Re: [Harp-L] Mustang Galloping (was Running Jams (long)



Writing about Mustang Sally dfertig asks:

<<Why?  What's about that damned song?>>

and blittlehales similarly asks:

<<This made me think: why do we all hate this tune?>>

I guess these are rhetorical questions. But we don't all hate this tune. I 
don't hate it, I'm just a little tired of it because it's one of the most 
overplayed songs of all time. Same with Sweet Home Chicago. The bottom line is that 
we all perform for the audience and they love to dance and sing along with 
these tunes. In the blues bands I play with I'd have to guess that we almost 
never play a gig without playing one or the other or both of these tunes. We leave 
them off the set list and they usually get requested by someone in the crowd, 
so we end up playing them anyway. 

As far as Mustang goes, there are several different ways to approach this 
song to keep yourself from getting bored to death. It's a good segue tune -- you 
can go into and out of it as a sort of medley with other tunes. That's kind of 
a cool way to scratch the itch without bumming yourself out too badly. 
Sometimes I just focus on playing the horn lines. Very sparse and punchy and lays 
out nicely in 3rd pos. If you do it in C the Bb harp sounds real nice in 3rd. 
Sometimes we break it down in the middle and go into Low Rider for one verse. 
The audience loves that because it's familiar, and I have to admit I kinda get 
off on it too. Anyway, these tunes seem to make people happy and that's what 
it's all about. We're not just playing for ourselves.

Best of the season to all....

t. albanese 





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