Re: [Harp-L] which hole number I'm playing at now?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Good advice below from the Iceman. I might add the following:

Find useful reference points on the harp. Blow 4 is good for a lot of first position tunes (like the nursery rhymes you often learn when beginning harmonica), because so many of them start on Blow 4. Draw 2 is another good one because it's the home note of second position.

Once you can find one of these reference points, you can find other notes in the neighboring holes. Want Blow 5? It's just to the right of Hole 4. Want Draw 1? It's one hole to the left of Draw 2. 

After awhile, you acquire more reference points. Blow 5 stops being "one hole to the right of Hole 4" and becomes its own reference point. Then Hole 6, and so on.

So how do you get to where you can consistently find a reference point? Play lots of tunes that start on that reference point. 

You could start with simple songs that are familiar to you, such as children's songs and folk tunes. You already know what the tunes sound like, so you just have to find them on the harp. Many such tunes are found in the little Hohner pamphlet for beginners, and also in books for beginners. Some of these tunes start on Blow 4, some on Blow 3 or 5. You can tell by the arrows and numbers which ones start on 4, so begin with those, then add the ones that start on 3 or 5.

Tunes that start on Draw 2 are not usually given as beginner material. They will usually be in second position, and again, some second position tunes will start on Draw 2 (the home note of the position) while others will start on Draw 1, Draw 3, or Draw 4. I'll leave it to you to find them. Again, you can gain familiarity by repetition of more than one tune that starts at that reference point.

Eventually, you want to be able to pick up the harp, put it in your mouth and go to any hole on the harp accurately without hinting around. 

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5


--- On Thu, 9/25/08, IcemanLE@xxxxxxx <IcemanLE@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: IcemanLE@xxxxxxx <IcemanLE@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] which hole number I'm playing at now?
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 6:31 AM
> First of all, a loose relaxed grip is more natural and
> "organic". You use  
> less of your finite internal energy on holding the
> harmonica, freeing up a  
> greater percentage towards listening to yourself. A relaxed
> grip can be uniform  
> if you settle into consistency.
>  
> Dots on a harmonica remind me of the stickers Moms put on
> the white keys of  
> a piano to "help" their children learn. It
> becomes more of a crutch in the 
> long  run than an aid.
>  
> It doesn't take long to develop an inherent feel for
> where the holes are -  
> relax, hold harmonica organically, drop hand w/harmonica
> into your lap, raise  
> harmonica to your lips and go for Hole 4 exhale. If you
> miss the mark, keep  
> exhaling and adjust left/right until you've got it
> cleanly and full. Repeat.  
> Repeat. Repeat. 
>  
> AS SOON AS YOU START TO FEEL FRUSTRATED WITH YOURSELF -
> STOP AND WALK AWAY.  
> You can't push yourself past the anger/frustration to a
> worthwhile conclusion. 
>  You can ease yourself through the situation by not getting
> angry/frustrated 
> much  more effectively if you know when to temporarily
> quit.
>  
> The Iceman
>  
>  
> In a message dated 9/25/2008 7:35:10 A.M. Eastern Daylight
> Time,  
> bjosephmex@xxxxxxxxx writes:
> 
> if you  use a different grip every time you hold the harp,
> you lose 
> coordination and  you won't know where you are at.  It
> takes 10 or 15 seconds to  
> contemplate your grip, and your hands get tired if you put
> a good grip on  it.  A 
> good strong grip is much more uniform than a loose relaxed
> grip  that tends to 
> be different every time.  With the dots on the harp, I just
>  pop it into my 
> mouth and start playing with a nice non-uniform relaxed 
> grip.
> 
> So there is "my" answer.  Work on your grip, or
> put  dots on the harp. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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