|
Post by jono1uk on Oct 14, 2017 11:44:16 GMT
I am still fascinated with Robert Johnson and his Music. When he was playing the Juke Joints in the 30's he used a small bodied Gibson. how did the crowd manage to hear the guitar completely un-amplified ?
Jon
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 12:01:05 GMT
Pure speculation but these juke joints weren't exactly the size of concert halls so they probably heard something of his playing. Nobody could hear the Beatles playing live but it doesn't seem to have affected their popularity.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2017 14:44:41 GMT
Sort of related - on sunday afternoons at a local pub in Evesham (the Red Lion), they have unplugged gigs. I've done two now, both with reso's. My Pal uses six and 12 string flat-tops. You have to play hard and sing up, but as long as the audience is reasonably quiet, you can be heard quite well. I've given a few sharp glances to people being too loud, which usually works... TT
|
|
|
Post by creolian on Oct 14, 2017 14:56:18 GMT
Most of these places along rural roads in the south are no larger than someone's parlor and the audiences I've seen were more an active part of the music than just passively listening. Audiences here are still generally noisy and rowdy... Some of the older players I've seen were not shy about thwacking the guitar pretty hard, much louder and a bit more primitive than what is done today. I think RJs guitar playing was more of a rhythmic foundation than a display of his virtuosity in these Saturday night juke joint situations but I wouldn't be surprised if he took it down at times and demanded full attention as part of his show. I saw James Booker fire a blank pistol to get an audiences attention once... Worked pretty darn well. Jeff
|
|
|
Post by bonzo on Oct 14, 2017 18:24:24 GMT
Pretty much what I was going to say Jeff! Most of the blues guys I've seen over the years always responded well to a lively audience. If they saw they had you hooked the good stuff would start to come out! I'm talking mostly club gigs where a bit of banter would help, but we've all seen it even at concert level I'm sure. To be eyeballed by Muddy, John Lee or Hound Dog as they cut into a tasty solo is not forgotten! Best wishes to you all, John
|
|