Re: Speed and accuracy

[KPGraham@xxxxxxx]

> 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.

Practice, Practice, Practice.

I am a pucker blues player and some of the following may not work
for blockers, but here is what works for me.

Some sequences of notes do not seem natural at first. It is
usually one where the pattern of draw and blow seems wrong.
They cause you to stumble or stutter looking for the next note. I
suspect the pattern seems wrong because it closely resembles
another sequence which I have practiced until it seems
natural. To make a riff seem right you have to practice it. Start
slowly and practice until you get up the speed. Keep a
list in your head of hard riffs that you must practice every day.
It takes twenty or more repititions to get to the point where you
think you have a riff down. Then practice another riff to drive
the first one out of your head and then try the first riff again.
Practice, Practice, Practice.

Here is a very simple riff that is extremely useful. It helped me
a lot when I first started. 

6B, 5D, 4D, 4D(bent), 3D(Half Bent), 2D. 

The 3D is the hard one to hit. It's not a full bend. You can bend
the 3D 1/2, full or 1-1/2 and perhaps a little more. You can use
a 3B instead of a 2D. It doesn't sound as good and is a bad
habit, but it keeps you from turning blue and passing out.

Start this riff slow and speed it up. Then practice it going up.
then up and down. The two 4D notes must be clearly articulated
so that they are not slurred into each other. The 3D is hard
to hit clearly. Kim Wilson once bragged that he had a good
3 Draw. The 3D is a good note to practice accuracy on.

To "package" the notes better, articulate "TAH" or "DAH" with 
each note played. This speeds you up. If you are playing a
fast run, aticulate "DIDDLE-DAH" but make sure it is coordinated
with the actual hole. Articulating a stop to each note such as
"TUCK" or "DUG" makes the note sound clearer, but I find this
will slow you down.

Don't do this around a significant other if you value your 
relationship. After about a hundred repititions most non-harpers
will be looking for butcher knives.

Phil Wiggins has a cheat list in harp tab of "Cheap Tricks" which
includes a few of Phil's signature warbling riffs. I have misplaced
mine, but there others on the list who have been in Phil's
seminars and might have a copy.

I would try listening to SBWII for his classic triplets where he
does a three note riff over and over again as fill. Practice these
a few hundred times and your speed will increase.

Listening to SBWI will give you dozens of simple runs which have
been used over and over by all of the harp players who stole his
stuff in the last 40 years. Practice along with SBWI and try to get
speed out his lines. SBWI recorded in the late 30's yet I find him
the best source for stealing riffs that sound fresh today.

I find that the time for fast runs is during slow numbers. Slow down
during the fast numbers and play long 2D bends in contrast to the
higher speed of the music. You can't easily play faster than a 
fast song and playing slow on a slow song can get you in that
funeral march mode that will kill any number.

If you have an arsonal of these fast riffs you can use them while
you are contemplating your next line. They are not to be used
as an replacement for thoughtful melody lines, but they come
in handy as fills and ornimentations. 

Keith