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What Are You Workin' On?
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Killa_Hertz
358 posts
Jan 26, 2016
2:40 PM
I thought it might be interesting to start a thread where you can put what your working on or practicing. And we can all kinda keep it up to date with what we are currently focused on and where we re at. Even if they re just ideas of something you want to do or are thinking of starting.

Raw Begginers should post aswell and we could maybe give advice if needed. Idk. It may be a dumb idea, but i thought it may help push everybody along a little better. Also give people ideas they may have never thought of. Kind of like the virtual woodshed without the sound files perhaps. I'm not sure, but we ll see where it goes if it works out or if anybody's even into it.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
garry
623 posts
Jan 26, 2016
2:42 PM
Brubeck's Take 5.

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harmonicanick
2355 posts
Jan 26, 2016
2:51 PM
Anything by Nick Drake
Philosofy
732 posts
Jan 26, 2016
3:11 PM
I was asked to learn the flute part of "Heard It In A Love Song" by Marshall Tucker. I'm trying to decide whether to do it in first or second position. (I've had good luck with flute parts in first position in the past.)
Killa_Hertz
359 posts
Jan 26, 2016
3:13 PM
During the blizzard on Friday I was sitting in my car waiting for my girl to get off work. I was listening to the "Til Then" album by Ronnie Shellist. Idk why but sometimes i get in these modes where i can just play what i hear without much thought. So while listening to Knockin,the first track on the album, the first solo came up and i just started hittin it. Atleast the beginning of it. It was sloppy, but not bad considering.

So that got me kinda stuck ... listening to it piece by piece and rewinding it until i figured out a piece. Then ide move on and figure out another piece and move on. Until i pretty much had the whole thing. Now i don't have it down pat .... not by a long shot, but i figured out the patterns of each part. So for the last few days I've been rewinding and practicing it trying to get it down.


It's pretty cool because you hear the older guys talk about having to do this before youtube n yada yada ... Uphill both ways .... lol ... just kidding ol timers. But it's the first song i actually learned this way and it feels alot better than being taught how to play it by a youtube video.

Also I love Ronnies playing style. As Ive said recently Ive been working on my TB, trying to get more efficient with it. And Ronnies Style kinda ties in with that. Because,for those of you who don't know, he plays pucker on holes 123 and he TB 4-10, but he does all bends Pucker. I have been wanting to learn how he does this. The transitions can be a lil funny. So what better way than to play his songs. While playing Ronnies songs you can see how his playing style effects his note choices. Because of the way your mouth is already positioned, notes that may have been hard to play normally are now right where you want them. And you can switch from TB to pucker or visa versa and make jump around much better than normal. It's pretty cool. I know alot of you know this already, but im just gettin it so SHUT UP! ....... 8^)>

Anyways that's where I'm at right now.

The solo I'm taking about is at 1:14 or so. Til Then ... Kockin' ... 1:14 ... Peep It.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."

Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Jan 26, 2016 3:14 PM
Killa_Hertz
360 posts
Jan 26, 2016
3:21 PM
Flute part interesting. I just listened to it and my first impression is Definitely 1st position. It seems like very single note melodic. Should be cool though.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Gnarly
1621 posts
Jan 26, 2016
3:49 PM
Definitely first position – – there is a major seventh in it!
I edited for spelling, and then the post disappeared--will this save it?

Last Edited by Gnarly on Jan 26, 2016 3:51 PM
DannyRanch
61 posts
Jan 26, 2016
4:09 PM
Right now I'm working with a local ska, rocksteady and reggae roots band with their debut album.

It has been a huge challenge applying the harp to those riddims, I take a lot of ideas from this forum and I have been studying a lot Dave Barret's accompaniment and improvisation books.

Every gig we do is great and I see my playing getting better every time with new ideas as well.

So its about studying all the time!
slaphappy
162 posts
Jan 26, 2016
4:11 PM
Quarter to Twelve, Boogie, Fast Boogie, Blue Lights.

The ghost of Little Walter haunts my practice room right now.

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4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!

