[Harp-L] Re: Critical Harmonica Mistakes

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As per Joe Leone's comments, it's impossible to list every mistake someone can make in practicing.  I do think there are a couple of critical mistakes people make often:

1) Falling into habit: for example, always playing the same songs, or using the same techniques, over and over.  I once handed a dorian minor-tuned harp to someone, and he couldn't play it because he was in the habit of always bending the draw 3 reed to get a flatted 3rd in 2nd position--which doesn't work on a dorian minor harp, because the 3rd is already flatted. A habit like that is a problem no matter what harp or style you play, because it means you're always going to do the same thing, no matter what the music needs.  A habit is a leading indicator for a rut, and most people have one or more.

The solution to this problem is to force yourself to listen to and play new things, maybe in drastically different styles.  Technical work to expand your own available range of pitches/tones/chords/etc. helps too. Recording oneself frequently is absolutely critical to learning what one's habits are so you can do something about them. 

2) Playing too hard: I do this frequently, and I don't like the way it sounds when I listen back to the recordings.  Playing less hard is important because a lot of things, like playing fast, are harder when you're playing really loud.  Playing really loud all the time also makes it harder to use volume to create an emotional peak in the music.

I repeat that recording is really important to improving anyone's playing--you never really hear yourself until you hear yourself on a recording.  Recording devices are pretty cheap nowadays, and everyone should have one, even if it's only the one in your cellphone.  That's good enough for this purpose.

Thanks, Richard Hunter




   

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