Hey guys, as of late i have been focusing alot on saxophone and can still play the harp well(playing chromatic mostly) but I want to know how I can take my chops and really improve them. I know alot of you have been playing for a long time, so I wanted to know what you do to help improve your chops?
I think you mean strengthening the muscles to get what you want out of your harp. The main thing I found I had to work on was getting high note bends on a 'D', 'E' and 'F' harp. It just takes time before your brain doesn't have to think about how to do it any more, it just goes to it and gets the job done. Certainly, the muscles involved will get stronger with use. Not sure if this is what you were looking for.
You're going to have to narrow down your question.
1. What are you trying to achieve? 2. What do you do now on a diatonic for practice? 3. What level player are you?
Since you already play chromatic, you might be a good candidate for a lesson or two with a pro. At least you'll get a decent evaluation of where you stand right now and some direction on how to advance yourself. There are a number of pros that can help you with Skype... Howard Levy, Dennis Gruenling, Jason Ricci, Jimi Lee, Adam Gussow, to name a few. If you want to utilize your chromatic in blues, swing and jump blues, Dennis might be a good choice. For Jazz diatonic, Levy is a good choice. For that vintage, Sonny Terry type of blues, there's Joe Filisko. And, there's always Dave Barrett who's main business is teaching blues harp. Dave is highly regarded. Make sure you check his website. I know there are others as well. They're all on YouTube.
These are all excellent players. How well they teach is something you'll have to determine. You might consider starting with someone who mainly plays the style you aspire to.
Good Luck .
Last Edited by on Aug 07, 2012 12:03 AM
I strongly concur with Noodles. As I've said many times before, there is NO substitute for face-to-face instruction. A pro can evaluate your playing, work your desires into the equation, set some goals and get you on the road to where you want to be.
