Re: [Harp-L] Gettiing back to harmonica

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

chuck maguire wrote:
<1. What is best way to be able to learn to improvise? There are no teachers 
<where I am so would phone or skype lessons go much further than just CD/DVDs. 
<The problem with DVD is you cannot ask questions.
< 
<2. How do I learn to put different licks together for solo's? How many licks do 
<you need to have to know in order to be effective player?
< 

Chuck,

You mentioned that your rhythm is lacking. A drum machine can be acquired for less than $100 (in the case of a software drum machine that runs on your computer, free), and working with a drum machine will help you tighten up your rhythm.  (It's also more interesting than a metronome.)

One way to learn to improvise is to copy solos that you love, note for note.  If you love somebody else's solo, it's because it talks to something inside you.  So learn other peoples's solos, then use parts of those solos for your own creations.  

You ask how you learn to put different licks together for solos.  You should consider this to be an early stage.  In the beginning, you can take licks that you know and fit them to the music you're playing, and combine licks to make longer solos.  But learning licks is also a way of learning your way around the harp, and when you know your way around the harp, you can make new licks for yourself.  Eventually, your knowledge of harp comes together with your feel for music, and you hear what you want to play in your head before you play it.  

So play frequently to a drum machine.  Study solos by other people that you like--learn how the notes are strung together, and learn how the player is making the sounds that go with the notes.  And by all means get a teacher.  You can start with Michael Rubin's "Meat and potatoes" harmonica lessons on Youtube.

Regards, Richard Hunter



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