mickil
3 posts
Feb 01, 2009
3:40 PM
|
I know this may sound crazy, but when practicing unaccompanied stuff that doesn't have any silences in it, e.g. Adam's YouTube lesson number 10 - great little piece to mess around with - I find that I have to pause to swallow after a verse or two, and this ruins the flow of the music.
This may sound trivial, but Adam manages to get through it for a couple of minutes or so without apparently having that problem and it bothers me that I can't do the same.
I've come back to the harp after a break - I've given up giving up - so I know that a lot of stuff just comes over time as long as you don't get too hung up about it. But, this is driving me nuts. I don't remember having this problem before, but neither do I remember playing anything without the usual pauses that occur in harp music.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
----------
'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2009 3:42 PM
|
Leanground
44 posts
Feb 01, 2009
5:43 PM
|
Not touchin' that one.....
|
gene
123 posts
Feb 01, 2009
6:33 PM
|
:D
I'm trying very hard to refrain from stating what harmonica players do and what they don't do...
|
gorignak
8 posts
Feb 01, 2009
7:24 PM
|
No comment on the post, but man do I LOVE Frank Zappa.
|
Philosofy
134 posts
Feb 01, 2009
7:33 PM
|
A harp player might suck, but they don't swallow. :)
|
mickil
4 posts
Feb 02, 2009
3:05 AM
|
Aside from the obvious sexual connotation of the title I gave this thread - and it did cross my mind to re-phrase it - I was making a genuine point.
If you want to take my question a bit more seriously then I'll elaborate and hope that I get a response from someone who wants to offer me some well considered advice.
Most music consists of phrases that are built up into sentences which, in turn are built into paragraphs, i.e. call and response, verse and song.
On some instruments there are fewer physical restrictions that determine how you join these phrases together, e.g. a piano. On the other hand, some instruments are played in such a way that you have to think more carefully about how you shape your phrases, as in the case of a violin: the bow can only travel so far before it has to go back the other way.
Obviously, on the harp you have to breath; that's our bow. However, like I said when posting this thread, until recently I'd never tried to play anything that didn't give you a pause to swallow (stop chuckling now, those sitting in the back).
@ Philosofy: see how long you can go without swallowing, either playing the harp or not. Time it.
I suppose the wording I used for this thread was inviting the kind of toilet humor I got. I can take a joke as well as the next person; that's four jokes in a row.
Maybe I'm thinking too much about the whole thing, but it really did start to bother me that I can't seem to play that piece I mentioned above without having to break the natural cadences of the music to do the S word.
Anyone out there who's had the same thought / problem, your thoughts would be appreciated. In the meantime, I'll keep working at it and see if I can fix it myself.
----------
'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Feb 02, 2009 4:13 AM
|
Leanground
45 posts
Feb 02, 2009
4:29 AM
|
Couldn't resist the straightline.
I'm trying to incorperate more tongue blocking and saliva is more evident, I think it will subside as we get more efficient with these new techniques and the ingestion thereof becomes less of a problem
|
mickil
5 posts
Feb 02, 2009
4:49 AM
|
@ Leanground: I'm a fairly dry player, and therefore I've got into the habit of putting my head down a bit to try and get gravity to put more saliva on the cover plates. I hate it when my mouth is so dry that I stick to the thing. Perhaps doing the opposite would be good for wet players.
@ anyone: If I'm talking nonsense, I'd be grateful to anyone who could let me know. After all, I'm still just learning.
----------
'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
|
jbone
8 posts
Feb 02, 2009
5:32 AM
|
mickil,
in all seriousness, i am wondering if the extra saliva is getting in the way of playing? does it flood the interior of the harp? is it more a drool thing that is obvious to an audience, say? i usually don't do pieces that won't allow me some space i guess. but also, timing is everything. i anticipate my next move almost by instinct and maybe i swallow excess saliva just between notes. i don't recall having this come up as an issue. also, between songs i always tap my harp out on my palm or jeans leg to get the excess out.
i'd say if it isn't impeding the air through your harp, or making you look like a drooler, don't worry about it and just clear it up at the song's end.
as for the lips being too dry and hanging up on the cover plates- how hard do you press the harp into your mouth? i usually put the harp deep in between my lips for tb but i don't hold it real tight, i depend on my lips to make the seal i need. and i move the harp gently between notes.
i have to think about these things, i've played a long time and it's almost unconscious, what i do to address these sorts of issues. i do remember well how early on, when all i used was marine bands-pretty much all i could get in the mid 70's-, and the night was progressing, the comb would be soaked and swell out. more than once i would be a bit tipsy, and over zealous, and end up taking a layer of skin off of my lips! but as i said that was some decades ago, harps have changed, i have changed, for the better. rarely these days do i have an issue with flooding out a reed or damaging my lips.
|
Philosofy
135 posts
Feb 02, 2009
5:52 AM
|
mickil,
I'm not sure I've ever had a problem with saliva, at least not for years. Maybe its because I'm used to having a harp in my mouth, and don't salivate as much. Also, I always seem to have pauses in my music to swallow. They guy here who plays blistering 20 minute solos without a pause is Jason Ricci: his name here is Violin Cat. He would probably be the guy to ask.
|
oldwailer
478 posts
Feb 02, 2009
5:53 AM
|
Well, I do sometimes have the problem of not having time to swallow. On a solo like "Bye Bye Bird," where I am playing and singing full-time without pauses, is when it will happen. Especially when tongue blocking.
I find that I have this problem less if I keep my mouth hydrated. That is, I rinse my mouth with a bit of water before trying such a piece. I know, this is counter intuitive--putting more liquid in there can't work--but it does for me--if I remember to swallow well before starting the song.
On the problem of getting the lips too dry--I get that one a lot. Again--stay hydrated and take a nanosecond now and then to lick your lips. (Peals of laughter from the bleachers). It was called "Magic Dick and his lickin stick--" When it gets dry & sticky, you just can't maneuver the harp fast enough to play--simply licking your lips and keeping the harp wet makes it all easier for me--No matter how gross it might sound. . .
Last Edited by on Feb 02, 2009 5:56 AM
|
mickil
7 posts
Feb 02, 2009
8:08 AM
|
Thanks for your thoughts.
@ jbone: I think that I may have a tendency to push the harp in harder than is necessary, especially when getting a bit carried away. It probably also has the effect of tensing a player up, which won't help at all.
@ oldwailer: I'm glad I'm not the only one who's thought about the swallowing thing. I was starting to feel like I really am crazy!
----------
'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
|
GermanHarpist
59 posts
Feb 02, 2009
2:46 PM
|
Drinking (water), like oldwailer says, is never a bad idea. Otherwise I think its just one of the things that will go away with time (with practicing).
----------
http://www.youtube.com/germanharpist
|
Preston
111 posts
Feb 02, 2009
2:53 PM
|
I think German is right. Practice and a conscience effort not to drown your harp will improve over time. I used to have that problem, but don't anymore.
|
mickil
8 posts
Feb 03, 2009
1:05 PM
|
Many thanks fellas. I suppose that practicing WITHOUT getting up tight will solve most of these little annoyances.
P.S.
@ GermanHarpist: hope the nose-click / op thing goes well.
----------
'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited by on Feb 03, 2009 1:07 PM
|
GermanHarpist
61 posts
Feb 03, 2009
3:05 PM
|
@ mickil. Not thinking about that too much at the moment. There are too many other things to do and it doesn't impair my playing too much so I will tackle that later.
(Ok, to be real: Once I can confront the panic of waking up in the morning after the op with terrible pains in my nose I will find the way to the doctor... ;)
----------
http://www.youtube.com/germanharpist
|
