So, there was a lot of mostly positive comments to the entries of the competition. Some people may be cautious when commenting because they don't want to step on others toes.
Post your vid (of the competition or otherwise) here when you want people to tell you honestly what they believe... Criticism wanted!
IF SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS TO POST A VIDEO, PLEASE POST IT IN THE FOLLOW-UP THREAD (here). THIS WILL ALLOW ENOUGH ROOM FOR DISCUSSION.
Although I preferred the harmonica in my second take (pretty much the best I can do), I posted the first take in the competition because it had structure - and the other one hasn't.
The negative. A little too much of the 5 draw to 4 draw for me. And there's a riff you do a couple of times from 6 blow to 5 draw to 4 draw which I think has a slight problem with timing.
The positive. I don't like my Seydel's tone, but you make it sound good - it's very sweet and mellow and suited to this older style of playing. I especially like the vibrato on the 2 draw. Something I've noticed about SBW is the way the pure notes are tempered by a kind of gentle white noise that isn't air or leakiness, it's just slightly indistinct tonality which adds sweetness, and you've got that. Whereas when I play, all I can hear is the pitch of the notes, and it's a bit harsh.
Second Take. I didn't like it. I didn't like the singing at first, then you completely went for jokiness. Yes, it was less structured than the first, and the unbent 3 draws were wrong - it should have been minor key throughout, except for the last chord.
I think if you work more on refining your breath power it could do wonders for your playing dynamics.
Play a little less hard on the hard notes. Force yourself to relax your chest and shoulders by leaning back a little which provides you more stability to control your breathing.
You probably shouldn't scat. :p But I think there's some interesting possibilities if you sing more.
The one you posted for the competition, you play more accompaniement of the song, while on the other take you play solo all along. The best would be mixing the two attitudes, because I find that in the "solo" take you play too much. Silences are very important, especially in slow blues (think about Sonny Boy W. for example).
What I like in that take : it's expressive, more than effective. There are very good intentions in it. If you began by playing slow and then faster, rather than the opposite, the solo would be more balanced, I think.
About the other take : I don't like it when you scat, I feel it spoils the effect of what you play on the harp, by disturbing the attention. The singing is ok, could be better of course, but it's entertaining.
Generally speaking, I like the way you play, I find good moments in both takes. Bien joué !
I'll be honest - it was the scat singing that put me off. I didn't 'understand' what you were trying to do and I didn't like what I heard. It distracted me from the playing.
it's boring and you come off as a soft player. I do not believe you are a soft person.
You are playing with intention but you need to ATTACK the notes. And you need to make better use of your hands. Be dynamic, through some wahs in to accentuate certain notes. They way you're using your hands in the vid seemingly only muffles of the sound of the harp and nothing else. While that can be a useful effect there was no musical correlation to how you were doing it. It seemed like you just put your other hand up there because you didn't know what to do with your free hand.
Play along with the music again and try driving the music rather than reacting to it. You know where the changes are so bring us though a journey from point to point.
When I listen to music critically, one of the first questions I ask myself is "Does this player have a voice that stands out?" The answer here is NO. You're a performer and if you play like that in front of an audience, people are going to get up and get another beer or leave. When you perform, you have the exude "HERE I AM" Energy. Command respect don't ask for it.
Think about being in the middle of a very large crowd and you need to get the attention of everybody. What would you do?
That said, you're very much an above average player. Your technique is very good. Its time for you to stop thinking about technique and the harmonica in general. Start developing the more important parts of music. Feel, Groove, Dynamics, Time, etc.
GH, I'm going to go out on a limb here (that I will probably get shot down off of) and tell you to keep scatting if that is what you are moved to do. Don't listen to the guys that tell you to quit.
The first time I listened to you I though what in the hell is he doing, then it actually grew on me. I must confess that I am not a huge fan of old school blues. I prefer a more "Rockin Blues" with an evil sound. One that makes you wanna get rowdy and drink whiskey.
I hear that potential in your playing. Maybe that's not what you were going for, so I don't mean to offend you. But I think if you put a band behind you playing an dark, dangerous, laid back beat and you stepped up the mic and started that scatting with amplified and distorted harp fills... you may have something new and different.
