[Harp-L] Re: in praise of noodling (was mistakes in practice)

[Doug Schroer <dougharps@xxxxxxxxx>]

Richard and Paul, I also agree, and praise "noodling".

But I bet that you didn't just "noodle".  I bet you sounded out melodies
and taught yourself songs.  I bet you heard harmonica techniques on
recordings and tried to copy them.  I bet you tried to copy other
instruments' melodic lines when playing songs.  I bet you read Harp-L and
other resources, and gleaned information to try out later.

That isn't just "noodling", that is ear training, learning the instrument,
learning songs, and following your own muse.  Self directed study...

Not all people learn best with structured lessons and specified goals.
When pressured to follow a dogmatic approach, many beginning musicians quit
their instruments.  You still play, so your approach worked.  Maybe you
would have been better with lessons, and maybe you would have quit due to
the extra stress.  But you still play and enjoy making music with
harmonica.

I didn't learn harmonica by taking lessons, though I sought information
when I wanted to learn something I was stuck on.  I learned to hear and
play melodies and to follow chord changes through listening, playing, and
noodling.  I learned a lot of theory on the list and other sites on the
internet.

Later on (2008) I did learn basic overblow technique from two separate
short lessons and from lots of individual self directed practice and
struggle.  I am not against formal lessons, I just recognize that there are
many ways people learn, and not all involve the type of regularly scheduled
structured practice and scales that some are recommending for every
player.

Without a teacher you may learn things the wrong way.  But weren't many
techniques now in common use once considered the wrong way to play the
instrument?  If we are all supposed to learn the same prescribed way, why
do good players sound different and have idiosyncratic techniques and
styles?

Let's have fun and make music!

Doug S.