Re: [Harp-L] students & motivation

Elizabeth Hess <TrackHarpL@xxxxxxxxxxxx> · Sat, 26 Mar 2011 07:37:47 -0400

Here are two exercises that I learned from RJ Harman that helped me a  
great deal.
The first is called "bend dropping", and is for accuracy of pitch.   
I'll give the notes as if on a C harp, to sidestep tab issues.
|:  repeat what's between these two symbols  :|

|:  D  C#  D  C  :|    D  C#  D  <starting on hole 1>
|:  G  F#  G  F  G  E  G  F  :|  G  F#  G  <starting on 2-draw>
|:  B  Bb  B  A  B  Ab  B  G  B  Ab  B  A  :|  B  Bb  B  <starting on  
3-draw>
|:  D  C#  D  C  :|    D  C#  D   <starting on hole 4>
|:  A  Ab  A  G  :|  A  Ab  A  <starting on hole 6>
As beginner students, we work  *so hard* to get those bends, we become  
rather loathe to give up that embouchure once we get it, and the  
unbent notes often come out sounding a bit flat.  This exercise  
teaches the necessary muscle relaxation in parallel with and in  
contrast to the necessary muscle tension.

A second exercise is called "bend swooping", and its objective is to  
develop both embouchure strength and control.
For each hole that has a draw bend, start with the note unbent,   
*slowly and smoothly* bend it down as far as you can, and *slowly and  
smoothly*  bring it back up to unbent, again.  Sometimes there's a  
"dead spot".  (For me it was always at the very highest part of 3-draw- 
bend.)  Encourage your students to linger there and explore that spot  
(Effortless Mastery, anyone?), because that's where a good part of the  
work is.   Do NOT worry about pitch accuracy on this one.  (The  
pressure's off!)  It's just for building muscle strength and control.   
The more you do it, the stronger the muscles get, and the slower you  
do it, the more control you have.  The more strength and control you  
have, the better you can bend to pitch when that's the objective.
When you master these with the pucker embouchure, try them tongue- 
blocked (or vice versa).

I still return to these exercises from time to time.  Sometimes to  
check myself, and sometimes to put a new harp through it's paces and  
get to know its idiosyncrasies.
Elizabeth (aka "Tin Lizzie")

On Mar 25, 2011, at 8:23 PM, David Michelsen Tuition wrote:
From: David Michelsen Tuition <dmharpman@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thu, Mar 24, 2011 9:39 am
Subject: [Harp-L] students & motivation

  Would those of you who teach like to share what strategies you use  
to

help students keep motivated in the often dispiriting period when they

learn to bend notes. Also how to keep up the motivation in that time

when they are learning to keep the three  bends on three & the two  
bends

on draw two play in tune.

I recommend to all my students that they use a chromatic tuner to help

them to tune their ears & bends in. David