Chris L
107 posts
Mar 02, 2016
7:54 PM
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The “Summertime” self-test for intermediates:
I thought I would share this learning experience in case it is helpful to anyone else.
Today I had four hours travel time and decided to make use of it working on Summertime in 4th position. I had memorized the tabs for the upper octave, but didn’t have it shifted to muscle memory, so I figured I would spend some time tightening up what I had already learned and then transfer it to the lower octave. So I started (yes, it starts on the 5th, but still resolves in 4th position) roughly as follows:
+8+7/+8…./-8+7 -8+8+7/-6..+5/
+8+7/-8-8/+7-6+7-6+7/-7
+8+7/+8+8+8/-8+7-8+8+7/-6+5/+5
+6+5+6-6+7/+8-8+7/-6
(PS. credit for tab above -Tomlin Leckie)
Works out very sweetly! But of course you can only take so much upper octave tweeting on such a powerful bluesy melody, so once I had that flowing smoothly I set out to work out the lower octave. Which works out to:
+5+4/+5…/-4+4-4+4+5+4/-3”+2/
+5+4/-4-4/+4-3’’+4-3’’+4/-3
+5+4/+5+5+5/-4+4-4+4+5+4/-3’’+2/+2
+3+2+3-3’’+4/+5-4+4/-3’’
Now I thought I had my 3 draw bends down pretty well for the last few years, and routinely run scales including draw 3 whole step, but I have to say, when playing this beautiful melody, my -3” sounded like someone used a stethoscope to record a bad case of indigestion! Argh! Horror! I had been clearly tolerating and habituating atrocious bending technique that never struck me when using them as a passing note. But try resolving on one of those bends! After an hour reviewing everything I knew about bending and experimenting like crazy I am about half way to where I want to be.
Try it out! Hope you discover you need less remedial work than I discovered I do!
Last Edited by Chris L on Mar 02, 2016 8:04 PM
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indigo
231 posts
Mar 02, 2016
8:06 PM
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Another good test is to try"oh when the saints" in first position low octave.
In fact a lot of the simple tunes we all know are a good workout on bending in tune when
you try them like that.
Much better (and more interesting) than just playing a scale down that end.You can't fudge a bend in a 'tune'as opposed to a generic 12've bar.
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DannyRanch
70 posts
Mar 03, 2016
9:35 AM
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I try to play "Oh Susanna" in the 12 keys on the middle octave-upper using Bends, 4-5-6-7 OB.
It surely sound horrible on some of the keys but that is an incredible practice for intonation.
I don't overblow much but it forces you to work on your embouchure a lot so your bends get the benefits too
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Diggsblues
1979 posts
Mar 03, 2016
10:16 AM
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If you want practice in non blues bends I highly recommend the Charlie McCoy Books. Written for mostly C harp with lots of notes: A,G#,F# in the low end besides the usual bends.
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mr_so&so
1009 posts
Mar 03, 2016
10:39 AM
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Here's a "Throw-Back Thursday" link to some forum members playing Summertime for the Harpfriends Play-along Challenge #2 in 2010.
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