[Harp-L] Re: Why don't most diatonic harp players read? Harp-L Digest, Vol 83, Issue 59

Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> · Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:06:34 +0100

Speaking from personal experience, if you want to learn to read music  
then for the reasons spelt out already about positions and  
transposition, the diatonic harp is NOT an easy instrument to learn  
upon. I learned to read with a guitar and, later, a keyboard. Not that  
I can read well, but now I can learn a tune on the moothie from the  
music stave. I could get nowhere with this before learning guitar. I  
remember finding out once that at music school students are encouraged  
to learn an instrument that is easily linked to the music stave and  
where you can see harmony, such as piano or guitar. This is a good  
idea for improving musical skills, even if your primary instrument is  
the harmonica. It IS easier to read if you can play chromatically on a  
diatonic. This means mastering overblows or, in my case, having a  
couple of XB-40s.
Incidentally, I don't find tab (guitar or harmonica) that much easier  
to read than standard notation. They all involve turning print into  
muscle movements.
Richard
On 20 Jul 2010, at 12:50, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Message: 3
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:08:53 -0400
From: "John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] How we learn Blues Harp
To: bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <1844307F-741A-4F9A-8DD3-EBB849BE7216@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes;
	format=flowed
Why don?t most diatonic players read?  Well, assuming they want to,
(which may be an unwarranted assumption) the problem is
transposition.  Since you change  harps and positions depending on
the material when you are playing diatonic, it is almost impossible
to associate a certain written note with a particular hole or
location on the diatonic harmonica.  This isn?t a problem on the
chromatic because you ordinarily use a single instrument and the
relationship of the holes on the instrument to the written notes
stays the same.
I can sort of read music.  At least i can read well enough to learn a
tune from a chart if you give me enough time.  Can't sight read,
though.  In order to play from a chart i need to convert the notes to
degrees of the scale and then decide what key harp to use in what
position.  I know which holes correspond to what degrees of the scale
in which position, so I don't have to struggle to transpose if i do
it this way.  And it IS a lot easier for me to learn a tune this way
than just from listening to a recording. But unless i am familiar
with what the tune is supposed to sounds like, I almost always need a
recording to guide me as I learn a tune from sheet music.  I can't
usually do it working from a chart by itself.
JP

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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:49:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: GINO <ginoharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] How we learn Blues Harp
To: "John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>, bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <412638.21683.qm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Here's a trick to make it easy(er)
You look at the key signature to figure out
the key and the mode that you want to play
in (the chord chart will help with that)
theÂ sharps and flats are already tuned into
the harp.Â Say your playing in "E". On a
treble clef. The bottom line is E. All of the
lines above E are chord tones (1,3,5,7).
All of the spaces below E are chord tones.
Also. When you get to the octave note on top,
It becomes all of the spaces for the chord
tones.Â 4th space is E, 5th space is G, 6th
space is B, etc. Same thing going down. If
your on lines the chord tones become spaces
at the octave, if your on spaces they become
lines. Helps my pea brain keep itÂ simple(er)
Can't tell ya if it's an A, C#, or E, but
I can tell you the 1, the 3, or the 5, in
a nano second.Â
Â
Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gino
Â  "LICENSE TO SMOKE"Â
http://www.ginoharmonica.com