Jambo
17 posts
Oct 10, 2011
11:46 AM
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I have been messing around with a hand drum i picked up at a thrift store and it seems to be helping with my rythmic patterns and such on the harp. It also helps with dynamics as far as which "note" on the drum works where and weather its loud soft,etc. I was only wondering if anyone else has made this corelation?
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oldwailer
1746 posts
Oct 10, 2011
12:03 PM
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There was a time, when I was a pup, when bongo drums were all the rage. I was actually the bongo drummer in a duo with a sax player--we used to perform for school assemblies and such--tunes by the Ventures were a big favorite.
Anyway--I found that bongos were a wonderful way to develop a good rhythm sense--I used to be able to play a solid rhythm with my thumbs while kicking out a mean assed syncopated rhythm with my fingers--great fun.
IMHO, rhythm training is essential to mastering any kind of music on any instrument--there are many ways to do it--beating on a book--table--clapping hands--even just playing rhythmic patterns on your instrument--whatever.
Rhythm is, after all, the basis of music. . .
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harmonicanick
1327 posts
Oct 10, 2011
2:10 PM
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I was a pro drummer in the 70's and that is the best training for rhythmic harp you can get:)
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nacoran
4720 posts
Oct 10, 2011
2:21 PM
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I recently took some drum lessons (as part of an in kind trade for harp lessons). It helped my harp playing quite a bit.
edit: A lot of people recommend voice lessons to improve your harping too. I can see why. A lot of the stuff I learned about posture years ago in choir transfers over to good harp playing. Some rudimentary piano is useful for learning music theory too. It helps you understand chord structures and keys.
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Last Edited by on Oct 10, 2011 2:24 PM
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Blackbird
172 posts
Oct 10, 2011
3:22 PM
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Never hurts to stray into the waters of another instrument to develop a deeper understanding of music. At worst, you may walk away with a higher respect for those who play it well, at best, you'll be one of those who play it well. Understanding drums, percussion, rhythm, beats and timing can only be a good thing.
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conjob
130 posts
Oct 10, 2011
10:04 PM
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this guy has heaps of free drum lessons:
http://www.vicfirth.com/education/
i've been using these for harp:
http://www.vicfirth.com/education/rudiments.php
theyre good for practicing rhythm playing
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waltertore
1545 posts
Oct 11, 2011
9:02 AM
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If you stick with harp long enough you most likely will learn other instruments. It is one instrument that cannot spell out beats to other musicians very well. The upside is once you learn how to feel the groove of a beat and the sounds of empty space, the harp is a wonderful solo instrument that needs no other instrument with it. Don't rush the learning curve of each thing you do. It has its own time frame and for me, the simplest stuff is still an endless horizon. I will go to my grave playing the same basic stuff I started with yet it never ceases to have new twists.
I started out as a harp player. Then my first band had no one willing to sing so I became a singer. Then I couldn't convey my ideas of beats to guitar players so I learned guitar. Next I got tired of waiting on people, and got my 1 man band going. Then the bass called me, and finally the keyboard. I also have had small love affairs with the accordian, trumpet, and lap steel guitar.
Today many new harp players race through the curve trying to get "the sound". They end up technically good but musically a mess-lots of chops but the end result shows the rushed learning, the isolation booth they learned in, and lack of general presentation. The blues greats are all pretty much simple players compared to the average player today, but the knowledge of groove, space, and time, they possess is what makes them a great. Also they played thousands of gigs in all sorts of environments. Todays players tend to learn in their room, in front of a video camera, and in isolation from real playing experiences. Get outside your room and take it to the people and long live live music! Walter
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Last Edited by on Oct 11, 2011 9:09 AM
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