RE: Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Practice and the mind

["John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Monday March 02, 2009, Elizabeth wrote:

 

>>>Of course one has to 'know' the song (in my case)...and that takes
having an ear for it, to my mind...something I don't know if pure
readers do in quite the same way. I imagine for them it's an entirely
different 'working out' process. <<<

 

One technique which I acquired in chorus class way back when, which I
have tried to carry over into my harp playing is the concept of
"hearing" the note in your head before you release it from your mouth.
When we had to come in all of a sudden with a bold note, our chorus
instructor would make us "hear and form" the note in our forehead area
(completely silent - this was a "mind thing") and then release it
audibly through the normal means. It was scary how good this worked.
Think of the intro to the traditional song This Is...MY Country...land
of my birth... You have to nail the octave jump on the word My, or the
whole song went down the drain. Sort of like "...and the rockets red
glare...)

 

I try to bring this into the harmonica realm by trusting that if I
listen to the song enough and have an understanding of various
techniques, I will be able to reproduce the tune without ruining two
harps in the process. By having a grasp on mouth, lip, throat and tongue
techniques, it is then easier to "visualize" a sequence of notes before
you actually play them. As I listen to a section of a solo, I try to
follow along with my mouth; forming all of the techniques I imagine it
will take to produce the sequence. Sometimes I do this with no harp, but
still cupping my hands and using all the breathing that I would if I was
actually playing. I know, I know, but it works for me. I believe that if
the technique is there, the note will inherently follow. As you said
above, the more you "know" the song and have an ear for it. I would
guess that this is how Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder pick up a tune they
have just heard. They already know the techniques. Once they hear the
notes, it's just a matter of applying the proper technique to get the
sequence.

 

Another practice method that works for me is the idea that I don't have
to get each note or phrase before I move on to the next. Most Blues
solos, even standards performed by the original artists, tend to be
fluid in that they may change slightly each time they are played. Rod
Piazza once told me "I never play the same solo twice. I try to capture
the essence of the song, but I don't like being limited by a specific
set of notes. I play what fits the situation." 

 

It is easy to become obsessed with regurgitating a solo note-for-note.
That, I believe, is where the frustration sets in. What I try to do is
follow along, capturing the feel of the music, the mood, the tone, etc.
until the notes "find" their way into the equation. Along the way, even
if I haven't got the tune down note-for-note, I still come away from it
with a workable alternative.

 

John Balding

Tallahassee, FL