Re: [Harp-L] Re: 4th position & a bit about 10th

["Bill" <bill.eborn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Valves - of course!  I've been thinking for a while about seeing if I could 
get a harp with valves on holes one and two.  I can play chromatically from 
hole 2 up but can't get the 1ob to go, being able to blow bend a note a 
semi-tone below the tonic note of the harp would be useful sometimes too.  I 
think I could get an 1847 from Seydel set up like that, the trouble is that, 
with the pound being so weak at the moment, it would cost a fortune.

"I think intervals. I have practiced various arpeggios to be able to move 
around without thinking of holes and bends - I can just hear it."

Those would be the advanced musically linguistic skills of the proficient 
improviser then!  It's like learning a language isn't it, to start with you 
have to think I need this word word here and this word there but when you 
start to get the hang of it, it all comes naturally and you don't think - 
you just do it.

When I was studying at college last year, I used to get really self 
conscious because dyslexic, ear playing self taught blues harper that I am, 
I couldn't look at a chart and play at the same time the way some of the 
other's could, especially the sax players - Clare and Olu who are both 
classically trained on clarinet and have subsequently switched over to sax. 
But then I talked to one of the tutors about it and he said but you hear the 
key centres and anticipate the changes, what do you need a chart for?  He'd 
then march around the room and take everyone's chart away, to loud protests 
from everyone except me!

Although now when I'm learning a new tune, I do tend to work my way through 
it in my rather ham-fisted way on the guitar and keyboard to learn the 
progression, I can only use root position voicings and stuff but it helps a 
lot I find.


Bill

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry Marks" <larry.marks@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Bill" <bill.eborn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 12:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: 4th position & a bit about 10th


> Bill wrote:
> > Cheers Larry
> > The main thing about 10th is you need to overblow the root (4ob) and the 
> > 5th (6ob), if you can get it In a Sentimental Mood can be a killer harp 
> > tune, great for generating what I call the 'pin-drop moments', you know 
> > when everything goes quiet, somebody talks, somebody else says shush! and 
> > you get a great big warm feeling inside.  You could swap harps for the 
> > bridge I guess but I could never get the hang of juggling myself.
> Well, I use valves, so I can't overblow at all. I use 2 blow bend as the 
> tonic - very stable note. No problem from there.
> > I totally agree with the Iceman's comment
> > "It may help to consider thinking not so much that the tonic IS a bend, 
> > but rather that it is  a NOTE created through a bend technique."
> >
> > In my view, we should always think notes - or intervals - and not bends 
> > or holes.  It's also really good to train your ear to recognise and be 
> > able to play specific intervals, there are ear training programmes about, 
> > I use Earmaster (although not enough I must confess) and there's an ear 
> > training facility in Band in a Box.  The Aebersold Dominant 7th Work Out 
> > is a very good practice tool for this sort of thing too, I find.
> I agree totally. I think intervals. I have practiced various arpeggios to 
> be able to move around without thinking of holes and bends - I can just 
> hear it.
>
>  -LM