[Harp-L] Re: harp practice

[Dave Shannon <daveshannon@xxxxxxx>]

>From UK teacher Ben Hewlett's site (http://www.harmonicaworld.com):


A tricky one, this. It is certainly true that for most of us, practice = progress, and no practice = no progress. Fine, but it must be systematic and above all enjoyable.

Here's our best advice based on a combined 70 years of playing and 30 years of teaching music!

Put aside a regular time to practice, then divide it into the five sections below and start. If you only have half your usual time available do 1 and 4 only. Try to get half an hour a day most days and you will see progress for sure. Getting tuition must also help we think.

(1)..Warm up: Chugging is probably the best bet for beginners and advanced players as it warms up the instrument, your lungs, and your rhythm skills.

(2)..Nuts and Bolts: (tools for the job)

?  playing scales:- blues, pentatonic, major, minor, modal, hybrid - all in all 12 keys on each harmonica and their arpeggios;

?  note bending practice to learn pitch control - draw bends and overblows on holes 1-6, blow bends and overdraws on 7-10, also work on quarter and microtones;

?  working on sound quality - your tone especially at the top end. Remember, one note from BB King weighs a ton whereas a million notes from a novice can be gruesome! - less is more, or something.

?  vibrato - throat, bending, diaphagmatic or using the hands. Breathing from the diaphragm - like the Yoga technique of pranayama;

?  rhythm work - counting, reading rhythms, working on time signatures and unusual rhythms.

?  music theory, circle of 5ths, playing in different positions (no, not standing, sitting, or leaning against the bar) working out chords, their makeup, and how to improvise over them.

?  embouchure - the shape of your mouth on the harmonica along with tongue blocking and creating octaves for example.

?  playing fast like John Popper.

There's an endless list of tools that we all need to gradually get equipped with...slowly, slowly.

(3)..Ear training . Develop the recognition of intervals, chords, scales, rhythms through singing, clapping, and if possible writing those down and putting them to memory

(4)..Repertoire . Working up tunes and pieces up for performance, even if you have no performance booked.

(5)..Fun - just blow the back off it! Do whatever is fun for you - it could be putting on some blues and just playing along, studying a Chopin nocturne, doing some more chugging, or even playing 'Oh Susannah'!

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>From me:

Enjoyable is the key word for me. Finding licks, tunes and scales that are fun makes it so much easier to absorb - because you want to! Regularity is also important. It's so much easier to practice when it's part of the rhythm of your week. Then there's trust. Trusting that stuff that you have absorbed, not just in practice but in your listening, too, will 'be there' waiting to pop out when you improvise. I recommend Kenny Werner's book and CD Effortless Mastery for building confidence in the inner artist.


Cheers

Dave Shannon

PS I don't think Ben is recommmending trying to play in the style of Mr Popper, but at a similar speed.