I'm going to second what Buddha said about how you use your hands. It's something I'm working on too, but you're sound could be so much more focused if you kept a proper cup the whole time. I was reading about resonance somewhere recently, and who ever was writing pointed out that a players resonant space starts at the diaphragm and ends at the finger tips. That statement made it clear to me that you can't be really fully resonant unless you use your hands properly. So that's what I'm working on, and I think you could do it too. ---------- -------------- The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Alroght, not that I posted my critisism of GH, I wnat to hear what he thinks of me. I'm coming up on my two-year mark for playing harp, and I know I need to be ripped a new one by all you peoples! I want to get crtisism like that that Buddha and Andrew gave, but would appreciate not being calle dprematurely bald! ;) Actually, someone called me "Ray Romano" in a YT comment recently. That's super funny!
WOW, thanks everybody for the comments. Some very good points... I've got a little stress at the moment, so I'm kinda missin time to spend on harpin... However, I will continue practicing and when I have time, I will post another go at the jam track, incorporating your suggestions.
Thread bookmarked...
isaacuallah, I'll try to work out some criticism...
So, its closing in 2am, n my brain activity is blkanlnd... kdajsf..
Plus I'm really bad with criticizing...
But enough of the excuses,... I would like to envelope the points in some kind of text, too much work....
cons: -the notes are often attacked very hard (that could be the amp though... there's some kind of peak of intensity at the beginning) so IMO a softer attack would be nice. (-the breath control. Often the tone fluctuates in strength/volume/tone..) -the vibrato isn't very obvious. (you really have to listen to hear that you use it quite a lot) and sometimes - sorry - it could be confused with a weak breath control. (so maybe my previous point isn't really relevant) -you play very little riffs, and the -2'', -2 and -2'', -2, -3',-2 riffs get boring after a while.
pros: -you follow the progression -nice little microtonal thingies on the 3 draw [e.g. 1:18-:20] but I don't know how intentional they were. -nice 4 bend.
suggestions: -some more 2note action: e.g. [1:30] sounds very cool.
btw. isaac: I meant to write isaacullah,.. (but isn't there a little allah in all of us?)
@geordiebluesman: I just read your comment on the voting thread, I'm flattered :)
To all that criticized: I have a (little bit) bad concious that I don't have the time to go into your comments (I'd love to, but I have to sleep). But rest assured that I will take them all to heart. A lot of very good comments,... Thank you, Harpfriends.
Yeah, I stink at giving brutal honest criticism. I always think to myself that a guy like me who has only been playing for a short amount of time doesn't have any business telling someone else what they should or shouldn't do. BUT on the other hand I actually value any critisicm from players of all levels on my own playing. Funny, huh?
Alright: everybody do your worst.
Actually I would like to start out with a self critic:
#1 Tone stinks. Doesn't fill the room. #2 Stiff, no feeling #3 Went for the big 10 blow bend and missed it. I think I recovered/hid it well, but I still missed it all the same. #4 Harp didn't command the attention or song.
So what the hell was I thinking: Well I was thinking the first 2 choruses should be the harp and guitar kinda comping/playing melody with each other. When the track went laid back and higher in notes I felt like that was the time to solo, and the last 12 bars was an all together romp for all instruments to get down together. The biggest mistake was not grabbing the listeners attention with the first few notes.
BORING!!! Your playing is distracted, put yourself into the music. The mark of a good musician is one that ALWAYS plays at 100%. Always bring your "A" Game. If you don't practice that way how are you going to play that way?
Like with GH, learn to attack your notes. I feel you are just playing licks. PLAY WITH INTENTION. Make me, the listener, feel like you are playing that note for me and purposely.
There is a lot of tension across your shoulders and back. You need to relax!!! Try putting one hand in your lap as you play, this will make it hard for you to tense up.
at 3:16 you should have just held that note and let the music breathe underneath you. Instead you chose to fill up every possible second.
Remember, even as the lead soloist you are still a support member TO THE MUSIC.
Overall, your biggest issues are that you are a reactive player and you do not let the music unfold. Let it breath.
Thanks GH for giving some honest and GOOD criticism. It's interesting that the note attack style is coming up i all our critiques. That must one of those dag subtleties that Adam keeps bringing up in his vids! It's interesting to me that my vibrato doesn't come through to listeners. I use diaphragm vibrato (i'm odd that way) and when I'm playing it sounds very clear to me, but i guess it doesn't project very well. That's definately something big to work on. I'm glad you hear what I was doing on the 3 draw. That IS something I was doing on purpose, but I'm not sure how well it came through in the context of the other stuff i was doing. I also know that I need to expand my riff repertoire, so your comments there are appreciated.
