hot4blues
78 posts
Aug 12, 2017
8:47 PM
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I don't know if I'm the only one who has experienced this. I usually practice in the evenings. I was practicing some songs on my Blues Harp. After about a half hour to fourty five minutes, I moved into practicing with my chromatic. Within fifteenth minutes I suddenly played very sloppy. I don't know if it was due to practicing to the point of exhaustion, but it got me so mad, I just packed everything up and went to bed. And the strange thing is, this never happened before. Hopefully, it'll be the last.
Last Edited by hot4blues on Aug 12, 2017 8:58 PM
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jbone
2344 posts
Aug 12, 2017
10:25 PM
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You don't mention where you are on the continuum- pretty new? A year? A decade? If you're pretty new you have to train a whole set of muscles to do what it takes to play harp. Possibly what happened is some of those muscles fatigued.
You may want to practice for shorter times for a while.
I'm a long time player. Even after decades I have to know when to rest!
Imagine how many muscles you need to play a harp. Start with your diaphragm and move up. All the way to your lips and especially throat and tongue. Right there you have dozens of muscles you depend on.
I am not always the tightest player. I do manage to get through an evening's music pretty well most every time out. To me it's at least as important to have a good time as it is to be technically proficient.
So, I'd say practice less duration for a while until you get some muscle built. I'd also say just mess around with your harps and find out how many different sounds you can get. Be outrageous! Find the quietest you can play as well. Learn what these amazing instruments will do. If you take the long view you have YEARS to improve. Kick back and take your time.
It's a great journey is it not?!
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The Iceman
3318 posts
Aug 13, 2017
8:31 AM
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One thing that beginner/intermediate players should learn early on is not to push practice past the point where "Within fifteenth minutes I suddenly played very sloppy. I don't know if it was due to practicing to the point of exhaustion, but it got me so mad, I just packed everything up and went to bed."
Once you approach this mindset, it is time to put the harmonica down for a bit - walk away. Never try to force yourself through this state of mind. It would be like pissing into the wind.
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The Iceman
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Philosofy
841 posts
Aug 14, 2017
6:28 PM
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Do you pucker or tongue block? Puckering is a lot more tiring. I mix the two up, but if I'm playing for a long period, I end up puckering less and less as the night goes on.
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Philosofy
842 posts
Aug 14, 2017
6:28 PM
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Do you pucker or tongue block? Puckering is a lot more tiring. I mix the two up, but if I'm playing for a long period, I end up puckering less and less as the night goes on.
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slaphappy
308 posts
Aug 14, 2017
7:46 PM
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I think the harp is an instrument with an extra sensitivity to how the player is feeling, just like the voice. I mean we always want to make the harp sing but it can be hard to do that convincingly if we don't really feel like singing in the first place.
I've always been curious how the pros who work night after night deal with this.
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4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!
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Barley Nectar
1313 posts
Aug 15, 2017
8:00 AM
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I tend to play slopy when I'm tired. I'v been at it 45 years. Morning practice with your coffee will make a difference.
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Rontana
428 posts
Aug 15, 2017
3:06 PM
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There are days, when I'm practicing, that everything flows just great. Even if I mess up parts of a song, it's no big deal. I actually learn from the mistakes, and all is well with the world.
Other days, everything just seems to go wrong from the first note.
What I've determined, and your mileage may vary on this, is that it's a matter of focus (or as Mike said, how you're feeling). If I've got a ton of stuff on my mind (work, health, de-worming the dog, whatever) playing with any sort of precision is often unlikely.
I play primarily to not think of other things, to escape into a better state. Usually, the act of making coherent noise drives other thoughts to the background. But, sometimes not.
At those times, I just walk away for a while. Harp should not be included in a mental list of multi-tasking concerns. I might sit it down for hours, or I might not pick it up until the next day.
That works for me
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nowmon
139 posts
Aug 16, 2017
1:56 AM
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With a loose attack you can venture into Sloppy Blues.It can be part of the art form of Blues.It has been part of Jazz playing a lot in New Qrleans .You need to play loose ,slide into and out of notes ,and jumping intervals that are unusual.Rahassan Roland Kirk knocked me out back in the 70`s,This cat could blow the Blues too no end.He would do a song and rap about the history behind it awile playing fantastick blues. A history lesson with the real deal horn.Also Jimmy Page on "I can`t quit you baby" plays some of the best guitar sloppy blues too hear.....
Last Edited by nowmon on Aug 16, 2017 4:10 AM
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Irish Soul
64 posts
Aug 18, 2017
4:32 PM
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What I have noticed more than the physical is the mental. If I go too long too hard, eventually I will forget a very simple lick or song I haven't needed tabs for in awhile. Set the harp down, come back later and I can play it like nothing was wrong. No mouth fatigue, just like it was "deleted" for a bit. Strange.
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hvyj
3452 posts
Aug 21, 2017
9:48 AM
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Like anything else, lapse of focus or loss of concentration can make one play sloppy--but I guess one goal of practicing is to get to the point of being able to play certain things automatically regardless.
But when I start to play sloppy, it's usaually because I am not maintaining consistent good embouchure. I find that this can be, but is not always, due to fatigue or lapse of focus/concentration. If I am playing electric, with a cupped mic, sometimes my mic grip starts to interfere with maintaining good embouchure without me necessarily realizing it. This erodes tone and can make me sound sloppy. It's something I am working at trying to be more aware of.
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BnT
82 posts
Aug 24, 2017
11:19 AM
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There are lots of possible "sloppy play" reasons that have been pointed out. If it only happened once, maybe you were just tired. But if you're more proficient at diatonic it's easier to sound good, so practice diatonic and chromatic at separate times. When you're doing chromatic you'll be more focused and may have better results.
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BnT
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