Re: [Harp-L] Creating solid notes through bending techinques - wasSummertime ...

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

Bingo - I work this out with the student from many different  directions. Of 
course, it is a no brainer to have them listen to an outside  source (pitch pip
e, keyboard key, electric tuner) and match the note on the  harmonica through 
bend technique. However, this is not nearly as powerful as  accessing 
something they already have in their inner ear and using that as  a reference.
 
For instance - with blues oriented students learning about the blues  scale, 
I use the lead line in the song "Spoonful" to acquaint them with 3  hole 
inhale first bend (minor third up from 2 hole inhale). I'll get them to  sing "That 
Spoon That Spoon That Spoooon-ful" with the correct minor third  interval. 
(Most already have this melodic line firmly ingrained in their  conscious and 
subconscious - my generation will remember the version by Cream).  No matter how 
lousy a singer, one can still arrive at the proper minor third  interval with 
a bit of encouragement. 
 
I'll break it down to "That Spoon", with "That" beginning with the  note 
created by 2 hole inhale. Sometimes it takes a minute for the student  to orient 
himself to starting on or matching 2 hole inhale, but  most find it pretty 
quickly. I'll have them sing "That Spoon" and then  recreate it on harmonica. 
"That" comes out easy (2 hole inhale). The  "Spoon" is where we work on technique, 
understanding tongue placement and  control.
 
When they realize how tricky it is to get to that note created through 3  
inhale bend, I'll have them sing "Spoooooon" (at the correct pitch), inhale and  
then hum that same pitch for as long as they can, paying attention to how the  
pitch wavers and wanders over time. We'll repeat this until the student  
seems to grasp finding the pitch within himself, with the "That" used as a  spring 
board if he wanders too far afield.
 
After humming the correct pitch, student tries to recreate it on harmonica,  
"finding it" within all the possibilities that live within 3 hole inhale bend. 
 Once he finds it, it is grabbed, held and sustained, paying attention to  
how the pitch wavers and wanders over time. When it steadies, I'll have the  
student "take a snapshot" of exactly where his tongue is placed to create the  
proper pitch. Once the student has a clear mental picture of this, all he need  
do is recreate it exactly and he will produce the correct note.
 
Easier said than done, but this is a very powerful approach to teaching the  
student to hear the note in his inner ear, on his own, and recreating it  
without need of outside reference points.
 
I get the student to understand that when the pitch wanders and wavers, it  
can only do so if his tongue is wandering and wavering. If the tongue is  
motionless, the pitch stabilizes. So, in essence, the student soon discovers  that 
the reason he can't control the pitch is because he is moving around.  
Solution - "STOP MOVING AROUND".
 
The harmonica just says "Yes, Master" and gives you whatever you ask  of it.
 
The Iceman
 
 
In a message dated 10/2/2008 9:07:21 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

he  question I'd be asking the students, and myself, is whether they can 
actually  'hear' the note in question.
If they haven't got a firm idea of that Bb  (C-harp-talk) like an aural 
picture, how are they going to pitch  it?





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