Re: [Harp-L] teach position playing

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Robert - 

Think about how positions first evolved. Blow chord for first position, and draw chord for second position. Play chordal rhythm patterns centered around either one, then find licks, etc. As you get away from these two positions, the chord approach works less and less well, but this gets the student started.

The other thing you can do is find modal tunes that work well in various positions - certainly in the first five. You can find some of those tunes (and some fund chord exercises) in Harmonica For Dummies :)

Chord patterns and tunes give the student something concrete to learn without having to digest a big does of theory (and I love theory, but to most beginner's it ain't anything even near to being sexy).

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

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

--- On Wed, 3/11/09, ynfdwas@xxxxxxxxx <ynfdwas@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: ynfdwas@xxxxxxxxx <ynfdwas@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] teach position playing
To: "Harp-L@Harp-L. Org" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 8:56 AM

Harp teachers,
 
What's your best method for teaching position playing?
My musician students relate to scales and intervals,
but non-musician beginners are mystified by it. 
  

Robert Hale, "the Duke Of Wail"
http://www.dukeofwail.com/
Gilbert, Arizona
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