blue harp / home recording

[R_i_c]

hi,

first experiments with cross harp on a home recording - tips for improving harp very much welcome!

http://www.box.net/shared/obz1a2j6jx

thanks

R

[jeffl]

Overall it sounds decent, ric. The harp didn't seem loud enough, but it could be my computer here at work. I like the harp style matched to the "drone" style guitar, but I hated the drum beat. I thought it shoulda been eighth notes with a heavy 2nd beat, as in one, two, three, FOUR, one,two, three, FOUR. But I could be wrong on that one.

[R_i_c]

Overall it sounds decent, ric. The harp didn't seem loud enough, but it could be my computer here at work. I like the harp style matched to the "drone" style guitar, but I hated the drum beat. I thought it shoulda been eighth notes with a heavy 2nd beat, as in one, two, three, FOUR, one,two, three, FOUR. But I could be wrong on that one.

many thanks Jeffl

afraid i must come clean and own up to being neither a drummer or bassist (nor much of a harpist lol) but the prospect of using drum and bass machines leaves me cold, so i try and handle the 'real time' thing the best i can: yes, the drone thing with the acoustics i really liked, it's basically using C and D shapes which leaves the high open E string sounding on a classical / Spanish tuning guitar

love the sound of blues harp anyway

if i can figure your drum timing i might try a remix but i'm not very technical. noticed the harp is loud on phones and less so on speakers but no idea why this is but hooray for home recording: could never afford studio time

bests

Ric

[jeffl]

If you're not real comfortable with the drum thing mebbe you could try it with just using your foot. Do you have the acoustic version of a stompbox... an old wooden soda crate, or just a good wooden floor...? I think the drums might sound better for the kind of tune you're workin', but just a thump on the 2nd beat might do it. It's always worth the time spent to listen to Walter Tore's One Man Band stuff, to see how he works his harp comps when he's got his hands full with guitar/keyboards, and his feet busy with his trap set. I read a blog from the band "Harper" (an Aussie blues guy relocated to the U.S.) and he mentioned that one "special needs" school they visited had their music students doing drum circles where different people beat out different beats to fill a rhythm out. It's a good exercise to just slap on your knees, doing quarter notes on one knee and eighth notes or triplets on the other one. Have you ever done that...? It's a beginning band exercise, but it builds fundamentals that apply to all levels of music.

[R_i_c]

If you're not real comfortable with the drum thing mebbe you could try it with just using your foot. Do you have the acoustic version of a stompbox... an old wooden soda crate, or just a good wooden floor...? I think the drums might sound better for the kind of tune you're workin', but just a thump on the 2nd beat might do it. It's always worth the time spent to listen to Walter Tore's One Man Band stuff, to see how he works his harp comps when he's got his hands full with guitar/keyboards, and his feet busy with his trap set. I read a blog from the band "Harper" (an Aussie blues guy relocated to the U.S.) and he mentioned that one "special needs" school they visited had their music students doing drum circles where different people beat out different beats to fill a rhythm out. It's a good exercise to just slap on your knees, doing quarter notes on one knee and eighth notes or triplets on the other one. Have you ever done that...? It's a beginning band exercise, but it builds fundamentals that apply to all levels of music.

know exactly where you're coming from Jeffl and what my problem is. i am using a Yamaha DD65 drum kit and the foot stomp switch on it gave out on me, but i managed to track down a KP65 kick pad which has a foot drum beater hooked up to it and it does the business ~ but in my enthusiasm i went for the whole drum take in one, not mixing all the separate parts like i used to: a) bass drum b) topside drums c) cymbals etc. But gosh i really enjoyed it, even though my ankle was giving out on the bass drum half way through the take

everything else is mixed separately

bass, vocals, tambourine, rhythm acoustic, arps acoustic; there was an initial 'guide track' of guitar + vocal which i muted in the mix after i didn't need it any more

no, i'm completely untutored on percussion, i've never had any formal music training at all, so i fall down on a lot of theory which could help me, but that's just the way the cookie crumbled i guess

so you recommend listening to Walter Tore's One Man Band and the Harper Band?

wish i could blow like Butterfield though