Try to persuade the others to let you play two or three bars on your own at the beginning so that you can find the tempo you want before they sweep you away. A slower tempo than the assembled company are used to can throw them initially, and you can feel an awful drag setting in as some struggle with the sudden increase in spaciousness (usually guitarists). You may find that it’s down to you to start with to keep the springiness going and not get dragged into the custard. But if you’re demonstrating the benefits of the extra space for expression and ornamentation you’ll win the argument in the long run. Having at least one co-conspirator in the group can be a huge help. Third, don’t allow speeding up during sets to occur. This can result either from poor musicianship from one or more of the others or from sheer bloody-mindedness because they think you started too slowly. I think that sets that speed up make the musicians sound amateurish. You have to assert your musical personality!
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