Re: [Harp-L] Getting back to harmonica (Rhythm harp playing from a drum primer)

[chuck maguire <ctm_v@xxxxxxxxx>]

David, thanks. I have my first snare drum lesson tomorrow and you advice will help translate it to the harp.
 
Again thanks
 
Chuck


________________________________
From: David Michelsen Tuition <dmharpman@xxxxxxxxx>
To: philharpn@xxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Getting back to harmonica (Rhythm harp playing from a drum primer)

Hi
I have been recommending that students use the Buddy Rich's  'Snare Drum Rudiments' as a rhythm primer for the harp for some 18 years now.
Though I'm sure that other drum primers would be just as good.

However the relevance of keeping it all on one drum head, is that it stops one becoming entwined in areas of drumming technique that don't translate in to a binary (two part) rhythm generation, like when to hit what drums and hand/foot combination's.

To apply it to the mouth take the part of the front of the tongue that makes the 'Ti' sound as the right hand stick and the part of the tongue
that makes the 'Ka', back of tongue, as the left hand stick.

Use the chord that is sounded when playing holes 1 to 4 inclusive for the basic start on these rhythm exercises as in this way you can get the tongue part of rhythm production squared away before you apply it to melody. As a moments thought will show if you try and incorporate melody right from the start you are giving your self too much to trip up on. Small sure steps make for easier learning.

Now you divide all mouth sounds along the front of and back of tongue axis into a right stick  / left stick translation. this allows triple forms such as 'Di-ga-de', 'Ti-ka-ti'. This also allows you to give a natural placement of an accent by the use of capitalization within the phonetic rhythm patten.

Many folks don't understand that when you use a metronome you know that you are in time when you can't hear it, for this reason I encourage students to develop their own rhythm sense. If you hear the click, your sense is either behind or ahead of the beat. Though a metronome can be most useful for determining your beats per minute (BPM). Alexis Korner used to have a pocked metronome which looked like a pocket watch and it used to make a click that you could feel when you held it in your pocket.

I hope this sheds some light on this area .
yours - David




On 28/09/2011 16:43, philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Does anybody know of a good video (DVD) that explains it all -- something on the order of explaining the beat for beginning drummers and non-drummers.
> 
> I don't want to learn to drum, I just want a quick and dirty rundown on the rudiments.
> 
> 
> Also, anybody got a lead on a good drum machine with a variety of beats. I have metronomes -- but I would prefer some pre-set beats that go beyond clicking quarter notes.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elizabeth Hess<TrackHarpL@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: harp-l<harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wed, Sep 28, 2011 5:58 am
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Getting back to harmonica
> 
> 
> I looked at a lot of books on drum rudiments last year when I was
> working on rhythm stuff.  The classic one that everyone recommends is
> "Stick Control for the Snare Drummer", by George Lawrence Stone.
> 
> For practicing harp, of course.  :-)
> 
> Elizabeth
> 
> 
> On Sep 28, 2011, at 9:24 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
>> From: "Rick Dempster"<rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Date: September 27, 2011 7:50:28 PM EDT
>> To:<ctm_v@xxxxxxxxx>
>> Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Getting back to harmonica
>> 
>> 
>> Chuck;
>> <snip>
>>          Grab a book on drum rudiments, and learn 'em with your bare
>> hands; then transfer to your breath/instrument.
>> Hope this helps,
>> RD
> 
> 
> 

-- D Priestley AKA Dr Midnight.
England's first  harmonica Guru.

Please send some reply, so I know you got this E-mail.

I hope this info helps, do feel free get in touch.
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