tookatooka
603 posts
Oct 07, 2009
2:05 PM
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I'm more of a single note melody player and I'm trying to improve my style of playing by mixing chordal along with octave tounge blocking and the single notes. I'm not finding it easy but see a small improvement every day.
I'm a solo (no backing track) leisure player and my aim is to be able to play blues tunes all the way through which sound good, like Adam's Front Porch Blues. Some day.
One problem I have encountered is finding material that is suitable for this type of harping so I find it necessary to more or less compose the pieces myself as I go along.
So that's where I am at the moment.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
290 posts
Oct 07, 2009
2:15 PM
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Working on the 48 chord... and doing some weird stuff with tremolos, flipping doubles, bending notes, blocking... whatever unsual thing I can come up with.
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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tookatooka
605 posts
Oct 07, 2009
2:17 PM
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Er! What's flipping doubles?
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nacoran
235 posts
Oct 07, 2009
2:30 PM
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I mostly play around the house, although sometimes I do open mics and some recording. I also just started trying to adjust my reeds. Mostly I play melody. When I record I usually follow the vocal and harmonize a little at the end of the line. I'm hoping I'll get some birthday harps this year. I want to try some different tunings. I'm trying to relearn some of the theory I learned in 101 years ago.
I play a lot of standards- When the Saints go Marching In, Home on the Range, Molly Malone, some Beatles, etc.
The weirdest thing I'm having problems with is I have a hard time switching back and forth between harping and singing. I can do one in a song or the other.
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Preston
514 posts
Oct 07, 2009
3:15 PM
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Working on tone as always.
I was working on the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales, and combinations of the two, but now I am interested in the entire major scale, with a blue third added. I really love the sound of major notes accompanied by the blue third.
Also trying to get away from 12 bar blues. Writing my own progressions, and the II V I.
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phogi
73 posts
Oct 07, 2009
3:25 PM
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I'm working on a few things.
1) Finding the right degree of tension/relaxation of the upper lip. I notice that I can play with any level of tension or relaxation. But what is best? Too tense = lip cramping up, losing precision because of it, and too relaxed = less precision as well. Somewhere in the middle is where I want to be. But where is best?
2) Building interest over time. Setting up expectations and then meeting them - or defying them.
3) I'm working on jamming solo. I'd like to work up some cool stuff that says "hey this is cool and fun!" Keeping the flow at all costs, and keeping those costs low.
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arzajac
60 posts
Oct 07, 2009
3:36 PM
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I'm working on taking all the individual things I can do after two or three tries and stringing them together so that they sound proper on the first try. For example, playing a few riffs together or hitting bended notes just right, cleanly the first time.
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jonsparrow
1169 posts
Oct 07, 2009
3:56 PM
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iv been workin on bending octaves an bending over blows. flutters. an some songs.
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Mgimino
95 posts
Oct 07, 2009
4:06 PM
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Working on the ability to play a good improvise jump harp.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/mgimino
Michael
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
291 posts
Oct 07, 2009
4:14 PM
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Tookatooka wrote:
"Er! What's flipping doubles?"
It's a way of playing semi-chromatically on a double-sided tremolo, like one that has a G harmonica on one side and a C on the other. The easiest double flip is when you're using it as a chord harp, playing in G, you blow and draw on the bottom holes for the G and D, then flip to the other side and blow for the C chord. That's actually the reason double sided tremolos exist, so people could flip for chords.
But, you can also flip to get a missing note or two. That's where it gets tricky, cause you gotta flip fast, especially on a fast tune. I'm playing William Tell Overture like that, there's a couple of C notes in it (played in G) I gotta flip it, blow the C and flip back fast. I've found I can't possibly just flip it that fast, I've got to also move my head to meet the flipping harmonica to kind of meet it halfway.
I could, I suppose, just play Asian tuned tremolos, they would have that C there already. But that's not me, Instead I've been practicing flipping the Vienna-tuned (Richter) tremolos for two months now.
Once I get caught up in the shop a bit, I'm going to tune me a G# tremolo (Vienna tuned) and mount it as a duo with a G and work on chromatic blues tremolo. It would be a lot easier than flipping one of those monsters around.
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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Hobostubs Ashlock
15 posts
Oct 07, 2009
5:45 PM
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I got in my 1st band a few months ago.played a few paying gigs but then got released because they were getting bigger gigs and i had only been playing a few months.And sence i dont have a job right now i been spending a lot of time trying to learn all i can Im enrolled in Harmonica Academy for 9 months now. great school Tony Eyers teaches it hes from Australia and teaches alot of Celtic tunes and some nice blues also.Im also in Harmonicalessons.com. Dave Gage where they have a lot of reading material on the subject and some cool basic licks.And last but not least is Adams stuff where i really like his ability to play a harp alone No backing track needed and sound great i hope to get that down as it seems pretty easy to play with a song or other musicians and be able to play something that works but to play a harp by itself and do a 1.4.5 progression seems harder.
