Gunner
1 post
Jan 19, 2011
7:45 AM
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Hi all, I just wanted to introduce myself being a newbie here and on the harmonica. I have been into music all my life, playing the trumpet and French Horn in school. Keyboards and synths were my early passion and I still play around with them.
I like all kinds of music, very diverse here. I can be listening to classical and then switch right to some hard rock without a hiccup. The Blues are one of my favorites.
I have loved the harmonica for as long as I can remember and several times in the past said I was going to learn to play but never committed to it. This past Christmas I got myself another harp and thought I should start again so I have.
This time is different. It’s strange but in a good way. I have a harmonica with me everywhere I go. If I don’t I feel like I have left something important at home like my wallet. The first thing I think when I wake up in the morning, literally is “Where is my Harmonica”. Oh, on the bedside table where I put it last night right before going to sleep. I no longer listen to the radio in the car as that is a great time to play.
My kids and wife have accepted (I think) this now as the comments like “Please stop that” and “Daddy is playing that stupid harmonica” comments have stopped. The other day I showed my daughter how I can bend notes now and she was blown away with the coolness of it. I explained to her what overblowing was and that how long time players explain the amount of years they played before they could do it. I have set that as a goal now to be able to do it in the first year.
I want to send a big thank you out to Adam, Jason, and others who take a lot of personal time teaching us new folks the secrets that look them many years to learn. It takes a special talent to teach and good teachers have it naturally. There are a ton of pay sites on the net to teach you this stuff so having this type of talent giving this away because of the love of the instrument and the music to me is a blessing. Personal preferences, issues, etc. for me make no difference what so ever. Diversity in music is a good thing as well and it will ultimately bring more back for the musician to do and try things that others have not done before.
I have been listening daily to the list of must have’s on Adam’s list and have found more on my own searching around. When I really want to be inspired I go to youtube and listen to Jason play The Way I Hurt Myself. Truly amazing music in anyone’s book. Another master I found looking around (I later ran across Adam’s video on him, I did that backwards) is Brendan Power. How he does what he does and in so many genres is beyond me but I want to find out. I listen and watch his videos over and over.
Now for what I am doing. I don’t really read music but know that I need to learn. I am the type of person with a good ear and growing up could listen to a song, find the keys on the keyboard and pretty quickly figured it out and could play it. I had no idea what notes they were. Personally for me tone is the important thing. At this point I have played around with some riffs and simples songs but my focus is learning to play the instrument and make it sound good. I am finding that this is forcing me to learn the techniques in order to get good tone. I mainly improv at this point. I have been putting a lot of time playing single notes, playing 2 draw, mouth and throat vibrato, bending, breathing, etc. As I am improving I will accidently play a tune that sounds like a song I know and the next thing you know I am figuring out the tabs, playing it then move on.
I look forward to getting to know folks here and learning as much as I can and hopefully one day will be able to give back.
Glenn
Last Edited by on Jan 19, 2011 7:48 AM
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