Bayouharp'n
2 posts
Oct 16, 2016
9:30 AM
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Hello all and greetings from New Orleans. I just recently picked my harmonicas up out of my dresser drawer and began this pursuit once again. The first time I got frustrated and jumped back to my safe zone (guitar). But some reason I always have a taste for some harp in music. It has such a soulful voicing if played well. I been watching videos on technique and scales to practice any chance I get. I figure this time I will attack this just like I do with my guitar and play along with backing tracks. I currently can bend on the lower 6 holes and want to become a lot more profecient with these first 6 before attempting anything above (stay in the box). My first two harmonicas were the blues harp ms but after a long break and starting again I find them rather difficult to play. I bought the marine band 1896 not long after the blues harp and enjoy these a lot more. So any of you just rag tag to a random backing tracking just to keep things alive and not get stale?
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Killa_Hertz
1815 posts
Oct 16, 2016
4:15 PM
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Backing Tracks can be fun. I tend to play more over actual songs. Like sonny boy, walter horton, muddy waters, etc.
Or over blues with no harp. Pinetop Perkins, or even Johnny Winter.
I find backing tracks can just run quite long. Playing for 5 straight minutes can get stale.
I like to learn new songs or techniques. Im not sure where your at in your playing, but there's great lessons on this site aswell as Ronnie Shellist @ harmonica123.com
Most of the time I end up just playing solo rythms. Adding in new material that i have made up or learned.
They really help with improv. Because your constantly having to keep it going and you have to learn to fit licks in to the rythm on the fly.
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Bayouharp'n
3 posts
Oct 16, 2016
6:47 PM
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Thanks for the words Killa_Hertz. I would label my playing like shower singing most likely. Sounds good to me until the background noise stops lol.
I am in no way shape or form ready for to try playing along with Sonny Boy or Muddy Waters. I totally forgot about the Johnny Winter Band, great stuff. I plan on purchasing the beginner deluxe package to get started. My kids are soo active it's hard finding time to sit down and watch tutorials. Especially if I can't do it from my cell.
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Glass Harp Full
153 posts
Oct 16, 2016
11:21 PM
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Hi Bayouharp'n (cool name!) and welcome to the forum.
Similar to KH, I like to try to learn the harp parts to actual songs. I started out with some fairly simple ones "Heart of Gold" and "out on the Weekend" by Neil Young. I know their not blues but you can play them as a beginner and it's more interesting than decontextualised exercises in a how to play book. I've found songs like these are not actually that different to some of those exercises but I get the satisfaction of playing an actual song.
I also found chordal rhythms a great way to start. Lee Sankey has a series of country blues videos on YouTube which are suitable for beginners.
All the best with your playing.
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MindTheGap
1829 posts
Oct 16, 2016
11:54 PM
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Backing tracks are a useful tool, no doubt. And it can simply be fun to play to them, why not.
For actual practice though, I tend to use them to practice a technique or a new phrase over and over. And to use in different grooves and tempos. You can get BTs that present a sweep of common groove types, e.g. the Jimi Lee ones.
There is a danger in playing to BT, esp with the harmonica. Because, at least in crossharp, it's hard to go 'wrong' you can convince yourself that you are 'right'. Take away the BT and oh dear, if you're not careful it can be just a load of unconnected notes that happened to harmonise with BT chords.
In another thread, we talk about the power of recording yourself to keep your feet on the ground. A good exercise is to record yourself playing to a backing track, then playback just your own playing without the BT.
So I use sparingly. I agree with the others that it's good to play solo rhythms and parts to actual songs. Adam offers a range on this very site from beginner upwards, so you can find your starting point.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Oct 17, 2016 12:44 AM
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Killa_Hertz
1817 posts
Oct 17, 2016
5:43 AM
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Yes .. very good point MTG. A few well places notes may sound good, but they may be just that ... a few random notes. Recording Yourself is extremely important. If you have yet to read that thread, I highly recommend checking it out.
Bayou
You can download all of Adams Tradebit Lessons and Ronnie Shellists lessons on your phone. Thats what I do. I have probably 20 gigs of lessons on my Micro SD card. That way I can play them anywhere.
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Bayouharp'n
4 posts
Oct 17, 2016
7:03 AM
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Thanks everyone. I seen the introduction to Sankey's country blues lessons. Would like to get proficient enough to do rhythm and fills. I will have to look into a sd adapter for my phone as that would be the best for me. Like when I am sitting in my vehicle while kids are at practice.
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Sundancer
42 posts
Oct 19, 2016
2:44 PM
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Grits ain't groceries, and playin ain't practicing.
Playing is when you do the stuff you're already good at.
Practice is when you work on the stuff you're crap at.
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SuperBee
4199 posts
Oct 19, 2016
4:28 PM
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I think I'm in the same school as MTG with Backing Tracks.
If I have to learn a specific song, or a part for a song, I'll start out by studying that song, deciding whether I want to copy it, or just copy parts of it. I might use a backing track to practice those parts, and fitting them in, and maybe I'll record that to see (hear!) how it sounds.
Usually I'll play along with the original but hearing yourself can be hard that way. So it's nice to have a neutral track.
But if I'm learning some non song-specific stuff, scales or bass lines or some horn-punch sort of things say, things which need timing to be just right, then playing to jam tracks can be great for that.
And for learning licks and cementing them in your memory and getting the feel for how they work with different grooves, how to fit things together, backing tracks are great for that.
And if you just want to have a blow, sure, but I think that's recreation rather than practice.
I mean...I think you don't really practice improvisation that way.. Well, you can but I think it's not the most effective way. Practicing the parts so you are familiar with it is the way to go I think. And also 'knowing' what works, which is where scales and arpeggios come in...
Then when you 'play' you can draw on the familiarity you have developed in practice and put together stuff that works.
This will happen just by playing songs too, but takes more time to get together. It probably happens just through explorative noodling too, I just dunno if I have that long left.
At the moment I've been learning specific songs, learning solos. But all those songs and solos are made up of great phrases which can be built into different things.
Oh yeah,practicing scales doesn't have to be boring either. Check some of Jason Ricci's lesson videos.
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