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2009 5:47 PM
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rpoe
45 posts
Oct 07, 2009
7:27 PM
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Working on my machine language (as Adam puts it) and rythm harp. I've been feeling the pull of and inspired by Peter "Madcat" Ruths body of work not to mention Sonny Terry. Not enough time in the day!
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congaron
175 posts
Oct 07, 2009
8:49 PM
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3rd position. Overblows on 4 and 5...6 is there now and I use it regularly live, So 1st position more than before. Funk and jazz licks in a blues context. Tone. Traditional gritty harp. Jimmy Reed style 1st position stuff up high. Heck..too much stuff to list I guess. Scales, scales, scales. Thunky fing upward chromatic run starting from hole 6 instead of hole 4...using A harp instead of D harp. Try that! It's cool sounding and ever so slightly different. I am just having a blast i guess. I am learning it as an instrument versus learning as a blues harmonica. I tend to play stuff like i enjoy on my trumpet...so figuring lots of that stuff out is very challenging and satisfying to me. I am learning more chromatic stuff, but have to realize i've only been playing since february. I won't get discouraged. I love it.
My band is blues rock in a Christian contemporary context, so there is a variety of stuff to do and I like to make every song different. It's awesome....Ever since I heard Tim Gonzales play live and he answered me on facebook, i have been digging into funky stuff. It goes great in much of what we do.
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Aussiesucker
378 posts
Oct 07, 2009
10:28 PM
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Yeah, I'm more of a single note melody player & a blues wannabe. However, the blues I really like is limited to Adams Front Porch slow style or melodies like St Louis Blues. I find that a lot of blues just doesn't gel with me & although I have a collection of blues greats CD's they get almost no play. I have been at the harmonica some time (don't ask) and its only through sites like this that I feel that I am improving.
Like Hobostubs I was with Dave Gage & agree with the comments re the course ie good with lots of reading material, links, CD & song keys & tabs. Also I am with Tony Eyers at the Harmonica Academy which apart from a blues stream has a mix of Irish Fiddle & Bluegrass which I find very challenging and enjoyable.
My real wish though is to play Country and the player I admire most is Mickey Raphael. However there does not appear to be any sites that offer much in the way of Country tutorials.
And for Tookas info I went to the Coolum Kite Festival last weekend and can see why he is so addicted. The weather was great, the breeze was a good 15knots and there were thousands of kites. I had a good time.
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chopper
3 posts
Oct 07, 2009
11:01 PM
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hey aussiesucker theres a guy from queensland juzzie smith that is a great teacher with a country feel i met him at blues at bridgetown over here in the west he has a cd press play and blow away check him out on the net also doug lyons of the blues preachersat bluetongueharmonica.com is worth a look for that genre
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Hobostubs Ashlock
19 posts
Oct 07, 2009
11:19 PM
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hey Aussiesucker or David as i know you from tony's site.I finally posted on this forum after about 6 months of reading it.lol I learned the dm 3rd postion song Druken sailor the other day.im really getting into the Celtic tunes.I have allways loved blues but this Celtic music is pretty cool also. no room for mistakes miss one note and the whole song falls apart
Last Edited by on Oct 07, 2009 11:22 PM
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Aussiesucker
379 posts
Oct 07, 2009
11:48 PM
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Thanks chopper. I did a workshop with Doug Lyons some years back plus I have his instructional CD. I am aware of Juzzie Smith ie have seen him play often at markets and festivals. Will check out what he offers in lessons.
Hi David / Hobostubs, yeah some of the Celtic fast stuff on high keys clobbers me. Very challenging and sounds great when played well but mistakes are glaringly obvious to the listener ie dont miss a note. I'm getting it together gradually but am picking and choosing which tunes to play I also find that by substituting a low D for a D makes some tunes with lots of fast work on holes 9 & 10 much easier.
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Ant138
150 posts
Oct 07, 2009
11:58 PM
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Im learning to whoop at the moment along with the Sonny Terry style rhythm's. Its taken me a year of practicing on and off with that rhythm and not even coming close to it. I picked up my harp the other day and could play it. I was amazed!!
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wallyns10
22 posts
Oct 07, 2009
11:58 PM
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Working on overblows, trying to figure out how to overdraw, working on blow bends (can't get the 10 hole on high keys yet), I love playing rhythm and doing alot of comping and tongue slaps/glottal "growling" or like coughing (sonny terry/junior wells type stuff), blues is where its at for me but I'm looking to expand my horizons. Favorite styles would be country blues, slow painful blues, west-side shuffles, and funk.
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Hobostubs Ashlock
22 posts
Oct 08, 2009
12:27 AM
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what is a whoop?
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Ant138
152 posts
Oct 08, 2009
1:40 AM
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Whooping is the sort of stuff Sonny Terry used to do(Whooping is shouting or whooping between chugging, you kind of whoop at the same pitch of the note your playing, its difficult to explain). Type in "Whooping the Blues harmonica" into youtube and you should be able to see Sonny Terry in action amongst others giving it ago. Adam Gussow has also done a couple of lessons on it.
