Re: Reading Music

[Robb Bingham <robbingham@xxxxxxxxx>]

<As with unicorns, the onus is on the one who says
<there IS a unicorn to produce or show just one.

With unicorns, as with horses, you should mount from
the left side, and stay entirely away from the onus.
=========

But back to ~reading music~. I see exactly what you
are saying Tinus. Some good advice. Thanks.

This idea of keeping the ~do-re-mi~ in mind is
helpful. I used to look at bluesharp playing like
this: My Crossharp-harp had LOTS of
~sweetspots/notes~. My straightharp-harp had quite a
few ~sweetspots/notes~. My 3rd position-harp had quite
a few sweetspots- but also had a lot of ~dangerous~
holes.

That?s simplified, but the point is, I was playing by
ear- looking for ~good notes/runs/riffs~ and not
really thinking in terms of  the ~solfege~ at all. I
always could read a little but I never applied it to
bluesharp [and that?s, as you say, not all bad, as one
learns]. But now, when I pick up a harp to see if it
fits what?s on the car radio, I still figure out what
position or harp would be best; but I ALSO now think
in terms of finding the tonic and knowing that the
rest of the notes are also THERE [they just are not
found in the old way of necessarily using the
2draw/6blow and lots of bent 4/5draws]. If you follow
what I mean. It has helped my playing [if only to play
closer to what I?d imagined] to have some physical
memory of the ~do~ or ~fa~ to the left or right of
what I?d just played. Now I?d like to have some better
intellectual grasp of it. I do find it odd to have to
picture different layouts in my mind- and I can?t help
but think this complicates things; as far as a
PRACTICAL approach to site-reading technique etc.. 

As I try to say this I see you guys already said it
better, but it does fascinate me. It?s almost like I
didn?t know that the ~do-re-me~ notes were there. I
couldn?t conceptualize the harp like I would a piano.
And, frankly, I still wonder if I have the
commitment/chutzpah to follow-through with the level
of mastery it requires [given the fact that we can?t
see the notes and barely ~finger~ them]. It takes an
awful lot of drilling to, not only ~know your way
around the harp~ [as Mike Will used to say], but also
always be able to know where your next fa or la is.

In any case it?s the direction I wanna go and I
appreciate exactly the kind of tips you and Mike just
gave. Thanks.

Robb


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com