[Harp-L] revolutionary Warriors' path to becoming an expert harmonica player

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Cuttin' heads and flashin' is not my bag, so I don't grok the tenor of this competitive thread, although I distantly appreciate explications of technical wizardry. 

Now, if you dig that stuff, learn from what you get, but finally what counts is what you suck and blow, how it makes one feel, not what one calls it.  

So go ahead discuss the various techniques and approaches, great!  But one-upmanship and competition, superiority and such, among professors of the harpmonica muse, seems unseemly here, to me.   Unless yer fightin' for students, in which case, buy an ad.  Or draw a funny cartoon.   

-Dave Fertig
Rick Dempster spaketh:
"There are heaps of people on this list who can't handle all the
conventional bends yet, some who've been playing a good while too. As
well as this, I see young players (not necessarily harp players who
have done their jazz studies, are armed to the teeth with technique,
but their music is dreadful.
                      I prefer a soundly constructed wooden box to an
ornate mansion that will fall down in a breeze."

The problem with people like you is you think of OBs as an ornament or
trick. The last time I check my C harp the 6OB is a Bb which is a note
NOT a trick

In 2nd position where most of the people on this list play, the Bb is
a very important note.

I too prefer a soundly constructed home, that why I work on the
FOUNDATION before anything else. Learning to play the notes is a
prerequisite to playing music on any instrument.
Why should the harmonica be an exception?

Employing OBs on the harmonica doesn't make one an advanced player.
Playing the OBs during a tune doesn't make you a jazz musician.

Every beginning student I have had learned to play solid single notes
first. Then we worked on Bends and OBs at the same time. They didn't
know they were hard. They didn't think they
were hard. THEY ARE NOTE HARD.  The stigma about the OBs being
advanced is in everybody's head. How are you guys going to progress
the instrument and garned respect for your music
if you can't play the basics?

You talk about the OBs not sounding good... heck, many of the peeps on
this list can't play single blow or draw notes with a full sound. And
forget about intonation on the bends.
What many of you need is ear training whilst working on OBs and
everything else. How? Play along with a keyboard and record yourself.
When you're no longer embarassed about your
playing then move on the next foundational block.

Here is my ciriculum for my students:
How to relax + How to breathe + Single Note Production (full tone)
Bends/OBs + Intonation + How to practice w/keyboard
Knowing the notes + Reading Notes on Treble Cleff + Intervals.
The Basic Modes
Arpeggios + Introduction of the ii-V-I Movement
Rhythmic Development of Basic Modes + Introduction of the Major Pentatonic
Scale
Modal Fluency Development + Phrasing
Introduction of Linear Triads + Scale Tone Chords
Diminished/Half-Diminished/Whole tone Scale and Development of Fluency
Chromaticism
Harmonic Minor and its Harmonic Development
Melodic Minor and its Modal Development
Development of odd Time Signatures
Combination of odd Time Signatures and Harmonic Development
Advanced Harmonic Improvisation with odd and even Time Signatures_______________________________________________
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