hi guys, in july i played my first public gig after only starting to play harp in april, this was a charity gig in front of 150 people, but it was only one song. on friday 20th nov. i am playing in a small 3 piece band, we are playing a 1/2 hour set, 6 songs this time i am playing harp in 4 of them, any tips on the final week leading upto the gig, breathing exercises etc... i am ok about actually playing i am not nervous yet, but i know i will be on the night when the adrenalin kicks in

Hey, Mike - great news! I remember the first one. (Hey, everyone, our boy is growing up!)

Practice as much as possible: a) you can only get better; and b) should things get hinkie at your gig, you'll have muscle memory.

Good luck! And just like last time, keep us updated...

You've got more guts than I. I did a number at an open mic. night and later was approached by a person who told me to "quit while I was ahead" knocked my confidence from which I am finding it hard to recover. All I can say is go to it, sock it to them, and good luck.

update again guys, playing another gig on sat 22nd may. this is another charity gig for the butterwick hospice, the gig is now sold out. eveythings starting to look better every time i play. cant believe it was a year ago i started to play how far i have come on, still no expert but good enough. anyone who uses facebook we even have our own group page. the group is called blackjack. the facebook page is blackjack blues and soul experience!.
anyway enough self promoting, i need some help and advice. when i have played live in the past i have just stood in front of the stage mic, which was ok as i was too nervous to do much else. now i am going to buy a mic to hold in hand, so i can move round the stage like a mad man lol, like lee brilleaux out of dr feelgood. my problem is i have to use hand vibrato quite a lot in our set and all i can hear is my hand banging the mic. any advice on how to cope with this, and any suggestions on which mic. must stress the mic i was using in my hand in rehearsal is a normal mic that fits in a mic stand usually.
finally anyone starting out on the harp and thinks they will never be able to play it stick with it.

Unless you get a tiny mic, or abnormally large hands, you can't hold the mic and create hand vibratto at the same time. Under most circumstances you would put the mic in a stand and do vibrato in the traditional manner.

How is your throat vibratto?

harmusman wrote:

> You've got more guts than I. I did a number at an open mic.
> night and later was approached by a person who told me to "quit
> while I was ahead" knocked my confidence from which I am
> finding it hard to recover.

That person sounds like a complete idiot - don't let it put you off. I love playing harp but am not yet ready to do open mic etc, but I am sure you are way good enough to get out there and perform again! GO FOR IT!!!

definately go for it, the type of person who criticises others is usually no good at anything themself, as anyone who plays any insrument knows how hard it is when you start out everyone starts off being a learner. i am only getting better because the two guys i play in the band with constantly encourage me and point me in the right direction, not ever telling me im rubbish and should pack it in. keep the faith my friend.
also isnt an open mic night meant for amatuers and beginners who fancy having a go.

The Rude Dude who told to give it up is an ass. Ignore him. Keep going to open jams! They are the best way to learn. It makes you more versatile because you have to adjust to the other players. For the most part musicians are a good bunch of people. After they see you around awhile and can see you are trying and improving they will start to help you along the way. They will give you tips on when to come in, or play soft on certain places or when to really cut loose. Sometimes you will run across other harp players. Watch and learn. Sometimes you can pick up on stuff just listening to the guys talk about music.