[Harp-L] Transposing instruments? (and maybe about 'harp tab')

["Aongus MacCana" <amaccana@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Rob Paparozzi's recent post caused me to think about this subject and to
wonder if I am the only guy on this list who finds harp tab virtually
useless. What little music I have learned has been totally by ear and when
making a meal of the tin sandwich "blow 4 draw 3" makes about as much sense
to me as saying "salami and cucumber". For a start with the device in your
gob who knows where the heck hole 4 is? 

Mind you, when I do get the hole and direction of the first note of a tune,
my 'automatic pilot' does seem to be able to know where to go from there.

I have come to the conclusion, that even at my advanced years the only
viable solution to reading music is to get seriously into the five lines and
the four spaces as recommended by all you professional know-alls.

A YouTube video of an interview with Howard Levy lit a light bulb for me. He
said that he started with the piano, which gave him a fix on where all the
notes were and that he still visualises the piano keyboard when playing
music on other instruments.

In the spirit of "Reverse Engineering" I decided to take a page out of
Howard Levy's book and invest in an electronic keyboard. I have no
aspirations to become a piano player, but now on my daily constitutional I
occupy my mind by visualising reading the G and F clef and picking out two
octaves of the C scale on each of them using the appropriate hands. When I
am able to apply this practice - physically - to the actual keyboard and to
pick out (not play fluently) a reel from O'Neill's collection, I will regard
myself as having achieved "lift off". No doubt I shall find myself unable to
restrain myself from letting you guys know all about it and I will depend on
my trusty "automatic pilot" to transfer the tune from keyboard to harmonica.

Beannachtai

Aongus Mac Cana