tookatooka
138 posts
Mar 01, 2009
10:25 AM
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I decided that I would refamiliarise myself with the top notes of the harp again after germanharpist posted details of what Michael Hirte was wowing the crowds with in Germany.
I've always liked Ave Maria as a piece of music and decided to give it a try. At first I thought it would be easy, but found I had to re-write it in order for me to play it. I can't do overblows yet and I think some may have been required.
What did I learn from this exercise?
1. To control the airflow. It was difficult after playing blues to modulate the airflow. You can let rip with Blues but I found I had to be real careful not to let go. I had to keep it in control very precisely.
2. Clear single notes.
3. Re-acquainting myself with the draw6 and draw7 divide where the note sequence reverses. After using mainly the first six holes I tended to ignore the other holes but now I feel I can integrate them into my playing more.
4. Generally gained more respect for the harp and realise there is more to playing than trying to blow the reeds out of the sound holes. There are some amazing nuances that can only be discovered with gentle playing and it has opened up a further area for discovery where tone and shaping notes is concerned.
5. Playing without a backing track or band, forces you to be more precise. You can hear every mistake and don't have the luxury of backing to partially cover up any wrong notes or errors.
I have attached my Ave Maria soundfile and would welcome any comments, suggestions, critiques etc. I know it's nowhere near perfect but would be keen to know what you guys thought of it. I'm hoping to improve on this in the future but this is where I am with it at the moment. Don't hold back, I can take it if you think it stinks.
Many thanks for any responses.
Forgot to mention. Suzuki Bluesmaster Key of A. Starting on 7 blow.
When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
Last Edited by on Mar 01, 2009 1:45 PM
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Aussiesucker
162 posts
Mar 01, 2009
2:38 PM
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Tooka- sounds great. You certainly must be putting in some woodshedding on this tune.
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tookatooka
139 posts
Mar 01, 2009
3:39 PM
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Yeah! Thanks Aussie. I'm ashamed to say it's taken the best part of a week.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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GermanHarpist
105 posts
Mar 02, 2009
6:42 PM
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Maybe you could try to do the hand vibrato like michael hirte. It looks kinda weird but I think it sounds really nice.
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http://www.youtube.com/germanharpist
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Oisin
126 posts
Mar 02, 2009
7:31 PM
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Lovely John...just lovely.
Oisin
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