Last Edited by slaphappy on Jan 26, 2016 4:12 PM
JInx
1153 posts
Jan 26, 2016
4:25 PM
The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
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Killa_Hertz
361 posts
Jan 26, 2016
5:03 PM
Danny ide like to hear some of that one you get it ironed out. Sounds interesting.

Slap happy ... LW haunts us all i think. Lol.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
nacoran
8906 posts
Jan 26, 2016
6:04 PM
I'm trying to combine a few riffs into a couple new songs but I'm not sure I have enough variations worked up.

I've also been trying to pick off the melodies for some pop hits just to have a little something to whip out at open mics.

I am also trying to think up a system to help me remember whole songs. I've got tons of songs I can play along with, either playing the melody or jamming something, but I can't do them without the music playing. It doesn't seem to be riff retention, but rather verse retention. I can remember a riff/musical thought, but have a much harder time (especially if I'm not singing) remembering how many times to do each riff. (And when I am singing, I tend to get the verses out of order unless the song has a very strict story progression.)

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Nate
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Mirco
371 posts
Jan 26, 2016
11:18 PM
"The Tub", David Barrett
"I'm In Love with My Baby", Aki Kumar
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
Blowhead9
46 posts
Jan 27, 2016
5:57 AM
A lot of stuff, but an hour or so a day I've been trying to get the b3rd to pop out from the 6 blow. Yes, trying to overblow. With no success. I can choke the blow reed but nothing comes out, not even a squeak.
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
SteveTech
38 posts
Jan 27, 2016
6:58 AM
David Barrett's level of achievement 8.

Also Barrett's "Quiet World" solo study, and "The Big One" on chromatic.

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-Steve
snowman
127 posts
Jan 27, 2016
7:08 AM
blow head have u taken the cover plates off-put finger on blow 6--then blow -if draw reed doesnt pop out with ob, then u need to push it in a little-)---Im workin on pat ramsy stuff and one drill [toungue block (syncopating chords over single notes), pre bent-----holes 3 n 4] d4 is easy but weak. d3 is harder
Killa_Hertz
362 posts
Jan 27, 2016
7:23 AM
Nacoran .... it Is tough to play without the music some times. do you mean without the music with harp parts to follow along with? Or just backround music in general? I find thats what i have to do at first, have the actual harp parts playing, but I can play them by themselves after a bit. i don't know tons of songs. So the ones i do know i have down pretty well. I imagine the more you know, the more they may run together.

Like you, I also have a bunch of great licks ive come up with. I record licks on my phone as i come up with them because I forget them in a matter of minutes. I have an ever-changing "song" that sort of runs them all together. I'm always adding new parts and nuances, and changing the order of the different parts trying to see if they sound better one way or another. It's pretty cool once you get a good long run thats all yours. Ofcourse alot of it is most likely subconsciously plagiarised, lol. Atleast a little bit

I have a good new lick/rythm that came out while practicing. Is very much Bob Corritore (been listening to Taboo alot lately) but it doesn't really fit in with my other stuff. So it has kind of sparked a whole new run/"song" based off of it. It feels pretty cool to come up with your own stuff. I'm just getting to the level where i can produce through the harp whats in my head.