I don't feel like I'm in the position to "criticize", mainly because of my own level and because most of the stuff you guys did sounded pretty good to me (considering everybody's level) The reason why I put up a video early in the race was because I wanted to avoid sounding like the previous entry, which is most likely what would have happened (I should have spend more time on it though) . . Still, if you guys can find the time, I would appreciate your feedback (pun intended)
Well .... you asked for it.... GH- the 1st two times I listened to your entry, I didn't like the scatting so much (the talking/singing however I did) Then I listened to it with headphones on.. and... you know what... it sounded kind of cool and in a weird way appropriate.... go figure...think you're a helluva player...
Isaac - GH said it all... actually I would have liked to hear you play without an amp, just you, Old Wailer's track and your harp.... maybe later...?
Preston - Same as Isaac, I would like to have heard your acoustic version. I like that you didn't use so many notes though. I'm a "more is less" kind of a person....
Isaac, since you mention me by name, I'll try to say something, but basically I think GH nails it with: -
"-you play very little riffs, and the -2'', -2 and -2'', -2, -3',-2 riffs get boring after a while."
What I'd add is you rely too much on long, long draw notes, especially the 2 (when people point out that it's the most important note, they don't mean it's the one you should play the most), so that I'm afraid you're taking in so much air you're going to explode. Are you afraid of silence?
Thinking about it, John Gindick's Rock 'n' Blues Harmonica would be a good investment for you. He classes notes as resolution notes, tension notes, passing notes; and relying so much on the 2 draw resolution note means that you don't create any tension.
Last Edited by on May 06, 2009 11:37 PM
"When I listen to music critically, one of the first questions I ask myself is 'Does this player have a voice that stands out?'...if you play like that in front of an audience, people are going to get up and get another beer or leave. When you perform, you have [to] exude 'HERE I AM' Energy. Command respect don't ask for it."
OK, Chris, explain Willie Nelson's popularity to me! ;-)
I think I understand what Chris wants to say with that...
"Command respect don't ask for it." is a very good advice,.. a very destilled way of putting it.
I think Willie Nelson's got that voice that stands out, the "Here I am" Energy and he commands respect so this really is a pretty good description, IMO. (all in a musical sense of course...)
Dutchbones, I see what you mean with that we're not really in the the position to criticize. My sports teacher always said: you can only criticize if you don't make any mistakes...
Anyway,... the only thing that came to mind when I listened to your playing was that the 3 hole bend wasn't very exact. There are so many little articulations that you can achieve with the 3 bend, as there are more or less four notes that you can hit between the 3 hole bend a whole note and the 3 unbent: the three bent a whole step (the major second), three bend a half step (minor third), the blue third and the 3 unbent (major third)....
Dutchbones: Here's my two cents. You've seen my vid, so you know my ability level and where these comments are coming from. Pros: EXCELLENT use of hands to shape your sound. Some really good fast short riffs. Intonation is mostly very good (see below for exceptions). You have some very expressive and interesting runs. Cons: Some messy intonation on several notes, especially near the changes and when you try to play loud for emphasis. TOO much space sometimes. With only guitar and harp (no singing) those empty spaces seem larger than they really are to the listener. Timing gets funny around these pauses too.
I hope you find those comments useful. I know what you mean about not thinking you are able or even should be criticizing others, but I really feel that criticism helps both the criticizer and the criticized improve on the aspects that have been criticized. How are we all to improve if no one will tell us where we are going wrong? It's better to get criticism from such a friendly and private place as this than to never be criticized until you step on a public stage with others. SO... In the light of what I just said, I hope that you DO criticize my playing!
Preston: I'll preface my critique by saying I think you are loads better than I am! :)
Still, here are a few things I heard. 1) Your timing was off, especially in the beginning. 2) The high notes you hit at near the end were shrill sounding. Are you making appropriate adjustments to your embouchure/resonant space when you go up high? Could be just the overblows though. 3) I think Buddah was right that it got boring after a while. Pleasant still, but a bit boring.
Isaac : my comment will rejoint Andrew's about the long notes you play. The same notes, but cut short, would sound much better (and would allow some spaces to fill if you want, but silences after short notes would create an interesting tension).
Isaac, Preston and Dutchbones : I'd say you all rely too much on the same sounds and notes, there's a lack of surprise. Don't be afraid to let it go sometimes !
