Re: [Harp-L] students & motivation



Here are two exercises that I learned from RJ Harman that helped me a great deal.

The first is called "bend dropping", and is for accuracy of pitch. I'll give the notes as if on a C harp, to sidestep tab issues.

|: repeat what's between these two symbols :|


|: D C# D C :| D C# D <starting on hole 1>


|: G F# G F G E G F :| G F# G <starting on 2-draw>

|: B Bb B A B Ab B G B Ab B A :| B Bb B <starting on 3-draw>

|: D C# D C :| D C# D <starting on hole 4>

|: A Ab A G :| A Ab A <starting on hole 6>

As beginner students, we work *so hard* to get those bends, we become rather loathe to give up that embouchure once we get it, and the unbent notes often come out sounding a bit flat. This exercise teaches the necessary muscle relaxation in parallel with and in contrast to the necessary muscle tension.


A second exercise is called "bend swooping", and its objective is to develop both embouchure strength and control.


For each hole that has a draw bend, start with the note unbent, *slowly and smoothly* bend it down as far as you can, and *slowly and smoothly* bring it back up to unbent, again. Sometimes there's a "dead spot". (For me it was always at the very highest part of 3-draw- bend.) Encourage your students to linger there and explore that spot (Effortless Mastery, anyone?), because that's where a good part of the work is. Do NOT worry about pitch accuracy on this one. (The pressure's off!) It's just for building muscle strength and control. The more you do it, the stronger the muscles get, and the slower you do it, the more control you have. The more strength and control you have, the better you can bend to pitch when that's the objective.

When you master these with the pucker embouchure, try them tongue- blocked (or vice versa).


I still return to these exercises from time to time. Sometimes to check myself, and sometimes to put a new harp through it's paces and get to know its idiosyncrasies.


Elizabeth (aka "Tin Lizzie")


On Mar 25, 2011, at 8:23 PM, David Michelsen Tuition wrote:


From: David Michelsen Tuition <dmharpman@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thu, Mar 24, 2011 9:39 am
Subject: [Harp-L] students & motivation


Would those of you who teach like to share what strategies you use to
help students keep motivated in the often dispiriting period when they
learn to bend notes. Also how to keep up the motivation in that time
when they are learning to keep the three bends on three & the two bends
on draw two play in tune.
I recommend to all my students that they use a chromatic tuner to help
them to tune their ears & bends in. David




This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.