Re: [Harp-L] Visualizing the Harp Layout

[icemanle@xxxxxxx]

Great writing. The ideas come across clear and succint.
 
All I'd ad to Phil's post is that eventually you may start to see shapes appear out of the keyboard reference. Using Phil's example - C7 chord - C, E, G, Bb, C. Look at these keys at middle "C". Place the fingers of one hand on them and notice that they are merely every other note (with the 7th flatted). Hold your fingers in place, raise and look at them. That is a spacial reference of the distance between these notes and how they relate to each other. With the other hand's index finger, touch the held fingers of your hand one at a time, in any order. Try to imagine the sound each finger makes as if they were pushing down on the keys. 
 
If you practice this (few minutes/day) until you begin to hear the sound in your inner ear, it's easy to attach a spatial refence to the notes for an inner visual. Your fingertips disappear and the points in space remain. Start to follow the shape and/or determine the shape movement by your note choices. 
 
Next, connect the visual/notes to where you play them on the harmonica. C7th chord is inhale hole 2 - 5 on an "F" harmonica. "See" your hand on the piano keys/fingers in front of your face/touching the fingers/seeing this shape in space.
 
Granted, not all of you will get what I'm talking about. However, the few that do are in for quite a bit of fun.
 
The Iceman
 
-----Original Message-----
From: 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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