Thievin' Heathen
1011 posts
May 14, 2018
5:56 PM
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Ahhhh.., the signs were all there, but I failed to notice. I have stumbled into a thread created by someone with a need to assert their superiority.
I'm just gonna bow-wow-wow out of this one.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on May 14, 2018 6:20 PM
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The Iceman
3579 posts
May 15, 2018
4:04 AM
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"Move over little dog, the mean old dog is movin' in"
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The Iceman
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CarlA
934 posts
May 15, 2018
5:39 AM
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...........and 60 posts later we have gone absolutely nowhere on the topic of the 'ole "throat bending" malarkey
........this is really a groundbreaking thread. I now feel as enlightened as a pig in $&?!
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hvyj
3581 posts
May 15, 2018
8:16 AM
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I have used various techniques to bend over the years. Larry's method gives me unparalleled precision and consistency of intonation. I am able to hit all the bends as notes on pitch without sliding into any of them. The only exception is the 10 hole half step draw bend--I still can't hit that one clean and on pitch every single time. But using Larry's method I can reliably hit all the other bends cleanly and in pitch. FWIW.
Last Edited by hvyj on May 15, 2018 8:18 AM
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The Iceman
3580 posts
May 15, 2018
8:54 AM
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hvjy: I suppose nothing supports a position more than absolute success when it is applied!
Your 10 hole 1/2 step is merely a matter of finesse - not force - and moving that target spot so far forward that is a tiny "x" on the back of your front upper teeth....tongue movement is so minimal as to be almost non-existant.
When I tackled this problem years ago, I explored going for this particular set of bends with my front teeth touching - it helped me focus down on that tiny target spot...try it and see if it helps...
To the (and I AM paraphrasing) "well, technique focus just makes everyone sound the same with no originality" old dogs, my position is - learn to create ALL your bends to exact pitch consistently first....then you will have so many arrows (note choices) in your quiver as you move towards an original sound that you will leave most others in your dust as you craft your personal sound/approach/ideas.
I've not found many (actually, ANY) students who have said, "Naw. I just wanna slide into notes through bending and don't care if I am accurate at all...(and you better not try to pull that old towel out from my mouth, either!)".
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The Iceman
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ted burke
679 posts
May 16, 2018
2:45 PM
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Why paraphrase when you can quote the original quote verbatim? That avoids representation of what was actually said."....As for technical instruction regarding the diatonic harmonica, over reliance on it turns too many players into others who sound precisely like the man/woman before him and the next harmonica after him. The cult of technique crowds out style, personality, originality. ..." I did not say instruction and working on technique stops originality, but rather that the over-reliance on a technocratic approach to learning does just that. There are dozens of players who are technically able who play harmonica with no real distinction. Obsession with technical matters causes one to merely learn riffs, not create them.
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hvyj
3582 posts
May 16, 2018
3:45 PM
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Well, for me, being able to reliably hit all the bends on pitch with fairly consistent accuracy boosted my approach to playing because it enabled me to think and play with greater melodic sensibility. I don't tend to copy specific harp licks a whole lot unless they are integral to a particular tune. So, I guess it's like the way better vocabulary can improve one's writing, assuming that you know how to use it once you learn it. Being able to hit bends on pitch provides the potential for greater musicality, but, of course, doesn't constitute musicality in and of itself.
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