Blowhead can you OB any other holes? Or are you just having trouble with the 6?
I don't use OB ,:but i can play them a bit. OB is still a little ahead of where I'm at, so i chose not to complicate things.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Littoral
1357 posts
Jan 27, 2016
7:25 AM
Soldiers Joy, damn it.
Killa: your enthusiasm is appreciated. Quoting you: "...Because,for those of you who don't know, he plays pucker on holes 123 and he TB 4-10, but he does all bends Pucker."
Don't do it! I'd wager Ronnie would agree that you shouldn't limit TB to 4-10. He says he likes how TB tempers the brightness of the high end and that's true. It's also faster to jump spaces between holes TB than pucker and that definitely helps transitioning to the upper half. I played the majority of my bends as a pucker for many years and added a lot of TB as well, but not for bends. I read here that a lot of people were also TB bending so I started working on it. The results were gruesome for awhile but now I play the majority of the draw bends TB and they're easier, quicker. I'll also say the tone IS better but that's no where near to consensus around here. If you are developing TB I strongly suggest that you keep the bottom half options in mind. It's magic.
kham
53 posts
Jan 27, 2016
8:46 AM
Eyesight to the blind and leapfrog exercises for the major pentatonic. I kinda feel like the scale exercises will just one day click and the importance of them and practice will be clear. Then I'll start full time gigging, full time farming and full time parenting whilst having free time for my spouse and other extra curricular activities. Yeah that's what I'm talking about!
LittleBubba
326 posts
Jan 27, 2016
8:47 AM
I'm just starting to work on jugband style harp. 3 guys in our band are starting a side project with guitar, harp, tub bass and washboard perc. I haven't played jugband music since the early 70's and I'm tryin' to find my old techniques. It's mainly 1st and 2nd position, but there's some chuckin', and quite often there's playin' constantly with the vocals.. almost noodling in a way; that takes some adjustment. Alot of the crossharp techniques still work though, except you're playin' a more acoustic style. I'm plannin' on doing alotta listening to music, and pullin' out my Sonny Terry stuff and Koerner,Ray & Glover's hollers & rags stuff. Anybody out there playin' jugband stuff who can steer me additionally ?

Last Edited by LittleBubba on Jan 27, 2016 8:49 AM
Blowhead9
47 posts
Jan 27, 2016
9:20 AM
Killa and Littoral, I'm working on getting an overblow on the 6 because I've read or heard somehere that it's the easiest one to get and maybe the most useful. I've been to overblow.com and tried some of things they recommend but don't remember every blocking the blow reed. Have tried various gaps on the draw reed. Any suggestions highly appreciated.
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
Killa_Hertz
363 posts
Jan 27, 2016
9:20 AM
Littoral .. i actually find the 3 draw to be easy to TB, so i will TB it aswell. But not 1 or 2 they are a little more difficult. I still play pucker throughout the whole harp for my faster heavier runs as I'm not that good at TB yet. But i have been playing octaves/splits and fluters, different effects, etc. TB for a while now so it wasn't all new. But nailing the single notes is a lil tougher. Especially playing them fast for runs. I haven't ruled out bending TB, but for now atleast, i feel like ronnies style is a good way to blend the two together and advance forward. I may very well continue to modify it, but hey if it works for him and he sound as good as he does. That's good enough for me.

But thanks for the advice Ill keep it in mind.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Killa_Hertz
364 posts
Jan 27, 2016
9:33 AM
To get an overblow try bending the draw note, then reversing the flow of air and blowing. The hard part is that you think you are keeping everything the same, but actually your throat wants to change and other things slightly change and that's how you loose it. Try it on all the holes. I think you should really pay attention and analyze how everything feels during a draw bend on 6. And what had changed when you switch to blow.

Your gaps are important also. That's why i say try other holes. Likely one of them have correct gapping. My low harps are really easy to OB on the middle and upper octave. Maybe try different key harps. It's like bending, once you get it once you know what it feels like. Then your good and just need practice.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."

Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Jan 27, 2016 9:37 AM
Blowhead9
48 posts
Jan 27, 2016
9:43 AM
OK, Killa, thanks. I'll try those ideas, and keep plugging. I've been using mostly a C GM to try that, because I don't care if it's ruined. Maybe will try on a G and other holes, as you suggested. Thanks again!
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
Buzadero
1273 posts
Jan 27, 2016
12:25 PM
Juggling.


Parlor tricks to the layman, but Harpafarians should recognize it for what it is.

I've been trying to hold three harps in the traditional stage-stack (all at the same time vs picking them up and setting them down), and move as quickly (and, more critically seamlessly) between them in the same key, but in 1st, 2nd and 3rd to play along.

Obviously, certain simple melodies are much easier than more complex lines, especially when overblows have to happen on more than one harp.

I'll admit it, it's tough. As much a brain and mindset exercise as it is a mechanical contortion.

That's it. Just trying to entertain myself.



