Speed and accuracy

[Winslow Yerxa <76450.3230@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TO: internet:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

W Findley Griffiths writes:

    I have run into a problem getting those short quick notes.	I
    am also having problems getting the right hole when
    attempting to play with any speed at all.

You don't say which short quick notes or what circumstances.
there could be a variety of things you need to do; more
description would help narrow it down.

As far as building speed, the first hing to do is learn it slow,
and get it solid before speeding it up (whatever "it" happens to
be - a lick, arpeggio, etc.). Sometimes it takes a real
effort to break through to faster speed, through intense
concentration and relentless repetition (hopefully you have some
privacy - it drives other nuts to listen to). And sometimes, when
you work really hard and then give it a rest for awhile, it all
falls into place when you come back to it.

Finding the right hole can be a problem if it's not right next
door to the hole you just played. Over time you'll get enough
familiarity to pick up a harp with your eyes closed and find
exactly the note you want. Here are some things that can help
that process.

Bear in mind that htere are three components to finding the note
you want - hearing it mentally, knowing mentally where to find
it, and training your body to get there reliably.

Let's say you're playing Draw 2 and want to go up an octave
(assuming you know this is the note you're pre-hearing). You
may know that it's "up there somewhere" to the right of draw 2,
but we need to narrow it down. A look at a tuning diagram will
tell us it's Blow 6. Now your body needs to "know" by muscle
memory where Blow 6 is.

It sound like you're talking largely about the need to develop
such muscle memory. Your hands holding the harp, the size and
placement of the harp in your hands, and your mouth (tongue and
lips) all participate. Following are a few exercises to help you
play over the entire range of the harp and gain familiarity with
the relative placement of holes and the notes in them.

Start in Hole 1, playing all one breath direction, blow or draw
(do both, one at a time). Play 1-2-3, then 2-3-4, then 3-4-5,
then 4-5-6, etc. all the way to the top of the harp - you may
have to pause for breath, but try to do it at a steady rhythm.
Then work your way down with 10-9-8. 9-8-7, 8-7-6, etc.

Some variations: change direction each iteration, as in:
1-2-3, 4-3-2, 3-4-5, 6-5-4. Or use four note sequences, as in:
1-2-3-4, 3-4-5-6, 6-7-8-9 // 10-9-8-7, 8-7-6-5, etc.

These exercises will you give a feeling for neighboring holes
all the way up and down the harp, and give you familiarity with
playing the entire harp from left to right.

Playing leaps can start with a "crutch" or "bridge" note. Let's
say you want to leap two holes, like from 1 to 3. Play

1-2-3, 3-2-1, 1-2-3, 3 - 1, 3 - 1  1 - 3

Hole 1 is a little easier as a starting note, but work this
pattern up the harp. You can also do this in a downward
direction. And for wider intervals, like a three-hole jump, you
could either do something like

1-3-4, 4-3-1, 1-3-4, 4-1 1-4

which builds on the previous 2-hole leap, or you could crawl up
to it like

1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1 etc.

One last exercise before this gets too long. Again, you should
try this starting from every hole on the harp and work it both up
and down from the starting hole. Repeat each segment for as long
as you need to - repetitive action is amazingly effective for
learning.

This exercise involves both blow and draw, and can add bent and
overblow/draw notes if you want to include them. Here, it's just
the main notes on the harp, going up or down the scale. I'll
express them as notes (look at a tuning diagram if necessary to
find them), but the notes will change with your starting hole and
breath:
	   (tuning diagram for a C-harp)

	   1	2    3	  4    5    6	 7    8    9	10
	 ===================================================
    DRAW | D  | G  | B	| D  | F  | A  | B  | D  | F  | A  |
	 ---------------------------------------------------
    BLOW | C  | E  | G	| C  | E  | G  | C  | E  | G  | C  |
	 ===================================================

now play  C-D,C-D,C-D,C-D // C-E,C-E,C-E,C-E // C-F,C-F,C-F,C-F

alternating your starting note with each note above it in
succession, all the way to the top of the harp. You may not get
all the way accurately in one session, but you'll get there
eventually. And of course, work it down from the reference note
as well. Do this for EVERY NOTE ON THE HARP.

Winslow Yerxa
Publisher
Harmonica Information Press
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