First of all, my respects for everyone here, from russia with love :)
I'm a greenhorn player, and what i was going to do is to ask a piece of advice. Right now i'm still practicing basic stuff (Adam's first series of lessons for beginners). The question is - can you please recommend a piece for learning and training by ear for beginners, that a person with my current level can master? I mean without technique-heavy licks and overblows, that is particularly easy-to-moderate to figure out? Thanks a lot in advance.
Once you have the basics, you may want to just tootle along to some backing tracks to get used to the 12 bars. You'll then find out what works and where. ----------
Last Edited by on Nov 21, 2011 12:43 PM
Well, there are several standards lots of people tend to learn on harp. 'Oh, Susanna!', 'Amazing Grace' and 'When the Saints Go Marching In' are all songs people will recognize. Like easyreeder said, Amazing Grace also scales up well as you learn more technique. Saints does too. 'Love Me Do' has a pretty straight forward harp part in it. 'What a Wonderful World' and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' are both in the same category of songs that you can embellish later.
I find actually the easiest songs to learn are songs I'm really familiar with already. It only takes me a couple minutes to figure out most Beatles tunes because I grew up on them and I don't have to worry about trying to think what the next note is supposed to sound like at the same time I trying to figure out where that next note is on the harp. I'd recommend trying to pick off the melodies from songs you already know.
Amazing Grace is like The Force. When used properly it lifts and heals, but there's a dark side with huge potential for destruction. I've heard some fine players get tangled in its web, tempted by all those bendable notes and opportunities for wah-wahs until nothing is left of that lovely melody but a bloody pulp. I've heard some less-fine players do that as well. Uh, that would be me. I am your father, Luke.
Jason Ricci does a nice rendition, as does Howard Levy. If you go on You Tube you can see and hear hundreds of renditions. Personally, I steal a little from Jason and Howard, and then I have my own lyrics.....but I gotta be careful. Many people consider it a sacred piece. I think every blues harp play should know at least one gospel song (Amazing Grace), one cowboy song (Cowboy's Lament) and the train.
Thanks a lot for your help, i'd definitely try that tunes out. Absorbing little by little, trying not to drown in all of that stuff (i already know that pacing should be chosen reaaaaaally carefully, not to burn out, been there already, this thing only leaves a trail of shame and awkwardness). Slow and steady wins the race :P
Nacoran don't you think a beginner would get rather frustrated with over the rainbow when they get to "away above the chimney tops" and find the notes aren't there? ---------- "Come on Brackett let's get changed"
