Re: [Harp-L] Visualizing the Harp Layout

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

> 
> jazmaan said:
> 
> > What do you all "see" in your minds when you're playing?  Do you visualize
> the harp layout pretty
> > much the way it actually looks?   Do you see a piano keyboard?
> 

The only advantage visualizing a piano keyboard in your mind's eye when 
playing harp is that the piano provides a nice, easy, tangible display of scales 
and chords -- which is what riffs are based on.

I could be wrong -- I was wrong in '48 -- but no other instrument can make 
that statement.

Now if you put that piano keyboard information together with the harmonic a 
layout -- so that when you "see" a C on the keyboard, you will know where to 
play it on the harp.

If you know, for example that a C7 chord is CE G Bb from looking at your 
piano keyboard, and can immediately transfer that to harp, you have a leg up one 
someone who is using trial-by-error and trail-and-error to accomplish the same 
thing.

Understand, I'm not urging you to take up the piano. For one thing, they're 
heavy. For another, you may have to use all 10 fingers and play at least 10 
different notes at the same time.

Every thing I do on the harmonica I relate to the piano. But then, I relate 
guitar to the piano keyboard because I relate music notation to the keyboard. 
But that's my problem.

The worst thing that can happen is that this might lead you to combine music 
reading and sight reading with the harmonica layout and piano layout. Talk 
about a Pandora's Box of can of worms.

Phil Lloyd 





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