Thanks Dutch, The song I did was a blues tune I had heard of, but didn't know. The thing I locked onto is that it was a 12 bar tune.
I did something that you told me a year or two ago when I was trying to get my mind around the 12 bar cycle as it relates to the harmonica.
You said "You can go anywhere you want on the harp, as long as you resolve the chord on the root note."
Thats pretty much what I did. Even though I didn't know the song note for note, I understood the chord structure. Then just made shit up and got back home at the right time.
The applause was noticeably louder than it had been for other performers. That kind of messed with my head because of the problems I was having right before we went on stage. I was very aware that it could have really sucked. Thanks again.
My Sister was the "go between" She talked to some musicians she knows and told them I play the harp. They are regulars on open mic Wednesdays at a neighborhood pub in Safety Harbor Fl.
Got together with two guitar players just off stage about 15 minutes before we went on. They were big on Irish tunes, and sounded great. But I did not know ANY of the songs they were doing. They knew the songs so well, they couldn't believe that I didn't.
We were all about to give up when one of them started playing a standard 12 bar blues tune. He was on the IV chord by the time I got the right harp in my mouth, back to the I chord for two bars then I wailed on the 4D for the V chord. Sounded like we had been playing together for years.
Once we were on stage, He played and sang the first two progressions. Then he gave me a nod and I played two. We went back and forth like that a time or two then he took us home. When he was singing I played to back up what he was doing but I didn't articulate any single notes. Played chords at a much lower volume. So I was in there with him but didn't step on his lyrics. We kind of respected each other like that and had a blast! The crowed loved it.
Special thanks to: Jon Gindick, Dutch Bones and John Broeker
