I've always had trouble doing shakes. My problem is locking the shake to the beat with that classic triplet subdivision. After a while I drift from putting the lower note on the beat to putting the high note on the beat. Don't know why it's a problem, as other triplets (1/4 note and 1/8th note) are fine.
I can do them to an extent, but I won't be happy until it's totally automatic muscle memory and I can put the groove through them like people do.
Practice makes permanent, as they say, so you have to be practising the right thing. In my latest attempt to crack this nut I've made a set of reference 4-5 shakes on a D-harp at a range of different tempos. The idea is to play along with them and I can instantly hear when I'm slipping out of sync - so I then stop and reset right away. It's an experiment: reinforce the good habits and hopefully something magic will happen.
No one else seems to report a problem with shakes, but there you are. I put the reference recordings here (11 mp3s in a zip file) in case someone might benefit from them. But also, if anyone has any advice to offer (other than start slow :)) I'd be glad to hear it.
KingoBad - I'm not working hard enough, coz I've not got it yet :) But I'll try that, starting slow and see if it latches. There will be an answer. Maybe there will be a gamechanging moment, in which case it will be a sweet one.
Diggsblues - thanks for the video, all input is helpful. It's a particular timing prob I my case. I worked out the mechanics of making the two notes. Actually that took some experimenting too - what worked for me is a deep pucker embouchure and using the elastic lips thing. Rather than sliding the harp over the lips. Much more secure and no chafing!
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 21, 2015 10:38 AM
I've been practising my shakes (warbles, or quivers as LW called them according to the bio, or whatever you like apart from trills) with these tracks and it's helping. I knew you'd be pleased. Sadly no breakthroughs, but gradual improvement in timing.
But I have an upper speed limit. Maybe that will go up with time. And with a heavy mic in hand, that has an effect on the speed limit too.
I went back to a vid of Dr Feelgood with Lee Brilleaux playing an up-tempo, high-energy harp solo (starts just after 2mins). Before, I thought he was doing his shakes by bashing the high end of the harp with his right hand, but then it occurred to me that he was maybe taking hold of the harp it with his right hand and shaking it into his stationary left hand, holding the mic. I can't really see, but that chimed with something I'd read here - FloridaTrader saying he shook the harp using the other hand as a 'stop'.
Anyway, I tried it and it works really well, much easier to get a hi-speed shake, in time. OK, you have to break your acoustic cup, but it gives a great jangly, wild sound. I'm definitely going to use it in performance, while I work on the more refined technique at home.
Now I've found it, I'm sure I've read about it somewhere (not on MBH). It's not in Winslow's book I think.
Ok, lets get forensic. Snooky Pryor with his trademark shake at about 1min. This looks like the same technique. Shake with the right hand, mic stays still, head stays still. QED.
Diggs - that's just the kind of thing: controlled. That tempo is currently around upper limit of what I can do with head shake before the wheels start to fall off, timing-wise. Thanks for the good advice, but I definitely want to over-use it when I get it :)
marine1896 - Thanks. I've studied that vid a number of times, but for the hand effects. I always read that BW favoured the head shake. But what I see is at 1m45s he makes his left hand flat, and shakes the harp against it with his right hand. It's not in close-up at the point, but I think you can see his right cuff shaking, and nothing else moving much. Say if I'm wrong.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 31, 2015 6:38 AM
@MindTheGap; If I'm understanding you right, I would not worry about fitting this in a song right now, if I was you I would concentrate more on, what you have already but in short rapid bursts (I say this as you know about start slow and build up, but as you are already going from hole to hole I'm saying try short rapid bursts) and using your lip/mouth muscles for control apart from your head/hands these muscles will sort of hold it tight and will along with your jaw assist in bending while you shake your head/hands, when you get around to bending as you shake. But for now, don't over think it, draw on the the 4 and 5 or 3 and 4, make sure you are sounding both notes clear at different tempos/speed and once you feel you more control put it in a tune also, you can use both hands but as you get more competent you can just use one hand.
I call this a fast warble but I think everyone has different names for it.
Last Edited by marine1896 on Mar 31, 2015 8:00 AM
Ta. Short bursts, good idea. Starting and stopping the shake are definite areas of difficulty so that makes sense.
I do think I've found the way forward with this one-handed shake. Now it's been validated at least by example by Snooky, BW and Lee, I feel good about it :)
A practical problem with practising head shakes is that it's fatiguing. You can only practice them for so long. This alternative technique gets over that, so I've got a feeling it will improve my timing when I do come to do a head shake.
Anyhow, thanks for the interest and advice. Appreciated.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 31, 2015 10:51 AM
For completeness, I searched out the links below, where I read about what they call the 'Toothbrush Trill'. The advice is to not to do it, which I'm pleased to ignore. Although I think as described it includes sliding the harp over the lips in an uncontrolled way, rather than clamping on and working the divider between the holes.
I can now practise timing and embouchure for decent lengths of time and at hi-tempo without neck fatigue. I can feel it benefiting when I do do a shorter headshake, because the other ingredients are more secure.
I appreciate that for those people who picked this up easily, you'd be thinking why the fuss. Adam says in his vids that it's one of the first things he does with students. But I expect there are other learners out there who have trouble getting this just so. I've scoured every internet teaching resource and I can say that some shake demos from teachers were better than others, so clearly it's not like falling off a log for everyone.
This is not Junior in his prime. I would listen to some of his old records to really hear him play. I always thought Junior, Butterfield, James Cotton and Mussellwhite were the Modern Players. ----------
MindtheGap: I was happy to find the example with Junior, as I'd read the same articles as you. I can't do a headshake properly due to scrunching some vertebra when I was 17 (about 40 years back). My neck just won't move like that.
I'm practicing the toothbrush method in an attempt to keep it controlled and in time. It's slowly progressing. ---------- Marr's Guitars
Offering custom-built Cigar Box Guitars for the discriminating player of obscure musical unstruments
I see. There must be others in the same boat, with some restricted movement. Me, I just don't like the feel of the fast headshake. It's an odd movement. Although I'd probably put up with it if necessary.
