The Harmonica Band Reboot

The 2014 SPAH convention is just around the corner. The hard-working volunteers from SPAH and the Gateway Harmonica Club look forward to welcoming you soon, as we mark SPAH’s 51st anniversary with another great event!

So what’s the Harmonica Band Reboot? Simply put, we’re inviting you to try out the unique experience of playing with accompaniment by bass and chord harmonicas. SPAH has an enormous talent pool of some of the world’s greatest living chord and bass players, so why not get together with them and make some music?

What if you could jam with bass and chord while playing the music you already know and like? Maybe a blues shuffle, a Hank Williams country song, a gospel tune like Amazing Grace, a jug band tune or a popular song like “Stand By Me” with bass and chord accompaniment? Trust me, it can be a blast!

Chord and bass are fun to play, and they’re fun to play along with. They’re not guitars or pianos, but they have a unique sound and feel that you don’t get from other instruments. That’s why the Beatles and the Beach Boys worked them into their songs.

So how do we make this work? Just show up and hope for the best? Pull together an impromptu hallway jam? That can work, but with a little organizing in advance, we could be sure that chord and bass players are available at known times, and we could share preferred tunes in advance so that everyone can come knowing some tunes in common, rather than just looking around tentatively and saying, “I dunno, what do you want to play?” or “Gee, sorry, I don’t know that tune.”

For more developing news on our chord and bass reboot, check spah.org, the SPAH Facebook page and online discussion forums such as harp-l, SlideMeister, and Modern Blues Harmonica. When you get to the SPAH convention, check the schedule for any organized playing opportunities, or just roam the halls and see what develops spontaneously.

Hope to see you soon!

Winslow Yerxa, President