Re: [Harp-L] Critical Harmonica Mistakes

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Not trying to play a chromatic as well. Once you've played a Richter diatonic for 20 years, it's hard. They're all harmonicas. George Miklas, for instance, can pick up a harmonica in any form - bass, chord, chromatic, diatonic, whatever - and play it. That's real handy for varying your stuff. 

 
David Payne
www.elkriverharmonicas.com


Elk River Harmonicas Forum now available via Iphone app, www.elkriverharmonicas.com/forum


________________________________
 From: Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Chuck Linville <linvillec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 12:53 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Critical Harmonica Mistakes
 

On Jun 4, 2012, at 9:28 AM, Chuck Linville wrote:

> Hi All, Someone posted recently about the futility of practicing if you are doing the wrong things.

Right, I saw that. 

> So I thought I would throw out the question; what are some critical mistakes that people are prone to make on the harmonica when practicing? -chuck

It would probably be a chore to sit down and try to compile a definitive list of mistakes. Probably the best solution would be to listen to and watch someone
play, and catch the mistakes as they happen. Mistakes can be very subtle and cloaked. And that, in a nut shell, is why they occur. People aren't aware of them.

The two things that pop to my mind are: 1... It might be advantageous to get a teacher. 2 ... Failing that. it would be nice to have a real comprehensive lesson
plan, done by real people who really know what they're talking about. Just as Rubank, Belwyn, and others have done for 'established' instruments, and go from 
book #1, to book #2, and 3, and so forth, the same should be done for harmonica. And though we do have plans, they are disorganized and no 2 seem to be the 
same. 

With real plans, you don't immediately open the book and find a picture of someone, there is no mention of any names. They're just all meat. As Eli Wallach says 
in the movie 'The good, the bad, and the ugly', "If you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk". Lesson plans should leave out all the BS and concentrate on the subject 
at hand. This is what I see with plans from the major publishers. 

smo-joe