saltyd
12 posts
Jan 09, 2012
7:09 PM
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I can kind of get out my three draw bends going all the way down to the bottom. But coming up is a lot harder. I can come up from 3''' to 3'', but I always seem to skip 3' after that and go right to the 3 draw. I'm having a hard time getting them to sound clean too. What resources do you recommend for mastering these bends? I feel like I'm gonna pass out...
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eharp
1660 posts
Jan 09, 2012
8:16 PM
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relax. do not pass out. (someone will steal your harps and tie your shoe laces together!)
it just takes time and practice. but you probably already knew that.
remember- it aint a race.
i use a keyboard when practicing these types of things. play the note on the keyboard then try to hit it with the harp.
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FMWoodeye
184 posts
Jan 09, 2012
8:36 PM
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Last Edited by on Jan 10, 2012 6:11 AM
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KC69
184 posts
Jan 09, 2012
8:53 PM
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saltyd: Keep with it: It will come. I was just the opposite. I could get them coming up, but had a harder time coming down. Hang in there.
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And I Thank You !!
K.C.
castlehomes69@yahoo.com
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easyreeder
98 posts
Jan 09, 2012
8:56 PM
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Bending 3D up and stopping on each note is tougher for me than going down the scale (which is comparatively pretty easy). I didn't know that until I made more than a half-hearted effort at practicing scales and discovered I wasn't as good at bending as I'd thought. I think it's just harder going up the scale there, and that it requires more precise muscle control and very good muscle memory.
You say you "kind of" get out your 3 draw bends going down, implying that you're not feeling real solid about those either. You might want to examine whether you're hitting those bends accurately. If your 3" is sharp you may have trouble stopping on the 3' because it takes a lot of control to make such a slight shift in pitch. As eharp said, a keyboard might help, but I find a tuner is easier because I don't have to "play" the tuner. It may not help ear training, but its still useful for knowing where you are.
What helps me is practicing by starting on the 3', then bending down 3", and then bouncing back and forth between them in both directions. Go slowly, and if you have trouble finding the 3' at first, start from the 3 and go down to get there, but learn to STOP on it. Do that over and over until you hit it confidently. Good luck!
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nacoran
5088 posts
Jan 09, 2012
11:38 PM
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I say this with qualifications... I'm a stubborn guy. I like my computer software free, or I like to buy it once and own it until it's obsolete, but there is a program called the Bend-o-meter. After a free trial you have to buy a licence for a one year use ($25 I think). It's a nifty little tuner that shows a graphic representation of the harmonica that shows you what pitch you are on. It's great for working on getting bends just right. Like I said, if it was a one time purchase I'd recommend it without reservation. It's just my own personal distaste for licence structures that amount to the digital version of planned obsolescence. It really is a great little program though.
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Nate
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Old Dog
126 posts
Jan 10, 2012
5:07 AM
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I bought a cheap electronic guitar tuner, makes it easy to see what note you are really playing. That helped me quite a bit.
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I used to be young and foolish. Now I'm not so young.
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easyreeder
99 posts
Jan 10, 2012
7:54 AM
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Snark makes a new tuner with both a headstock clip (vibration pickup) and a mic, and a very bright and easy to read display. I got mine on sale for $13. I think they're about $20 normally. It does exactly what Bendometer does, just without the harmonica layout.
I agree with Nate, the free trial version of Bendometer was very useful, but the annual licensing cost is too high. You can accomplish the same thing with the one-time purchase of a tuner, just with slightly less convenience. And, as I recall Bendometer requires an internet connection (you have to log-in to use it). If that's still true, then it's useless away from home, unless you're at a Wifi hotspot (like you're going to practice bending at Starbucks...right) or using the Android version (there is no iphone version). For me, that inconvenience is far more limiting than just using a tuner.
There two iPhone apps that are pretty useful:
Harp Key offers the same graphic representation of the harmonica as Bendometer, and allows you to set it for different harp tunings (eg. minor keys) among other things. It doesn't respond to audio input, but it does allow you to touch the note you're looking for on the graphic of the harmonica and hear it played back.
n-Track Tuner is a sophisticated tuner that shows you what note you're playing along with an real-time waveform and frequency display. It also has a tuning fork mode that gives you pure tones.
I think both of these apps were free, or so inexpensive it felt like it.
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