Thanks Gloth and Andrew! Plenty of useful stuff to get me motivated to work on! Andrew: I have harmonica For Dummies,a nd Winslow Yerxa does the same thing with the tension, resolution, and passing notes. I'll re-read that for sure and try to start to incorporate that knowledge into my playing. I've always heard good things about the Gindick book. Is it generally useful for things past the beginners stage? I have Harmonica For Dummies, the Harp Handbook (Steve Baker), several of the David Harp books (Music Theory for harmonica, Bending the Blues, etc), as well as one of the Steve Baker Playalong books. Can anyone recommend other books that would be useful past the beginners stage? ---------- -------------- The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Isaac, I'd say that Gindick's book/CD is for beginners, but I think I'm advanced intermediate and yet I wouldn't say I have no use for his book, so I think it maybe has hidden depths (as long as you're not too expert).
Germanharpist- Solid technique and note choice, however, it feels like you have a lot of emotion to put into the music, yet it feels like you're holding back a bit... let that emotion out, make your harmonica wail!
Isaacullah- I noticed a very noticable weakness at the start- the first note sounds like it should be a blue third, but you didn't bend it far enough. Try using a bendometer or a tuner to get that flat third more in tune. Also, try to expand to more of the harp, it sounds like you're stuck at the first 3 holes a lot of the time.
Preston- read what I wrote for Germanharpist, that applies to you too. Don't be afraid to make your harp wail, and I notice you had a couple overblows in there- kudos!
Dutchbones- nice use of space! It's hard to tell from the images on the video, but it sounds like like you're using a somewhat fluffy (for lack of a better word) hand vibrato. Maybe that is just your style and how you like to sound, however I think that your playing would greatly benefit from the incorporated a nice strong throat or even mouth vibrato into your playing.
Please don't be offended if my advice seems insulting in any way; I'm just trying to help you all to improve.
I'll join the club and submit my video for criticism here... any advice to help me to the next level is greatly appreciated.
---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
Last Edited by on May 07, 2009 4:13 PM
I have the booklet that Howard Levy and I wrote for the harmonica summit. It's very good and comes with a play along CD that was made by Howard. I have 2-3 physical copies but I've been thinking about digitizing it. Would you guys be interested in such a thing? I would just post it for free but I can't because Howard is part of it and I feel obligated to split all $$ with him.
Thanks Isaac and everybody so far for the critique. I'm really enjoying this little thing we have going here so far!
Patrick, there are more than a couple overblows in my take: about 15! I also managed to hit the 7 overdraw in there twice, something I've been able to do for awhile, but am just now working into my playing. I gotta say I think you are an awesome player for only playing as long as you have, and you definetely put the feeling in it. Did you play another instrument before, or have musical training?
Chris, your comment about my biggest problem being a reactive player and not letting it unfold. I'm not sure I get it: are you saying I am reacting to my last riff and not the music itself? As far a s booklet/play along cd I would be interested in that. I think paying for it is more than fair. You and Howard are musicians and entitled to money for your craft.
hey preston- I wasn't paying all that close attention to the overblows but that's very impressive! I still need to learn to overdraw and improve my overblows myself. I also have been playing piano for a very long time as well as trumpet, so my 1.5 years of playing harp is really not a good way to judge since I got a huge headstart in musical theory and improvisation know-how from piano. ---------- "Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
you have to DRIVE the music. You play like a sideman and not a soloist. During something like that where you're the lead player you have to show that it's YOUR song.
Sorry to use me as an example but listen to some of the clips I posted, there are times where I am listening and reacting to the band and other times where the band is reacting to me. I'm the lead player so I have to drive the tune. This is most evident in the Jazz Gun recording. Listen to how I establish what is being played and listen to how I put myself away when others are playing. From the moment the music started playing, I stepped in and turned it into something. I had no idea what I was going to play but I just played anyway as if it were a real song.
The music, the groove is nothing more than a canvas for you to paint on.
Does that make sense?
Last Edited by on May 07, 2009 7:37 PM
OK! This has gotten to be a great thread! Here's my two cents--although I'm in no way a good critic and I don't like coming in after Chris has weighed in--he always spots the exact thing so well.
I only have time to make one major point per entry. And sorry, but I don't have the time for a lot of strokes--but this thread is to get down to it, right?
1) GH; when I looked at your entry during the judging phase of the contest, I took the scatting to be a kind of sarcasm that seemed to be either making fun of yourself or the music. The harp showed some really nice technique, but was too timid to really turn on my lights.
2) Isaac-- I like the way you attempt to establish a melody and follow it. I think the idea of the melody fails because you don't continue to follow it and embellish on it. It would have been better to just start the tape over when you lose it.
