Re: Rhythm, Minimal Harp Content?

["G." <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Subject:  Re: Rhythm, Minimal Harp Content?
<quote>
> > Any suggestions on how to improve that?
G wrote:
> http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/exercise.html

"Scorcher" wrote:
AND...
Get a metronome. Use it.
- -Scorcher
</quote>

Quote from third paragraph of...
http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/exercise.html
"For six months make it a habit to tap in time to anything that has a
regular beat. The radio, Television, Movie theme song, tap your toe, the CD
you're listening too, ~YOUR METRONOME~, puff air in & out in time,
advertisement jingles, walk to a beat, click your fingers to a rythm, Muzak
in the lift, irritating dripping of water, a horse walking along the road,
tap your finger, the annoying click of the stone stuck in your car's tyre,
click your tongue, washing machine through all its cycles... absolutely
anything with a regular beat."
</quote>

  With all due respect Scorcher me ol' mucker, the point of posting links is
in the hope that people actually visit them.  :-)

  As it is I've found that certain people who are starting out have a great
deal of difficulty starting out on just a metronome and are better off
playing something in context, such as a CD, play alongs or even "HammerHead"
which is a rhythm program.  It gives them a lot more "aural landscape" to
observe and take in and learn from in terms of timing, feel and rhythm.
  Something that gives you a definite pulse for the rhythm you are trying to
learn, even "HammerHead" which can be programmed with a large range of
sounds and rhythims.   Its a lot harder to pick this stuff up with just a
Metronome by itself because it comes without context can be interpreted in
any number of ways by the uninitiated... usually very straight and rigid -
which will for instance do nothing for someone who has no concept of Swing
and wishes to learn how to swing.

  Considering we're talking about rhythm and feel here, and not just timing.

That said, once you have learnt these things, a metronome is a great tool to
practise with.   But consider... how often do you play in public
unaccompanied?  ... if so, then maybe a metronome is how you learn best.
Personally if I want to play a song unaccompanied I'd rather be able to hum
the tune or sing the song in my head as I play... but then thats assuming
I've got my timing right too!
  I guess what I'm saying is different people learn in different ways.
There are 9 possible approaches for a human being to learning, the
preferable approach to learn varies from person to person.  Part of the idea
of school should be to teach kids how to learn, unfortunately they use only
3 or 4 teaching methods so that half the kids feel dumb and struggle, 1/3 of
the kids feel adequate with a lot of effort and the remainder seem brilliant
by comparison, but will probably fail in real life.... but I digress.

Find a method that works best for you and stick to it.

Best regards,
G.