wolfkristiansen
305 posts
Aug 03, 2014
11:45 AM
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Hi-- I'm new to harmonica. Just wondering-- are plastic or wood combs the best? Should I learn tongue blocking or lip pursing? Are tube amps or solid state amps best for harmonica? What's best, chromatic harmonicas or diatonic harmonicas? How do I learn to play Whammer Jammer? Who is the best harmonica player in the world? What's all this this about overblowing? I have a feeling I've been underblowing. Where do I get this "Fender Bassman" amp I've been hearing about? Will I be ready for stage in a month? Anyways, that's all I can think of right now. I'll look for your answers tomorrow, and thanks in advance.
Cheers,
kris wolfiansen
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Frank
5013 posts
Aug 03, 2014
12:11 PM
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Kris - you can't bullshit a bullshitter - I know that you've read Tony Glover's Book from front to back 100 times over and have ALL the answers :)
Last Edited by Frank on Aug 03, 2014 12:11 PM
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nacoran
7898 posts
Aug 03, 2014
1:44 PM
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Let me taking your questions one at a time.
Real harmonica players use aerogel combs. They are so lightweight that you can use a paperclip for a harp rack (just hold it in place by putting it in your mouth and holding it firmly against your cheek with your tongue.)
The real harp players tonsil block. It's the only way to make sure you have the harmonica deep enough in your mouth. You may hear some people talking about sphincter blocking. Don't listen to them, it's just a bunch of assholes.
You really want a polychromatic harmonica. It helps you tell which key you are grabbing. If you don't know which key it is, just knock.
You will never be able to learn to play Whammer Jammer unless you master playing the simple stuff. Start off with simple things. At the end of a week of playing you should be able to play all of Bach's fugues forward and backward and transposed and inverted. That's the thing about fugues. If you can't get that within a week, quit. You'll never be any good.
Alanis Morissette, ironically.
Overblowing, now there is a good question. If you can't master the technique, you can just hold a dog whistle against the inside of your cheek with your tongue. Don't worry, you should be able to multitask with your tongue, and since you are tonsil blocking, you may even be able, if you are very good, to blow a raspberry at the singer when he suggests you sit this one out. It's impossible to under blow. You want to be able to play so quietly that you won't way up a baby in the same room when playing fully amplified with the gain set to max through a stack of at least six 5000 what Marshall amps in a circle around the baby.
You don't want a Fender Bassman amp. You want a John Salmon watercolor. You don't need amplification (except to see if you are playing too loudly as per above). Ideally, you want to whisper into one audience members ears and have them pass it along to the next person- that is, unless you plan to have that 'Chicago' sound, which actually, you don't want. What you really want is the Naperville sound. (Naperville is near Chicago and Naperville lost the naming rights betting on the Cubs.) To get that 'Chicago' sound you really want to study this page:
How To Sound Like You Are From Chicago
You'll also need to learn a few cover tunes.
Which will logically lead you to:
You will be ready for the stage in 2-3 weeks. With any luck, at the one month mark you will be in rehab.
Look for answers before you start playing harmonica and if you find any, let me know because once you join the harmonica guild you will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
(Nothing but love BBQ. I consider myself a light breath devotee. Tooka, just thought I'd give you a fishy plug.)
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Last Edited by nacoran on Aug 03, 2014 7:20 PM
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The Iceman
1889 posts
Aug 03, 2014
2:43 PM
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Hey. Don't make fun of Peter Gabriel...
Sledgehammer video reminds me of another creative one by Oingo Boingo...animation a la Brothers Quay
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The Iceman
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Frank
5017 posts
Aug 03, 2014
2:56 PM
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I wrote this especially for the new harpist :)
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HarveyHarp
598 posts
Aug 04, 2014
2:09 PM
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you guys feel better now?
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HarveyHarp
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nacoran
7900 posts
Aug 04, 2014
3:35 PM
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I certainly do! I actually like the enthusiasm of new members. I know they ask a lot of the same questions, but as an intermediate player I feel more comfortable answering questions where I'm fairly confident I can give a useful answer or at least venture an informed opinion. When someone asks me whether they should play in 1st or 2nd I can give them a fairly thorough explanation of the benefits of each. When they ask me if they should play in 3rd or 5th, even though I can do either I don't have enough mastery to really explain the ups and downs. If they ask me what notes they have to bend to play in 12th I become an astrologer; I have to consult some charts or ask (one of the forum) stars.
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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atty1chgo
1042 posts
Aug 04, 2014
4:20 PM
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nacoran: you missed a few stalwarts of the "Chicago sound" ---
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