[Harp-L] Biting off the notes

[Wolf Kristiansen <wolfkristiansen@xxxxxxxx>]

You piqued my interest, Martin Oldsberg from Sweden. I'm a wordsmith too, but don't a have better term for what you call "biting off the notes".  Let me change the subject.  I want to talk about the concept-- controlling the start AND end time of a note.  

My usual preface-- I come from an instinctive blues player's perspective, though steeped in European classical music by my Danish parents during my childhood.  

In blues, as in almost all music, time is important. Time-- when do you start a note?  And, just as important, when do you end it?  

If you are playing a rapid run, the answer is easy-- you end the note quickly enough to let the next note sound. You have no choice but to move on to the next note.  But, if you are playing a slower passage, you have many choices-- let a note die gradually (fade), let it end just before the next note sounds (common), or make it end at some point before the next note sounds (not so common).  

I love using the third choice-- ending the note early, and using the silence that follows as its own note; especially in medium tempo songs.

The reason I responded to this message-- I think many harmonica players (many other musicians, really) don't think enough about when to end a note, or, indeed, the very idea of ending a note other than just before the next one.  

You can add power to your music by being aware of and incorporating the technique of "biting off the notes" every time you play. Doesn't mean you use it all the time; use it when appropriate.

As I was writing this, I picked up a harmonica and played it to help me remember and describe how I execute this technique.  As a lip purser, I can report that I bite off the note, or cut it off, by putting the top front of my tongue against my upper teeth, thus cutting off the sound.  That is how I do it when I want precision.  I also do it, in a less precise way, by stopping the motion of my diaphragm in a timed fashion, up or down.

If I missed you'all doing that very thing (biting off your notes) regularly, please accept my apologies.

Cheers,

wolf kristiansen


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