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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
MBH poster since 11Nov2008
Killa_Hertz
368 posts
Jan 27, 2016
12:56 PM
That's pretty cool. Lol. Ive messed around before with two harps. But actually getting good with three.....that i wanna see. ...lol
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
RyanMortos
1524 posts
Jan 27, 2016
4:38 PM
-First 12 bars of Chicago City by George Harmonica Smith on
Chromatix

- An Irish song called The Irish Copperplate on diatonic

-Minor arpeggios on Chromatix.

- Playing all bends & overbends up & down diatonic.

- Playing major & minor pentatonic every which way but loose.

-First 24 bars of Blowing the Family Jewels by William Clarke on diatonic.

And a bunch of other stuff.

Thanks to Michael Rubin for guidance & tutelage .
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RyanMortosHarmonica

~Ryan

See My Profile for contact info, etc.

Martin
957 posts
Jan 27, 2016
5:36 PM
I´ve been working on getting better.
nacoran
8911 posts
Jan 27, 2016
5:58 PM
Killa, with or without music. I'm a little better with music playing, especially if there are changes to listen for, but I'd say about 80% of my playing is me working on songs without backing. Some of that is just suddenly thinking of a song I remember from my youth and trying to get the melody down on harp, and some of it is trying to come up with melodies for originals. I think maybe what I need to do is actually make a songbook where I at least list the key, position and the verse/chorus structure. Part of that is a lot of what I'm doing is bluesy but not actually blues with a 12 bar structure. There is still a disconnect in my playing between the theory I know and the playing I do mostly by ear. I know, for instance, that most pop uses a 4 chord progression, but when I'm playing along I'm doing it mostly by listening for the changes rather than counting for them.

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Nate
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Fishlips
44 posts
Jan 27, 2016
10:13 PM
Gettin' Out of Town-- Rick Estrin

Ain't Going Back-- Grant Dermody

Going Steady-- William Clarke
mr_so&so
992 posts
Jan 28, 2016
10:33 AM
I'm working on how to play a chromatic. I can play a bunch of simple songs by ear in a few different positions, but I'm really just figuring the thing out at this point.

On diatonic, I'm still working on putting together some just-me-and-my-harp repertoire, that is, front porch material.
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mr_so&so
Killa_Hertz
377 posts
Jan 28, 2016
6:20 PM
So n so. .. I really would like to learn chromatic. I've seen some pretty killer things done on chromatic. But im elbows deep in Distonic right now. Lol.

Nacoran instead of writing it down, have you tried recording? I just use the recorder on my phone. I find when i write things down or try to play from tabs is tough without the feel. With the recording its no question. Also i usually remember the hole pattern i was doing, but just can't remember the beat or the feel. It's like whatever beat is in my head is just stuck there until i hear the recording. Then I'm back to where i was when i left off with that piece.

I play similar to bite you do. I just play to myself mostly. Unless I'm trying to learn a specific song. Although i find playing along with songs every once in a while helps drag you out of a loop you may be stuck in. Just playing the same type things over again.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."

Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Jan 28, 2016 6:23 PM
jbone
2144 posts
Feb 03, 2016
3:56 AM
We are writing stuff for the next Cd. Among the new stuff is a jazzy number where she sings and plays rhythm guitar and i will do accents and fills on both harp and slide guitar. My idea even though I don't play guitar-yet! It will be pretty basic. She wrote lyrics.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
Killa_Hertz
417 posts
Feb 03, 2016
3:11 PM
That's what's up. You say new CD. Can i check out the old one somewhere?

Post one of the new tracks when you lay em Down. I wanna check it out.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Michael Rubin
1104 posts
Feb 04, 2016
4:27 AM
Chord harp rhythms. A Johnny Hodges' Jeep's Blues solo in all 12 keys on both chrome and diatonic.
nowmon
53 posts
Feb 04, 2016
8:00 AM
mouth and teeth and tongue shapes to see what brings out overtones,the difference between a thin note and a fat note with overtones that honk...Also- rahsaan roland kirk,Serenade to a cuckoo...I learned how to blow/draw a long note from RRK.and become aware of the other notes in the note played,another attack...

Last Edited by nowmon on Feb 05, 2016 4:38 AM


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