Re: [Harp-L] Trills, warbles, shakes, and shimmers - definitions

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

OK, here goes.

===TRILL


Trill is a musical term, not a harmonica term. Unfortunately, harmonica players often misuse it and make themselves look ignorant to other musicians.

A trill is a rapid alternation between two neighboring notes in the scale, either a semitone or a whole tone apart. The two notes create a dissonance, which creates tension. You resolve the tension by ending on one of the two notes.

A trill is NOT alternating any two adjacent blow or draw notes on a harmonica. Most of these are not dissonant, and therefore are not trills. The exception is Draw 6-7 on a diatonic (the notes A and B on a C harp), or, on a chromatic Draw 3-4, or 7-8, or 11-12 9also notes A and B on a C chromatic).

===WARBLE (aka SHAKE)

A shake is a rapid alternation of any two notes that aren't neighboring scale notes (i.e. not a trill). On the harmonica, you do a shake or warble (or, to use Little Walter's term, a "quiver") by rapidly alternating between two adjacent holes on a single inhaled or exhaled breath.

===SHIMMER

I invented this term about 20 years ago to describe rapidly alternating two notes NOT in neighboring holes on a harmonica. You do this by blocking out the intervening holes with your tongue and then nudging it from side to side to alternately block the holes in the right and left corners of your mouth to rapidly alternate between the two notes.

Winslow

 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Steve Webb <swebb@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2012 8:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Trill on OB 5/blow 6
 
Can somebody explain better to me the differences between shakes and warbles and shimmers and trills? Not sure everyone is using the same terminology how I understand it.
Steve in Minn.