Warbleman
42 posts
Jan 09, 2009
3:35 PM
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I'm supposed to give a harmonica lesson to someone soon who has never tried to play the harp or any other instrument in their entire lives. And I know that the first thing that you really need to work on is basically familiarizing yourself with the harp such as making single notes. But what other sort of topics would you guys (and gals) recommend touching on in the first lesson? 12 bar structure? Bending? Chordal Vamping? Etc...
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Blackbird
25 posts
Jan 09, 2009
3:52 PM
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My 2 cents:
Get them familiar with single notes and chords, and the diatonic scale - and teach them the relativity factor that means what you play on one is played the same on all, other than the key of the harp changing. Anyone new to lip pursing will be busy with that for a while unless they're naturals at it.
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Buddha
10 posts
Jan 09, 2009
3:58 PM
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honestly, you prolly should be giving lessons... BUT the first thing I do work on time and rhythm. I show them the train thing because they all seem to know about it. I also make them chug along with the drum machine on my keyboard.
I also show them how to get single notes. I teach pucker and tongue block. We use a straw and I show them airstream control. By the end of the 2nd lesson most players can bend, OB and place a scale.
By the third lesson, I get them into positions
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Warbleman
43 posts
Jan 09, 2009
4:08 PM
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Yeah, I'm totally with you Buddha about the rhythm thing. And I think its a wonderful idea to teach them a train song and have them chug along with a tempo.
But I'm not so sure I agree with you on the I probably should be giving lessons thing... haha... but I'm pretty much the only harp player in the county so I mean I guess if I really wanted to get into giving lessons I could have a monopoly on the market. haha
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Buddha
11 posts
Jan 09, 2009
4:32 PM
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I say you shouldn't give lessons because you're asking how to give lessons. Would you want a doctor to help you if he has to ask others how to give help?
I played for about 15 years before I ever took money for lessons. Teaching is an amazing way to learn!
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Warbleman
44 posts
Jan 09, 2009
5:07 PM
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Well you might want to check what you typed man. haha. Because you left out the all important "n't" in you initial statement. But for as for your doctor thing, I'm absolutly POSITIVE that doctors consult other doctors from time to time. Just saying... Oh, and I'm not taking money for these lessons, I'm doing it as a favor for one of my friends. She bought her husband a harmonica for Christmas and asked me to help him out.
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eharp
191 posts
Jan 09, 2009
5:18 PM
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show how to hold harp and play single notes.
teach them "taps" so they got something to show off afterwards.
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Buddha
12 posts
Jan 09, 2009
5:57 PM
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"She bought her husband a harmonica for Christmas and asked me to help him out."
Ahhh.... a true musician. That's how it starts, pretty soon, you've got girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, mistresses, wives (plural) and unknown children. LOL
When people ask me if I have kids, my standard answer is "probably...I'm a musician" Then I shrug my shoulders and wait for the expression on their face. PRICELESS
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Warbleman
45 posts
Jan 09, 2009
6:11 PM
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Haha. I like your sense of humor Buddha. But I think you've got it wrong... this time that is. lol
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TylerLannan
43 posts
Jan 09, 2009
6:26 PM
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I would go with what buddah said that's a good way to go. Another thing that my mentor had me do was work with a metronome when I first started playing. Explain playing on the up and the down beat. Single notes too though obviously. I still work with a metronome every day. It really helps with getting control of time.
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*you can only keep what you have by giving it away*
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KC69
48 posts
Jan 09, 2009
9:26 PM
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Requirement of Teaching: Only too be one step ahead of the student! I Say go for it. Have fun with it. Teach em a song /melody. Give them something to hook-em. My first song was Red River Valley. Took awhile, but once i got it I was hooked ! What song hooked you? Teach That.
Last Edited by on Jan 09, 2009 10:21 PM
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Tuckster
72 posts
Jan 09, 2009
10:48 PM
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Buddha-how successful are you at teaching beginners both lip and tongue blocking? I've always found TB a much more difficult technique and avoided it for way too long.Lip pursing seems more intuitive to me.I realize now it was a big mistake and I'm paying for it.When I'm "under the gun" to improvise, I fall back to LP.Slowly trying to overcome it,but it ain't easy. As for teaching: as long as you're not charging and not teaching wrong things, I say go for it. Once had a novice harp player tell me that a fellow player had told her that getting clean single notes was a waste of time!
Last Edited by on Jan 09, 2009 11:47 PM
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Buddha
13 posts
Jan 10, 2009
12:24 AM
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my method is to teach the harmonica and all techniques associated with it. Whatever kind of music they want to play is up to them. It's all about options and I discuss the pros and cons of each method. Most of my students have picked Puckering as the path but all of them have chosen to learn both.
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harmonicanick
103 posts
Jan 10, 2009
1:36 AM
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The most important thing, in my opinion, is to generate inspiration, enthusiasm and enjoyment in this pocket sized instrument of ours.
After all this student is going to be devoting many hours of practise...
A sense of fun goes a long way.
Take your student to an open mic, you play on stage and see what they like. It's so exciting to play with other muso's and the audience getting off.
Apart from showing techniques, we talk quite a bit during lessons and have a jam. The student chugs on 2 in, 2 out on 1/2/3 and I play over the top.
Oh and you enjoy yourself too. The student is parting with cash and the best deals are when both parties are happy!
Last Edited by on Jan 10, 2009 1:37 AM
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Jaybird
24 posts
Jan 10, 2009
9:44 AM
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My $0.02
The first thing you need to do is sit down with the student and discuss what style and level of playing he ultimately wants to achieve.
If his goal is to become a harmonica "musician" then a certain course of study should be followed. Most of the people at this forum fit into this category, and have lots of suggestions on how to proceed.
If on the other hand, your student wants to sound "pretty darn good" in a relatively short period of time without a whole lot of study, another approach can be considered. I think most ordinary folks would be satisfied with this.
I don't know for sure, but I'll bet that 99% of people who get a harmonica for Christmas never learn to play it properly.
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