Fwd: [Harp-L] The Woodshed - and the axe

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "samblancato" 
<samblancato@xxxx> wrote:
Hi Guys,

With winter coming up I am trying to think up some sort of structured,
disciplined plan for making real growth in my playing skills, a plan 
of
studies if you will.  I don't just want to break out the harps and 
blow,
following the path of least resistance.  I know I'll figure out 
*some* kinds
of activities that will get me some improvement, probably along four 
lines -
learning songs of the masters note for note (I'd like to do about 8),
working on overblows (Jason Ricci inspired me), more work on 3rd 
position
and more throat vibrato (I've actually made some progress here).

=======

Ok, narrowing it down is good.

Now, within each subject, you may want to draw some boundaries.

Figure out what does in fact constitute the path of least resistance 
for each subjet .

Now, for each subject, figure out what you'd like to do that goes 
beyond the easy path. 

- Is is close to the easy path or far away?

- Can you clearly discern the path you need to blaze in order to get 
there? These may involve improvements in specific technqiues, or 
simply working with the scales and chords involved if it's something 
like a position.

- Can you discern a series of stages involved? Learning Jason Ricci 
solos note for note definitely involves overblows. Can you discern, 
for instance, which holes he's overbending on? Then, where is he 
coming from and going to in the line that includes that overbend? So, 
for instance, if he's using a Hole 4 overblow, first you need to be 
able to create that note. Then, if he's approaching that note from, 
say, blow 5, you need to be able to approach 4OB from 5B.

Now, you may find that it's helpful to create a series of exercises 
that reinforce the specific things you're trying to strengthen. For 
overblows in Jason Ricci solos, you might want to practice the 
specific overblows, then just the overblow note with the approach and 
following notes, repeated over and over slowly, then the containing 
phrase. Go through maybe one verse this way, then another.

In other words, for each thing you're trying to learn, break it down 
into the components. Practice each component until it's strong. Then 
put it with the neighboring component and strngthen that combination. 
By starting with the smallest units individually and then combining 
them, you can build up.

If you keep your goal in mind, and identify the steps needed to get 
there, you can find the practice regime that works best for your 
specific needs and your temperament.

Winslow