mac1012
12 posts
May 06, 2014
10:07 PM
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Well I have been learning for ten days and thought I would reflect where I am , really really enjoying playing the harmonica after having tried the ukulele which was ok but found trying to strum with index finger a hit and miss affair and capabilites of styles of music for a beginning strummer a bit limited.
I can play simple one note melodies on the harp some nice ballads etc I can get the one note most of the time ! and keep time pretty well I can do a few basic effects
I can draw bend a few holes and and overblow too , not quite mastered them into a song yet apart from a few draw bends that sound good
I love the fact that for example yesterday I looked at the video on here of the French guy playing happy and posting the tabs and within of couple of minutes I was playing the chorus and made me happy thinking I could create this song on my harp ,learning to play that finger style on the ukulele would have taken me .....well I couldn't even begin to know how to do it.
enjoying jamming to a few songs and get the chorus or chunks of the song either the melody or a filling in riff some of the time and is great fun
I find the harp a forgiving instrument for a beginner and if I catch another hole when playing it dosent sound horrible and is not the end of the world
Back to work today after a few days of I may sneak 10 mins practice in at lunch
oh I think I may have fallen in love with the blues although I do like melody songs too
I am working through two really good progressive books one just basics the other beginners blues harp both are really helpful and have cd I aim to tick a section of as I complete it and do this along with having fun learning songs of the harp tab site
mark
Last Edited by mac1012 on May 06, 2014 10:10 PM
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Mirco
158 posts
May 06, 2014
10:21 PM
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Glad you're enjoying, Mark. Keep up the practice.
If you can bend a few holes and overbend after just 10 days, good work. That's impressive.
For a beginner, I would recommend one of Jon Gindick's books. Great advice on playing with soul, but doesn't require a lot of technique. Also-- if you're in this for the long haul-- David Barrett's site (bluesharmonica.com) gives you a clear path to mastery.
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STME58
801 posts
May 06, 2014
10:23 PM
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Make sure to record yourself. Not only will it help you improve faster, but it can be very encouraging in a few months when you hit a plateau to listen to you early playing and see how far you have come. Keep having fun!
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nacoran
7716 posts
May 06, 2014
11:35 PM
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First I learned to hit single notes- then I learned to hit a hole and a half to get a dirty sound. Tongue splits, each one is a milestone and another tool you can use. After about 2 months of playing deliberately not playing anything so I didn't get frustrated, suddenly I was able to play all sorts of things, from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to Oh Christmas tree. Just a couple days shy of 5 years after landing on this site, and I can pick out most songs that I can hear in my head in a couple tries. Still have a hard time with the harp classics, and still panic on things I haven't practiced- not to that 'sit in on the jam' stage, but still loving learning.
Welcome to the club. :)
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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mac1012
13 posts
May 06, 2014
11:47 PM
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Thanks for The encouragement guys and I will have a look at the.links you mentioned playing a song by ear seems a.million.miles away but I am having fun my dream.is to go busking in my local town whether I get there remains to be seen
mark
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cliffy
82 posts
May 07, 2014
4:45 PM
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Welcome to the harmonica! Most of us are quite crazy for harmonicas of all sorts. Be sure to carry one EVERYWHERE and play all the time. You can get lots of fun playing time that way.
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