mikolune
1 post
Jan 01, 2009
4:05 AM
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Hi All,
I am just wondering if any one has found or invented some technique to play and practice harmonica silently. I am trying to implement the 1 hour per day practice but unfortunately this will turn out to be a disturbance for neighbors. Unfortunately as well, there's no lost woodshed in easy access distance from where I live ( middle of Tokyo, Japan ...)
So, here's the fantasy. The ideal would be some kind of silent electronic harp - you plug in your earphones and you are the only one to hear yourself, in a way similar to electric guitar or electronic piano/keyboard silent home practice. Naturally, this has to be without destroying the harp play feel and sound. Any known product/company/gadget/patent/idea up to that challenge ?
Good harping and all the best for 2009 !
Miko
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mikolune
2 posts
Jan 01, 2009
5:49 AM
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well, I found this site http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q27.html regarding electronic harmonicas ... seems there's still a long way to go before something like an electronic Midi Marine Band...
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eharp
174 posts
Jan 01, 2009
6:30 AM
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do you have a car? try practicing in there.
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mikolune
3 posts
Jan 01, 2009
6:52 AM
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indeed, I do not own a car ...
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eharp
177 posts
Jan 01, 2009
8:04 AM
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tokyo has subways, right? if they are like the ones in the USA, you could practice there. i bet the stairwell has good acoustics.
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mikolune
4 posts
Jan 01, 2009
8:26 AM
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that's one good idea !
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eharp
181 posts
Jan 01, 2009
12:42 PM
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no. that is 2 good ideas. your lacking of a car does not make it a bad idea.
lol
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Patrick Barker
155 posts
Jan 01, 2009
3:06 PM
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Unscrew your harmonica, take out the reedplates, screw the coverplates back on. But you won't be able to hear it either.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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KC69
26 posts
Jan 01, 2009
4:29 PM
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Try playing into a small can, such as a coffee can or smaller. It gives a great reverb but also may dampen the volume. Seydel sells the Big Six. It comes in a small can. You'll love the tone and can take it anywhere.
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DutchBones
63 posts
Jan 01, 2009
5:03 PM
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I also live in Japan (near Machida City) and I have the same problem. I solved it by playing Bushman Delta Frosts, because it is fairly easy to play them very soft (including bending) . You might want to give one a try.
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DutchBones Tube
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mikolune
5 posts
Jan 01, 2009
6:49 PM
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cheers for the tips guys.
DutchBones - yeah, I live spot in the middle of Tokyo, Takadanobaba, I'll definitely cheek out the Bushman. Btw - there's a fantastic blues bar in Takadanobaba, if ever you make it there from time to time, but that's for another thread I suppose...
eHarp, yes, never intended to say playing in the car is not a good idea, on the contrary. Will consider moving to some other place where I will have to buy a car so that I can practice harp :)
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CarolynViolin
16 posts
Jan 02, 2009
9:23 AM
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I do a lot of silent practice. I can practice classical stuff in my head - hear it and know exactly what fingers should go down on the fingerboard of the violin. I can also do the same thing with the "strolling" popular stuff, and I can even take tunes that I've never actually played and practice them in my mind to get the right fingering. Then, when I actually go to play them, it's very easy. And I can also practice the improvising in my head - start with playing a tune straight and then I experiment to see what I can do. Believe me, it all helps.
Carolyn
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residenthooligan
3 posts
Jan 03, 2009
7:02 PM
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You could also build yourself a vocal booth - in your closet. My buddy converted a bedroom closet into a vocal booth and just put a plexi glass window into a luan door. No idea how much you'd want to invest in the project, but you probably don't need the high end materials sincde you just want to dampen the sound enough not to bug the neighbors. It should be feasible. Just do a search on google and see what you find.
Last Edited by on Jan 03, 2009 7:05 PM
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eharp
184 posts
Jan 03, 2009
7:35 PM
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then why not just play with a foam filled box over your head? lol
seriously, since i was thinking of a box...why not a large box, with foam on the inside. set it on a table and play into/towards the box?
how silent does "silent" have to be?
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mikolune
7 posts
Jan 03, 2009
9:07 PM
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@resident & eharp, I was actually thinking of similar contraptions... Experimented yesterday with a towel wrapped around the harp - reduces sound significantly if I completely cover the cover plates, but then it's difficult to get the lips nicely around the harp.
I could post a youtube - if you hear nothing that will prove the technique works :)
The ultimate silent harp would not make more noise than an unplugged electric guitar. You should be able to plug it into an amp and then sound comes out. It would have the playing feel and tone of the harp - but this would have to beat the laws of physics, since the playing feel/tone depends on the air flowing through the reeds, which necessarily involves making sound.
@Carolyn: imagining the playing - sounds like a good mental exercise as well. Have you actually tried this for the harmonica ? I am curious if you have any comments about it. Is it easier for the violin because it is more visual, i.e. you can see or imagine the finger positioning ? In contrast, the harp may be more difficult to imagine since one cannot see tongue, lip pursing, mouth and throat shape for the bends etc...
cheers,
Miko
Last Edited by on Jan 03, 2009 9:41 PM
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Philosofy
107 posts
Jan 03, 2009
9:28 PM
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When I take the reedplates out of my harp, my playing sounds a LOT better. :)
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eharp
185 posts
Jan 04, 2009
6:27 AM
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we all agree, philosofy!!
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oldwailer
418 posts
Jan 04, 2009
9:03 AM
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Philosofy, maybe you could just remove every other reed from your harp--then it would be half as loud?
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Aussiesucker
123 posts
Jan 04, 2009
7:02 PM
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Does anyone in Japan learn the bagpipes? What would they do? Seriously though and IMHO I think the best harp to use for quiet practice is the Suzuki Folkmaster. They are cheap but I have found them to be very airtight (7 screws bolt the plates to the comb) and they are small ie only the size of a MB. They are not a loud harp & because they are so airtight they do not take any effort to play ie you can play them very softly by yourself in a corner and not annoy anyone. Not the best harp in the world but very good for the small price. Their major failing is that they are not loud but hey isn't that a bonus sometimes?
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CarolynViolin
19 posts
Jan 08, 2009
11:43 AM
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Mikolune,
Yes, imaging the playing is an excellent mental exercise. I work it all out in my mind beforehand. It's particularly helpful on the "strolling" stuff. I hear everything and see it as well. Yes, violin playing is not only very auditory, but also extremely visual, and that certainly helps. Lol, I can't make any comparisons to the harmonica because I've never attempted to play it. I would imagine though that it would be extremely difficult to use the same mental approach with the harmonica.
Carolyn
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