RE: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] playing sitting down (practicing)

["Bradford Trainham" <bradford.trainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've always preferred to sit when I play... even guitar.. and even when I'm
doing "lead singing" for a rock band. 
Some of it might be the lack of eye-sight; that is, I might just be more
easily oriented in a chair, but my favorite performing arrangement is a
folding chair such that I can position everything around me I need to have
and I apparently do well enough with the energy that the rock band I sing
for has never complained about me sitting. 
A friend of mine told me that it doesn't look as odd, or that I'm not as
distinct from the others who stand because I'm tall.  That probably makes
more sense to most of you than it did to me. 
But no, I don't perform in a rocking chair, just practice the harp.
Brad Trainham
 

  _____  

From: EGS1217@xxxxxxx [mailto:EGS1217@xxxxxxx] 
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 6:56 PM
To: rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: bradford.trainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] playing sitting down (practicing)


Hi Richard:
 
I'm far from being a 'pro'..and I play chromatics for the most part...but I
have to agree.  While I do 'play' and practice a lot sitting down (mainly
necessitated by being at my computer when a song/instrumental comes on the
computer radio I want to try)...when I do finally 'play' for real....i.e.
want to try out a song in its entirety or 'show my real stuff' to anyone
else (SmoJoe at this past Spah for instance...in order to figure out what
songs to pick to play together at Open Mic)..I absolutely have to stand up
for that; to get the full feeling of air in my lungs, and to be able to move
around (I tend to 'dance' a bit to the music when I play, really can't
imagine standing still..'planted' in place, as it were).
 
But then...at Spah Blues Jams...and Buckeye (where I witnessed my first
jam):  the normal set up is a big circle of chairs with mostly guys playing
mostly diatonics seemingly very comfortably (although the one Jazz chromatic
player who joined in the last night, Charles Spranklin...remained standing
for his turn).  Occasionally one will get up in the circle to play...clearly
one of those like you (and me)...but most players seem to have the ability
to produce everything they can do sitting down...and I've been quite envious
of that ability. The sitting circles do enhance the feeling of warm
camaraderie (no one person is ever 'The Star' in the blues jams..and it's
lovely).  
 
 I will say the Jazz jams are usually 'stand-up' in front of a backing
trio...and the jazz players (whom I emulate)  tend to play standing more
often than not even in their smaller groupings, sitting only when they're
tired, run out of steam,or in a constrained area.
 
 It just gives me more energy, ability to use more 'body english' to play
standing up, somehow.  This is a topic I've remarked on before and found
very interesting. Appreciate your broaching the subject.
 
Elizabeth
P.S. Aside to Brad Trainham:  I do believe you're right:  pulmonary health
is a heckuva lot more important than a 10 pound weight gain...but then, most
women reading your post would probably agree that 10 pounds is
nothin'...when you start talking 'real' weight .. 30 - 40 lbs, then get back
to me ;)
 
"Message: 4
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:30:21 +0100
From: Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] playing sitting down (practicing)
To: Harp-l L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID: <30F59EE6-EA21-433F-88D2-B98C39A0A074@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

This reminds me
I was looking at SPAH videos on youtube. Folk are often sitting down.  
Now I can play sitting down, but it is not easy to get the best  
breath, tone or technique that way - someone mentioned opera singers a  
while back, you don't see much singing seated. I try and practice  
standing up - any views anyone?
Richard
On 1 Sep 2008, at 19:18, Bradford Trainham wrote:

> For me, practice is a combination of the things I already know how  
> to do and
> a deliberate stretch to learn the newer things or to get the newer  
> stuff
> down better.
> I don't know why, but I usually start off practicing by picking up  
> my Marine
> Band 365, a lovable 14-hole harp with the air of the ungainly about  
> it.
> I'll usually open up with some hybrid of the licks that would  
> support the
> Band's version of Long Black Veil and the old Little Feat instrumental
> Lafayette Railroad. Even though the second song isn't in G and I'm  
> playing
> of necessity on that harp in G, I love being able to milk those  
> bends up to
> the major third on the draw three.
> After I've done that a while, I break a sweat and then, it's time to  
> pick up
> the Special 20's for the real practice.
> For some reason, then, those Special 20's seem so responsive, so  
> reactive
> that the new stuff feels possible/doable.
> The bad side of my practice routine... Is that all my prize harps  
> sit on a
> shelf next to an old rocking chair which my ex-wife inexplicably  
> agreed to
> let me have.
> I found out two days ago.. .that I've gained ten pounds somewhere in  
> the
> past six to seven months, a span of time which tellingly coincides  
> with the
> evolution of this, my practice routine.
> Okay, so if I'm not exercising like I should, at least, that Marine  
> Band 365
> is giving me a bit of a pulmonary workout, right?
> Brad Trainham
>




  _____  

It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal
<http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047> here.