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Last Edited by on Oct 08, 2009 1:45 AM
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Hobostubs Ashlock
24 posts
Oct 08, 2009
2:41 AM
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thank you ant138 ill do that
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Andrew
657 posts
Oct 08, 2009
3:14 AM
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"blues rock in a Christian contemporary context"
Woke up this mornin
found I was in a tomb
woke up this mornin
found I was in a tomb
it was cold, hard and miserable
weren't much like a womb
If there's anything I'm concentrating on at the moment, I guess it's fluidity.
Last Edited by on Oct 08, 2009 3:26 AM
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MagicNick
16 posts
Oct 08, 2009
3:15 AM
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After months of resisting I finally realised it is actually quite cool to be able to play a train imitation so am working on that.
Also learning Stone Fox Chase with a view to playing it in a tunnel. Inspired by a youtube vid I saw.
Last Edited by on Oct 08, 2009 3:18 AM
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Andrew
658 posts
Oct 08, 2009
3:29 AM
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Whooping is OK in small doses, but I've got a Sonny Terry CD where he whoops on three quarters of the tracks, and I just want to throw it out the window.
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Hobostubs Ashlock
26 posts
Oct 08, 2009
3:50 AM
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Andrew scary lyricks for Christian music.
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the frozen canuck
56 posts
Oct 08, 2009
6:23 AM
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still doing a lot of woodsheding ,attempting to learn tongue blocking .A very slow process,i`m a single note player ,listen to a lot of sonny terry ,just purchased Adams lessons on butterfield.Aswell i just ordered a suzuki manji ,hope to see it in a few days.still have fun making music
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mr_so&so
223 posts
Oct 08, 2009
8:15 AM
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Working on tongue blocking and rhythm playing in prep for HPC-3. Whatever I can play lip-pursed, I try to play tongue-blocked. Am trying to work out my best fit between the two techniques. Working on a few of Adam's lessons that have a strong rhythmic component. Also, will be working more on licks, as opposed to scales and positions, for a while.
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Jfllr1
56 posts
Oct 08, 2009
10:29 AM
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Trying to get Little walters tone on you better watch yourself... wow.
Third position in expectation of a new chromatic 48.
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"Blow as thou pleaseth"
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snakes
366 posts
Oct 08, 2009
10:56 AM
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Discounting vocal practice work (a vocalist is what I consider myself primarily) I am working on tone (this will be a forever task), tongue blocking, and learning to play chords versus single note melodies. While my passion for the harmonica outweighs my passion for vocals the jury is still out as to whether I'll ever call myself a harmonica player versus just a guy who owns too many for his skill.
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congaron
177 posts
Oct 08, 2009
11:27 AM
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Andrew..you gave me a pretty cool idea for "Gethsemane Blues"...the 1st real blues location for Christ right before the crucifixion. I'm pretty sure he was totally happy when he "found He was in a tonb." He wasn't there long....lol. Your lyric give me some ideas about the courtyard and Peter, and the cross itself. We try to start dark like you did there and end bright, for obvious reasons.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
296 posts
Oct 08, 2009
11:49 AM
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Congaron, according to John 21, after the resurrection, Jesus went fishing. The disciples showed up and Jesus was there on the bank, campfire rollin' and he was frying some fish he'd already caught. Then, he told the disciples to chip in all their fish and they had a big fish fry.
Fish fries are pretty bluesy, I think.
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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jonsparrow
1170 posts
Oct 08, 2009
12:10 PM
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i like fish.
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congaron
179 posts
Oct 08, 2009
12:39 PM
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Good point, and Peter was definitely bummin' for a few minutes at the fry.
You guys are giving me a lot of ideas..we have been writing along the human condition angle of the blues in modern times, with Jesus as our hope for a brighter tomorrow. There is definitely song material there from the biblical history perspective too.
Didn't mean to hijack the thread by accident...I am also working on tongue blocking and specifically octaves at the moment.
Last Edited by on Oct 08, 2009 12:43 PM
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ness
65 posts
Oct 08, 2009
2:04 PM
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Interesting thread.
I'm slowly working my way through Tony Eyers' Harmonica Academy course. My interest is really more in Irish, Bluegrass, Country or Folk genres than it is in Blues, so I'm focusing on that. But -- I'm hanging around here picking up bits and pieces of info, and the Blues are growing on me some. Don't know where it will go.
Anyway -- I'm still a beginner. I can bend, but it's not consistent. I'm just coming back to this after an attack of the shingles (they suck) made it too painful to play for about a month.
John
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walterharp
82 posts
Oct 08, 2009
2:40 PM
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working on getting my draw bends into fluid runs and triplets, as well as building speed in general and using vibrato smoothly and appropriately
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