Re: [Harp-L] Re: Youtube of LD Miller with John Popper

[billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx]

No offense taken! To elaborate a little, this band is well known for their 'right-on' covers of many songs from the 50's to today. That's their bag, that's what they do. Believe me, I've bugged them endlessly over the years to introduce some solo space (not for me!) because they are all very good musicians. To do something a bit different with those tunes. So the pressure's on me a bit to do this as close as possible to the way people know it.

Now, having said that, to me that means I need to have the intro piece to this song down because it's important and the 'signature'. I have that. The second solo, there is an ascending riff that is well known and key, i have that sort of down. Then he goes off and riffs up and down, resolving to a key note constantly. That part is so fast, I know I could do something a little different there and I might just do that, I'm sure nobody in the audience (typically drunks anyway, haha) will know or be upset. 

so yeah i agree 100% with what you are saying. I don't like the note-for-note thing either. I also do Long Train Running and What I Like About You with them and I do the solos note-for-note but through the song I add some little fills and background so I'm not just standing there the whole time waiting for those 30-second solos, haha.

Actually, sometimes at the end of the night, like 2am, they'll get crazy and call for their rowdy rendition of Move It On Over and it's supposed to be again a cover but by then they've had a few beers on their breaks and are loose enough to let it rip and I enjoy that, trading those signature riffs off with the lead guitar. 

I had their guitar player to my local blues jam, he didn't play but he was quite intrigued by all of this improvising business, haha. He said he's going to start going to the ones where he lives. I'll get this band straight yet!

Bill

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Larry Cee <lcharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>
> to Bill- this comment/question is not in any way meant as a put-down, and it is 
> merely being posed to invite comment from generous harp players, including you, 
> who can share educational harp comments with hobbyists like me who value 
> learning from Harp-L --so with all due respect, here goes:  You remarked about 
> how hard it is to to try to tab Popper's solos and to use Amazing Slow Downer 
> (not sure what it is) to get his solos down.  My question, to you and to other 
> harp players, isn't it bad form or uncool to copy a solo note-for-note?  
>    
>   At least in the guitar world, that has always been my understanding.  And it's 
> not because copying some of the greats note-for-note is too easy!  It's 
> sometimes harder.  Same with Popper- he's so fast.  But I always thought it is 
> frowned upon, like you should do your own solo.  Yes, you can borrow some of the 
> familiar phrasing that people identify with that song or artist, or use a phrase 
> like a refrain, but you aren't supposed to copy the whole solo note-for-note.  
> At least that's my understanding.  Maybe I got it wrong, but I am interested to 
> know if harp players feel the same way about it as the guitar players I have 
> known over the years.
>    
>   LC       
> 
>  
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