elmocamboharp
1 post
Mar 07, 2014
3:35 PM
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Hello everybody, this is my first post, and I´m writing to ask for help.
I have a student that can play many songs in first position (oh suzanna, aud lane syne, popey theme song, happy birthday etc.) He started to do some bends on the first hole, and also the second hole, wich he can bend almost perfectly (C HARP). What happens is that I´ve been trying to teach him some basic blues riffs for almost 4 weeks, and he CAN NOT bend the 4 hole a full semitone!!! I´ve tried everything: asked him to sing the note, showed him dozens of exemples of bend mechanics (even the paper work of magnetic resonance study by David Barret). I don´t know what to do anymore!
I´ve started to think that "I´M" the problem, because I have another student that is experiencing the same problem.
Need Help!
Thanks from Brazil.
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Udderkuz03
46 posts
Mar 07, 2014
4:53 PM
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If you use a microphone and amp, use an octaver or something like one along with some overdrive or gain..it gives the sound "room" or a fluid feel that makes the bent note come easily...before you know it you don't need to use that trainer you just do it automatically.
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gene
1159 posts
Mar 07, 2014
5:05 PM
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Ask him to slowly articulate the word "you" as he draws until he finds that "sweet spot", and then remember that sweet spot so he can go right to it.
(I got that tip from a David Barrett book or DVD or sumthin'.)
Last Edited by gene on Mar 07, 2014 5:08 PM
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Jehosaphat
707 posts
Mar 07, 2014
6:27 PM
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Have you tried him on a different Key harp?
Sometimes people have trouble getting bends on different keys.
Often it can be something to do with their natural resonance.
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MindTheGap
324 posts
Mar 07, 2014
11:35 PM
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Seconding Jehosaphat's point, my own teacher mentioned that, of his various students, some found lower key harps easier to bend, others higher keys. He made a chart to categorise them.
I'm no teacher of course but the received wisdom was that the 4D bend was the easiest one to start with, and 1D was one of the harder ones. On the basis that he can do the low 'hard' ones, maybe try a lower key e.g. G?
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MTG
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Michael Rubin
857 posts
Mar 09, 2014
8:36 AM
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I believe it is genetic. 70% percent of my student can bend 1, 4 and 5 easily. 30% percent can bend 2 and 3 easily. The opposite holes are hard. 6 is hard for almost everyone.
Keep at it, he'll get it. I like trying other harps.
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Philosofy
519 posts
Mar 09, 2014
10:33 AM
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I don't know if this will work for everyone else, but my problem getting a bend was that my nasal cavity wasn't closed off. I could try and try, and not get a bend, but when I pinched off my nose it came through clear as day. So my problem wasn't with the tongue, but learning to close off my nose.
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The Iceman
1514 posts
Mar 09, 2014
10:33 AM
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Perhaps your student is focusing his attention too far down the back of the mouth cavity.
Sometimes refocusing towards the "K" spot helps.
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The Iceman
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Milsson
114 posts
Mar 09, 2014
11:23 AM
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Iceman is probably right. He is over shooting the bend and need to use a smaller cavity in his mouth.
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Jim Rumbaugh
968 posts
Mar 09, 2014
7:45 PM
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Geeees
I was going to say just the opposite.....
I kinda agree with Iceman about the K spot (I never that term, but I know what he means)
I was going to say put the tongue back as deep in the throat as you can and bend from there.
When I was starting out, my bends were toward the front of the mouth. I would describe my bends as changing the tongue from YEE to YAW, or similar to YOU as Gene said. But now I say the tongue does not need to be close to the top front of the mouth, but it does need to be tight (??) against the back of the throat. At least that's how I make a bend when tongue blocking.
When I lip purse/block I can make a large cavity and bend from the back of the mouth (close to the throat)
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theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by Jim Rumbaugh on Mar 09, 2014 7:48 PM
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elmocamboharp
2 posts
Mar 10, 2014
6:33 PM
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Thank you very much everybody!
Thank you VERY MUCH!!
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