3)Preston--like Isaac--you have a really cool melodic idea--it starts getting boring--then at around 1:50 gets really cool--then strays back into boring.
4) Dutch-- nice restraint and use of the wahs! You might have a sharp or flat reed on the 3 draw--or it's not intoned right--Overall, in re-listening as I type this, I kind of wonder why I didn't vote for you--it's really nice--just a bit dull.
5) Patrick--I like yours very much, so I won't try to get too carried away with criticism. I just think you might want to show a little respect for your elders and not play so damn much better than me!
OK--I think I got around to everybody who posted here--here's mine--rip away! I can take it--I've been missing notes on one instrument or another for over 50 years. . .
Thanks to all of you for taking the time and effort to comment on my video. All your opinions/comments are greatly appreciated and I will try to incorporate them in my playing.... isn't the internet a fantastic thing?
Wailer - I'll be back for your video later on when I have more time... ---------- DutchBones Tube
I'm really embarrassed because I had a little 1GB USB mp3 player which I could have recorded myself on. But I can't find it, and I've got a horrible feeling I threw it away the day I bought my iPod. It was the only microphone I possessed, and I don't have a camera either.
A group of bike fans meet every time they have the chance and talk about their bikes...which one is faster, more beautiful, better priced, how to tune them up, you name it.... they also help each other and new comers to their group with fixing their bikes... Then, one day, this guy drives his bike into the center of the group, gets of his bike and says "This is my bike" "take a look at it and tell me what's good or bad about it !" Now, some people in the group were surprised about the new bike(r) and offered advice, but some members of the group first reaction was "Who ARE you?" "Don't you at least introduce yourself?" This new guy perhaps had watched the group from a distance over the past few weeks or months and felt he knew everybody, but the members of the group never had laid eyes on him and to some of them he was a stranger with a demand.... So the new guy introduces himself and even the people who were surprised before, felt more comfortable with the new guy and took a look at his bike... The End
Hi my name is DutchBones, I am a harpoholic..... welcome to the forum Infra.... ---------- DutchBones Tube
Last Edited by on May 08, 2009 10:29 PM
Infraro, the only thing I hear, is that you haven't really worked on any vibrato yet. Otherwise you have most of your techniques down. Some nice riffs...
I also liked your other vids, nice band you've got going there.
and... oh,yes. welcome to the forum. Be sure to check ou the where are you from? thread.
Old Wailer - just a matter of personal taste, but I would have liked it more if you "extended" the notes sometimes. Almost every riff ends with "chopped off" notes (to my ears) Letting them linger on a little more at the end of a riff and trailing them off from time to time might be nice.. I do like the way you used chords because it makes it more bluesy (my vid is all single notes)
Infraro - Looks like we are fellow countrymen, I'm from Amsterdam (left about 30 years ago though) Just watched your vids on youtube (thanks to GH).... Seems like you learned a lot in a short time (1 year?) I like that you put a lot of variation in your play and still make it sound like it is the same song... Like GH, I would suggest that you spend more time on your vibrato, there are some very good lessons available on youtube (but you probably knew that already) Maybe one suggestion would be to relax (your shoulders) more when you are playing, if you do, your sound will improve and you will feel also a lot better if you are playing for a longer period of time.
Probably should have posted this on the "Should Harpers be Singers" thread but couldn't resist the chance to let everyone criticize my guitar playing, harping and singing.
I thought that was excellent, dwfdlg! The only criticism I could make is that the voice and the harp are a bit diffident and seem to be no more than an accompaniment to the guitar rather than the other way round, but it may just be an effect of the mic in the harp's case.
Last Edited by on May 09, 2009 8:01 AM
Busted. That's what decades of guitar looks like against a couple years of harp. You're right though, I was more worried about getting through the take than going for broke.
Next time, I'll wait for the sun to go down. Blues is better at night.
I know the feeling - I've played piano and oboe for audiences, but I've never been so nervous as in front of a tape-recorder!
You've given me an opportunity for a thread-drift - your bad!: - I know people who like to listen to music in the evenings and sometimes in the dark too, but I always preferred about 11AM in the blinding sunlight - I find it adds to the sensations flooding my brain, and that's good!
Last Edited by on May 10, 2009 1:41 AM
Perhaps the distinction is in listen vs. play. What I need is to "give into" the song and perform it. Kind of flood-like, but in the sense that the act of performing it completely crowds out self-judgement and stage fright. Maybe it just comes down to confidence. It's not like I'm playing for a living here.
