[Harp-L] Re: Hearing Yourself

[Paul Routledge <kingley@xxxxxxxxxx>]

One of the best ways to hear yourself  is to place your amp sideways on 
pointing at you on stage instead of behind you as most people do.
Having said that you do however need a band that understands the 
concept of dynamics to be able to play with any subtlety.

You also find that bands in general get louder in the second set, 
usually due to consumption of alcohol and people in the audience / 
friends and family telling the individual players to turn up because 
they can't hear them. This what a sound check is for. Get the balance 
and don't alter it.

What a lot of people fail to comprehend is that if you play a little 
bit quieter ( Just get everyone including the harp!!  to turn down by 
one notch) then the overall sound separates out and due to the clarity 
of the individual instruments in the mix the band appears to be louder 
and better !!!
Try it and see for yourselves  I guarantee that it works !

You can tell a good band when the vocalist can sing about 8-10 inches 
off the mic and every word can be clearly heard. Most bands in bars and 
clubs / pubs are so loud that the singer has his lips almost touching 
the mic all night. Learn the lesson people. That is too damn loud !!
You should be able to play a small to medium sized bar without the need 
of monitors for the vocalist. If can't then address the problem !

Paul