sopwithcamels266
215 posts
Oct 16, 2009
12:02 PM
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The biggest failing to the Harp player or any muso on any instrument for that matter is
LACK OF ENTHUSIASM
All too often I notice like rotten apples people posting their lack of this and that.Negative s...
Just one can upset the whole apple cart right.
Mind set is everything. Get that right and stick to it like glue.( It sorts out the big guns for sure)
I often read on this sight things like ("way beyond their years" etc etc.)
Ha ha means nothing. Age should be no factor you either dig what the cats doing or not.
Experience ha ha well thats a different issue and been debated on these boards before.
I like many many others have admired Kudzurunner for his harp work.
Me, well we can all take a leaf out of his book( thats a mataphor by the way ha ha).
His sustained ENTHUSIASM for what he does.
I would say keep the boards positive positive and drop any neg vibe.
When the neg stuff comes in I think its right to clamp down on it real hard.
So for me it's about Mind set, and above all playing for the right reasons and understanding that.
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Last Edited by on Oct 16, 2009 12:04 PM
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arzajac
63 posts
Oct 16, 2009
12:50 PM
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"His sustained ENTHUSIASM for what he does."
Correct me if I am wrong, but hasn't Adam put down the harp for years at a time?
Is this then part of the process to sustain your enthusiasm?
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mickil
564 posts
Oct 16, 2009
12:51 PM
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I agree with you, at least in part.
When I first tried to learn harp - around '90, I think - there simply wasn't the mass of information that there is now. I new I wasn't making the thing sound like I wanted it to, but, to paraphrase Doc G, 'I tried to figure it out from the records, but I just couldn't do it.'
For me, there was no lack of enthusiasm; rather, the task just seemed beyond me: like trying to train for Wimbledon when you've never played tennis.
Still, quibbling aside about enthusiasm versus knowledge, you make a valid point. It can be incredibly daunting when you hear top pros and compare what they can do with one's own meagre abilities.
With the gold mine of knowledge we now have - just Doc's alone - it's just a matter of keeping at it and learning to put aside the frustration that we all come across from time to time. That frustration is the killer.
I've learnt - I think - to accept what I can't do and, month by month, that list of 'can'ts' get a little shorter. It's just a very long road with lots of 'Be Patient' signs all over the place.
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YouTube SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Oct 16, 2009 12:53 PM
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tookatooka
652 posts
Oct 16, 2009
1:49 PM
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Well put Mickil.
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nacoran
250 posts
Oct 17, 2009
12:41 PM
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One of the things I like to do to keep my enthusiasm up is look at stuff beyond just playing. I'm trying to learn how to customize a harp. It's almost like a whole other hobby. I also scour the net for pics of cool old harps. I love the bananas and hot-dogs. I'm still researching how to make my own snickers bar harp. (My cousin just told me about some resin a friend of his uses making cups that is mouth safe.) I also find websites for all sorts of brands. I also stop by here. If I burn out on one thing I pick up another, knowing it will lead me back to playing.
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Aussiesucker
401 posts
Oct 17, 2009
5:53 PM
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Everything in life is full of frustrations. I have long since learnt that it is not always possible, regardless of what some motivational wankers have you believe, to achieve some things. I love playing the harmonica but I am beginning to accept that there are some aspects of playing that could be beyond my reach.
As an example, which is really quite different, I swim every other day a distance of 1.5Ks ie ca a mile in the old term. I'm in my 70th year and am quite fit but you can time me by the calendar compared with some 13yo's who fly past often lapping me every 100m. I get there in the end but I'm never going to be able to achieve what these youngsters can now do.
I have to agree with much of what Mickil has said ie "I've learnt - I think - to accept what I can't do and, month by month, that list of 'cant's' get a little shorter. It's just a very long road with lots of "Be patient' signs all over the place."
The thing is to enjoy the journey however long it takes.
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congaron
188 posts
Oct 18, 2009
3:44 PM
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Someone once said..."Style is born out of limitations" or something like that. Another way to put it would be "focus on your strengths when you play out and focus on your weaknesses when you practice." Eventually you get your own Style as the two come together and you find a happy medium. Personally i think they continue to merge throughout my life in every instrument I play. Since I am no virtuoso, but play many instruments, I will never stop learning and improving on all of them. Recordings from years of woodshedding prove this for me. Music makes me happy.
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Aussiesucker
402 posts
Oct 18, 2009
5:22 PM
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What matters most is that you really enjoy playing ie whatever your standard. Also to not try and compare yourself with others. Throughout life there are tasks you will excell at ie often without much effort and other things that you find very difficult no matter how hard you try. Seeking help, instruction, guidance & heaps of practice brings about improvement. But, for most of us, we just have to be happy not to ever be in the A league.
But hey, my family & friends think I am a good harp player and for me that's what matters. Will I keep practicing and learning -you betcha.
I have always played by ear ie hated tabs. But only recently I noticed a certain tune, that I thought I knew off by heart, had a subtle more professional sound when played by someone really good. On thorough examination of my playing & reference to tabs I found that there were notes that I was not playing. It still sounded ok,and most would never notice, but hey it was a lot better when the notes were included. Relearning stuff and getting rid of old habits is hard ie it's always best to get it right first time. I'm impatient though and the first time I thought I learnt it I was happy to move on.
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