[Harp-L] The Woodshed

["Peter Wright" <peterw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

It's mighty lonely in the woodshed.  When you first enter, you have it all
figured out that you're not going to be in there all that long.  Then after
you've been there for a while, maybe a year, if you make it that long, you
learn you're going to have to lengthen your timetable considerably.  Seems
there's more to that little tin instrument than you imagined.

As a beginner (2 1/2 years), the most useful thing for me has been to keep a
journal.  I might only write in it a couple times a month, but I always
start the month with goals and I always finish the month by recording my
progress.  I divide the goals into the following catagories;

Songs/Musical Theory/Blues Education
Technique
Harp Repair         
Jamming & Epic Tunes          
Evaluation       

I don't always have a goal for every category, but I always have goals for
the month.

An "Epic Tune" is a song which is way beyond my current abilities.  David
Barrett's "Grand Junction Jump" was an Epic Tune for me.  I broke it into 1
bar measures and just tried to learn a bar a week.  I started at about half
performance tempo.  Eventually, I had learned the whole song at half tempo,
then I started slowly increasing the tempo.  It was very rewarding when I
could finally play the whole song at full tempo. 

For me, long-term goals keep me motivated.  For example, learning a song I
really love.  Or, one goal I had was to record a dozen songs on a CD.  It
had Blues, Bluegrass, & traditional songs.  I pulled background tracks off
old LPs, and I used Barrett's instructional background tracks.  I did
everything I could to make it as good as I could.  The result really
inspired me.

I also use Method Books as long-term goals.  Completing a book is also very
satisfying, and gives you a sense of accomplishment.  Sometimes, as a
beginner, it's very hard to guage whether you're making progress, and
completing a method book makes for a great milestone.  I've worked through
David Barrett's Series 1 and I'm part way through Series 2.  

Not everyone learns the same way.  Some people are visual learners, some are
auditory, some learn best through written instructions.  You have to develop
a plan that matches your learning style, and I think most importantly,
create a plan that excites you, that keeps you motivated.  Looking back over
my Journal entries demonstrates the progress I've made and helps keep me
motivated to continue improving.

Junior Wright