[Harp-L] Re: An Amazing Performance



I'm very much an electric player and i consider my gear (especially my microphone) as part of my instrument. Like Ray, I place great importance on mic handling technique and other considerations that affect how the electricity/amplification interacts with what I'm playing and how I'm playing it in order to create/achieve the sound i hear in my head and make it come out of the speakers of whatever I'm playing through. This is an acquired skill that is related to, but distinct from, good acoustic tone production. I mean, good acoustic tone production alone won't do it.

That being said, the sound comes from the player. James Cotton, for example, would have monster tone playing through anything. Earlier this year, i saw Jason Ricci perform. Madcat Ruth was in the audience, and Jason invited him up to play a few songs with the band. Madcat played through Jason's rig but didn't sound at all like Jason did. He sounded like Madcat. Then Jason came up and played through the same rig and sounded like Jason. Both sounded great, but sounded very DIFFERENT playing through the SAME gear. Both knew how to handle the mic and the electronics, but each had his own distinctive sound. THE SOUND COMES FROM THE PLAYER, not the gear.

JP




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