Those of you who are my musician friends have already heard me rant on this subject, so you may want to skip this post.
5 Watts is big enough, y'all.
I subbed for a friend last Saturday - we were playing Blues in a small (but very 'hot') room. Drums, PA, Bass, Guitar and Harmonica. I brought my Bassman, as I always do, but I also brought my 5-Watt Epiphone Valve Jr head, hoping to use it instead. I did and it worked great. In fact, it's heretic to say so, but I far preferred the sound of the $100.00 Epi to the $1,500.00 Fender. Keep in mind, I'm talking here about amplified Harmonica, which I like to sound distorted and compressed most of the time.
Leo Fender facilitated the birth of Rock and Roll by giving us the P-Bass. Then, Leo had to invent the Bass amp. He gave us the ability to hear the Bass with an electric guitar. Then, guitar players started using (bigger!) Bass amps, so Bass amps had to get bigger still to allow us to hear the bass over the now-fortified guitar, drums had to be mic'd...
Presto, you've got a Volume Arms Race on your hands!
5 Watts is HALF as loud as a 50-watt amp. Read it again, it's a fact - HALF as loud, not 1/10th as loud. Look it up if you don't believe me. You could start your search here.
I believe we're all playing way too loud, folks. We need to turn DOWN and give the music and the audience a chance to breathe. That little amp sounds sweet and my ears aren't ringing.
Feb 5, 2007
Feb 4, 2007
Performance
I know many of my friends are working very hard and very devotedly to polish their skills, to hone their craft, sharpen their tools to the point that they begin to feel comfortable seeking to play out. I hope you won't take offense to my next statement if you're in that position.
If you're not playing with other musicians for an audience, you need to do it by any means available, as soon and as frequently as possible. You probably should start doing it long before you feel you're 'ready'. It will absolutely change your life and how you think about your place in this world.
Practice is essential to building fundamental skills. Daily practice is important to any musician as a means to develop, grow, and perfect one's chops. I liken practice to going to the gym, running miles, etc.
Rehearsal with your band-mates is equally important - you work out your (musical) moves in rehearsal, hammer out new arrangements, hone your ability to work as a team. Rehearsal is like the drills, the scrimmage, running the plays that athletes do.
Performance, though... That's where the magic happens, the rubber meets the road, the theorem is proved! That's where the most important element of the musical experience comes in:
The Audience.
If you're not playing with other musicians for an audience, you need to do it by any means available, as soon and as frequently as possible. You probably should start doing it long before you feel you're 'ready'. It will absolutely change your life and how you think about your place in this world.
Practice is essential to building fundamental skills. Daily practice is important to any musician as a means to develop, grow, and perfect one's chops. I liken practice to going to the gym, running miles, etc.
Rehearsal with your band-mates is equally important - you work out your (musical) moves in rehearsal, hammer out new arrangements, hone your ability to work as a team. Rehearsal is like the drills, the scrimmage, running the plays that athletes do.
Performance, though... That's where the magic happens, the rubber meets the road, the theorem is proved! That's where the most important element of the musical experience comes in:
The Audience.
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