[Harp-L] Reply to, Video lesson series

[David M Scudamore <aroundtoithandyman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2011 07:04:31 -0800
From: John Frazer <harmonicajohns@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Video lesson series

I am starting a video lesson series. First lesson is here;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhoRhwVwp1c

Please check it out and comment with criticism and suggestions. If there are
any techniques or subjects you would like to see covered, let me know. I
appreciate the support of all the harp-lers over the years.

Most of you are probably beyond this lesson, but please take 6:40 and give
me your thoughts- here and/or on the youtube comments.


Plans for future lessons include:

Adjusting your rack for comfort
Circle of 5ths as it applies to positions
Some easy riffs
Scales, learn them love them
In a rut? Bust out!
Mic technique

Thanks for helping me out, harp-l friends.
Harmonica John Frazer

John, 
I liked your lesson. Your voice is easy on the ears, as is your 
harp. Good volume, great video. It is refreshing to see different angles
 instead of just a straight on Webcam. Pretty good length. More videos showing a  specific skill lesson beats a long video covering too many topics. Think of it  like a speech, begin, develop no more than 3 major points then summarize to finish. In other words, tell them what they will learn in the video and why they should want to learn it, teach it, then tell them what they learned and invite them to watch until they master that skill before watching the next lesson. Be sure to number your titles to 
make it easier to follow in order. These YouTube lessons have a very 
long shelf life.

This lesson is aimed low because of the "how to 
hold the harp" segment, therefore, I would have expected you to point 
out the F key Lee Oscar, and since the video shows the cross key, C, you
 might explain that. You then change to an unidentified Hohner.

If
 it is your plan to educated beginners in a series, then more expected 
might be "how to chose a harp" instead of the reed demo. What key your 
lesson is in should consistently be in the key you ask your "students" 
to use in following along. They won't own all keys yet. Loved the Boogie and scale combo, teaching 
rhythm, but you should identify the holes you used in the upper 
register. If they don't know how to hold it, they don't know how to get a
 scale. Then you should emphasis the Boogie as an exercise to practice 
timing, chords and single notes.

Simple diaphragm breathing, more exercises in single note and chord
skills, simple tunes might come before riffs. Chord and note identification and I, IV, V before the circle
 of 5ths. Most will want to master first and or second position before moving on. Rack usually means another instrument, most often a guitar. 
Are you going to teach self accompaniment? I guess my thoughts deal with
 a beginner series since you start on harp holding.

If that is 
not the series you have in mind, then as the audience skill level you 
address changes from "how to hold the harp" to a more advanced level in 
need of "breaking out of a rut", you need to title the YouTube video for
 that audience. Now we don't have a "series" as you described, we have 
random video for a variety of skill level players. That kind of skipping around in player level would make it difficult to follow. Beginners will abandon you if you go too far afield, like the rut breaking. Unless you want to do simultaneous series for each skill level with distinctive titles, the very nature of a series suggests that the viewer of the "how to hold a harp" segment can build skills as the series progresses.
 
Hope that feedback helps. Just my random thoughts.

Dave