danielbs
1 post
Jul 19, 2008
10:41 AM
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Hello everybody...
A couple of days ago i bought Adam's harmonica beginners starter pack. its GREAT.
my only problen is hitting the 2&3 draw (on Floyd's Hotel) - when i use them they sound like my cat when she is hungry....
Any advice on making a clear nice tone ?
THANKS IN ADVANCE
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TBone69
20 posts
Jul 19, 2008
11:03 AM
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Check out Adams second lessson on You Tube that will get you on the right track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Gcchw5rkM
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danielbs
2 posts
Jul 19, 2008
12:17 PM
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Did that,i still sounds like hell...i think i need to practice a whole lot more !
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TBone69
21 posts
Jul 19, 2008
6:10 PM
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When I first picked up the Harp I could draw on the 2&3 no problem.
Then I read in a book I picked up that the 2 hole draw was the hardest to do and most beginers could not do it and think something is wrong with the harp.
Guess what after that I could no longer get a 2 hole draw and it took me a long time to get it back.
What helped me is Adams kissing guarame fish face. Make a fish face, drop your jaw as far as you can and draw in and hold it for a 4 count. Then exhale, do that a few times a day and you will soon have it.
Keep with it and you will get there. Good luck and have fun.
TBone
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Tryharp
2 posts
Jul 20, 2008
4:47 AM
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The best advice I got for sounding the 2 hole draw is - when you draw in, also breath in through your nose a bit at the same time. It worked for me!
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danielbs
3 posts
Jul 21, 2008
11:58 AM
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I think it kinda workes when inhaling a bit of air through the nose...but i fill my self full of air quickly....
THANKS for the advice...
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Anonymous
Guest
Aug 22, 2008
7:37 PM
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I know this is an older message but there is a trick I have been using with my students for years, that so far, has worked within seconds.
Get a drinking straw. Yep, just a plain old drinking straw and stick it in your mouth and start sucking. Now move the open end of the straw while you are sucking, up towards the ceiling. You may feel the air constrict, DON'T LET IT. Maintain a full airstream, if you can get a full stream of air while sucking on a straw that is ALMOST straight up and down you can bend a note. Keep sucking air, pull out the straw and replace with a harp. The note will bend!
Do the opposite for overblows. This was tested en masse last week at SPAH where I got at least 22 people to OB in about 20 seconds and they did it on stock harps many of which were lee oskars.
Drop me a note on youtube if you have further questions.
Good Luck.
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Chris Michalek
Guest
Aug 22, 2008
7:38 PM
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I know this is an older message but there is a trick I have been using with my students for years, that so far, has worked within seconds.
Get a drinking straw. Yep, just a plain old drinking straw and stick it in your mouth and start sucking. Now move the open end of the straw while you are sucking, up towards the ceiling. You may feel the air constrict, DON'T LET IT. Maintain a full airstream, if you can get a full stream of air while sucking on a straw that is ALMOST straight up and down you can bend a note. Keep sucking air, pull out the straw and replace with a harp. The note will bend!
Do the opposite for overblows. This was tested en masse last week at SPAH where I got at least 22 people to OB in about 20 seconds and they did it on stock harps many of which were lee oskars.
Drop me a note on youtube if you have further questions.
Good Luck.
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kudzurunner
85 posts
Aug 23, 2008
5:03 AM
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Thanks, Chris. I'm sorry I missed SPAH--I was at Blues Week over in Northampton, UK--but anybody who is getting the masses to overblow is doing the right thing! I got four or five to OB in about five minutes, too, but your description is elegant. I'm excerpting it to my FAQ's.
--Adam
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danielbs
13 posts
Aug 23, 2008
10:18 AM
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Thanks Chris.
I'll try your interesting method just as soon as i'll get my hands on a straw...it seems they are always around except when i'm actually looking for one...
Meanwhile - i upgraded my harmonica to a Suzuki Bluesmaster, and it seems to be much easier to draw on the 2nd hole...
The blue 3rd is my next challenge.
Cheers
Daniel
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MD1032
8 posts
Aug 24, 2008
6:27 PM
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I also had a huge problem getting the 2 and 1 draw working when I started. As a woodwind player, it was a huge hurdle to overcome to teach myself to not use too much air. I solved this temporarily by letting air in through my nose and the harp simultaneously. To this day I still use that technique, because I find that it really gives me a powerful 2 draw. I can seal off the nose and make things work just fine today (I have to or I end up with too much air in my lungs), but it took a long time before my diaphragm and such were able to come down to the level that a harmonica needs... which is almost no air at all. Keep that in mind when you're practicing. Less air is definitely more with the harmonica in terms of control and tone. Practice playing reasonably softly (you should be able to do everything at a solid piano, then work your way up from mezzo forte to forte to fortissimo), then learn what the upper limit of what you can put through it without sacrificing tone over time. It took me a long time to get closer to that limit. The best harp players ride that limit on every single note.
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