MIC MORSEL: HEARING YOURSELF ON-STAGE

Sonic survival. That's what it was like on-stage in the days before PA systems commonly employed monitor speakers (not to mention separate discrete monitor mixes, in-ear monitoring, audio processing, even graphic equalizers). Park your harp amp next to the guitar slinger with the Marshall? Better be a praying man...

The most cost-effective method I can think of for survivalist self-monitoring in difficult musical environments came to me in 1966 as a result of attempts to protect my recently-injured right eardrum (Explosives. Long story) from the usual on-stage racket produced by '60's Blues/Rock bands and the water of the Pacific ocean while surfing: An earplug. I found that blocking the outer canal of my right ear greatly increased my perception of sound via bone conduction and greatly enabled my staying on-pitch when singing -and on-task when blowing harp in less-than-ideal environments. I also found that by angling my protected right ear inward toward the band and monitoring the on-stage sound with my exposed left ear pointed away from the direct onslaught I got a pretty good image of the overall sonic landscape -and I could more clearly discern what was happening harp-wise by way of the bone conduction. I got very used to the routine of rolling the cylindrical foam plug between index and thumb, sliding it into my right ear, listening to it expand, shutting off the outside world while seemingly amplifying the inner environment. Earplugs. Keep 'em in your kit...