I'm a noob; been playing for about 2 or possibly 3 weeks.
I started out blowing "oh when the saints..." but decided that I'd like to really be better than that. I have no aspirations about "playing out" but I do want to be able to sit on the porch and play blues and accompany family members who want to sing around a camp fire.
I quickly realized that all these bends are actual notes that need to be dealt with...I couldn't just "fake them" in passing. So...I decided that instead of just noodling all of the time, I'd set a goal to learn how to control the bends and hit real notes and not just smear into a fakie...
I'm doing well (for a noob) with the draw 4, draw 2, draw 1 for the most part but that draw 3? Holy cow...I couldn't even hardly get it to move on my C harp! It was like pulling a cart that was too heavy...it just almost wouldn't budge!
So...I stumbled on a Ronnie Shellist video (I think it was him) where he talks about playing songs that FORCE you to deal with the draw 3 as a part of the music, so I'm messing with "Amazing Grace" and hitting the draw 3 is a real problem...
Can you listen to what I've got and possibly from the sound tell me how I can improve it? OR is is just a matter of practice and repetition?
Here is the link to my dropbox folder with the mp3.
ANY pointers would be appreciated. I know that I've got a LOT of work to do, just hitting single notes isn't a slam dunk...lol..
I see you participated in the thread entitled "Big Bends," so I won't go over any of that.
If you've been playing only a few weeks, you're doing quite well, I think, and it's good that you have concrete goals in mind. You might want to start keeping a journal outlining your goals and progress. I find it useful. When I think I've been playing "the same" for a year or so, I go back and look at my journal, and my progress is demonstrated.
If you stick with the harp, you will find that you will be practicing bends for years....unless you die. First you have to be able to "hit" them. Then you have to work on the intonation. Then you want to be able to hit a specific note in a vacuum without bouncing into it. For example, if someone (a teacher, perhaps) tells you to hit the three half-step bend, you want to be able to do that without hitting the straight three for a reference point.
Oh...once you become fairly proficient on your bends on your C harp, don't be surprised to find the same bends to be a little more difficult, or at least different, on, say, a G harp.
Yes, it's hard to imagine. I started out on chromatic harp, so all the notes were "there," although the sound I wanted wasn't there. When I switched to the 10-hole diatonic, I got so exasperated trying to hit the 2-hole full-step bend that I filed the 2-blow reed to get the note I wanted. That's right. I said it. Sometimes you need that note as a passing tone and you want it to sound qualitatively like the notes around it. Sometimes you want that broad, bent-note sound. You will find that playing the harp is a game of nuances, seemingly endless nuances that punctuate and enhance your playing.
Last Edited by FMWoodeye on Jun 22, 2013 6:54 AM
You are doing great! Those bastard bends on three draw need to be met with patience and diligence... I still squawk like a duck some(most)times.
Amazing graze is a great tune. So is "When the saint" if you play it in second position starting on 2 draw. Any and all major pentatonic (amazing graze, old man river, so on)songs can be played in second and give you a chance to practise that three hole, whole step bend.
Here's my latest recording of amazing graze btw. Keep recording and you can go back and check your progress later
3 weeks? You're doing fine for a newb. Just keep practicing, and check Adam's tutorial on bending the three draw.
By the way, check out Shrimp City Slim's version of the song for some inspiration. ---------- Lucky Lester
Last Edited by didjcripey on Jun 22, 2013 2:32 PM
Yes I'd agree you're sounding good for 2/3 weeks - many people are struggling with single notes at that stage, let alone bends.
+1 for Adam's tutorial, and it's great that a beginner harp player is focusing on one of the more challenging aspects of harp playing - for cross harp blues that's where a lot of the magic is.
Myself included a lot of advanced beginner and intermediate players have avoided mastering the 3 draw bends - I wish someone had told me to focus on them many years ago!
