Re: [Harp-L] A fun but humbling studio session

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Robert Loomis wrote:
<...It's time to get some more
<practice and  instruction in both playing AND in recording. The local
<community college may be helpful with the latter. 

Robert, I strongly recommend that you take out a subscription to Computer Music magazine (www.computermusic.co.uk).  I had a subscription to that mag for 3 years, and it DRAMATICALLY improved the quality of my recordings and mixes.  It's not cheap as mags go at about $15 per issue in the USA, but it's much less expensive than a computer college course, and every issue includes lavishly illustrated tutorials that walk you through the process of recording and mixing songs in various styles.  You also get a tremendous amount of useful software tools on the DVD that ships with every issue.  For a beginner, it's the best instruction available short of a full time recording course, and since it comes with a toolbox you can be up and running with a computer-based studio within an hour of acquiring your first issue.

Regarding getting more practice, I recommend that you do what I advise all of my students to do: put a harp in your pocket, carry it everywhere you go, and play it whenever you have the chance.  Most people can easily get in 20-30 minutes a day just doing that.

regards, Richard Hunter
 

author, "Jazz Harp" 
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