Here are three pieces I did this morning. Both are in 2nd position on a Special 20 in C
Feel free to comment (but remember . . . my great-grandparents are looking down from those portraits behind me :-)
I've been working on the first- Summertime - primarily because of all the different bends on the 2 and 3 holes. Feel like it's improving, though I did find myself losing breath control a couple of times. This was generally when I tried to improvise without first having some idea of where I was going.
I recall Ronnie Shellist talking about "playing with intent." I think my running out of wind and just noodling is a good example of what he meant
The second is a brief rendition of "Mercy." I picked this one mostly to work on adding octaves to the mix.
And here'd the third . . . a version of "Swing Low." I'm basically - after watching one of Adam's vids on the topic, trying to add some texture to my single-note playing.
Wow you've really come on. I can hear lots of pleasing texture you've added to the notes - dips, rhythmic bends, chords and octaves all adding interest.
Actually there seems to be lots of intent in your playing e.g. consciously adding octaves, or textures to single notes. That's what I like to hear - someone saying they are working on this or that thing, then demonstrating it. I can understand what you mean about the little improv flourishes in Summertime - If you aren't happy with them I guess the thing to do would be work out some good phrases and consciously add them.
I reckon if you add strong hand effects to what you are doing now you'll be shocked by how nice it sounds. Like a hand-wah on your dips on the opening to Summertime.
You've chosen a tough song in Summertime on a C harp, and handled it really well. I refuse to play it in 2nd position because I can't stand playing that 3'' held note! And even when I hear expert players do it, I don't like it much. The acid test is I play a recording (of a quality player rather than me I mean) to my non-musician wife and she'll simply say, 'that note is wrong, obviously.'
...However there is an answer! Check out Christelle's version. I think it's in 4th position (someone correct me please) anyway it starts on 5B and I can find the notes by ear. It just lays out so much better. Thing is the root note is the 3'' but it occurs in a place where it sounds OK, and you can approach it from below and it sounds good.
I hear that you can add vibrato to the 3'' (like at 28s) so I think you have the tools. Get close to a condensor mic, add some reverb and away you go.
Thanks for the advice and feedback; I appreciate it.
Yeah . . . that 3" never sounds quite right to my ear either. I think that's partly because I rarely hit it exactly, but I've noticed the same thing you mentioned. Even when played perfectly by a pro it somehow feels a little discordant.
That Christelle version is great. Two people I love to hear, primarily because of their amazing single-note clarity and flawless melodies, are Christelle and Todd Parrott.
I'll have to try and integrate some hand effects into this . . . have barely started with that.
Just as an aside to anyone who reads this, I really can't emphasize how good it is to make videos and recordings along the way. It really helps you judge your progress . . . and makes you feel that the work you put in is worth the effort.
I realized the other day that it was right around this time a year ago when I bought Adam's "Beginner's Deluxe" package and started playing. I've got a recording or two from that first month, and am glad I made them.
Those recordings let me see that I actually have come down the road a little bit . . . but equally as important (maybe more important) is that the difference between then till now allows me to believe that I can and should continue
Last Edited by Rontana on Nov 11, 2015 8:13 AM
Those funny sounding bent notes are a good reason to play those songs which use them imho. I am aligned with your approach. I've never tried to play summertime in 2nd...I used to always use third, and lately fourth...but second gives you an opportunity to play the 3draw half step and full step, and move between them, so that's good. If I was doing this, I would work on an unembellished melody until I was happy with the sound and timing, then add variations. But I think you're on the path. Mercy is a good challenge. The octaves and the in tune 3 draw whole step are the main challenges...and the timing. I'd say of course you'll pay attention to the octaves and the bend, but the phrasing is important too, so try to get this happening. Maybe break up the phrases for practice and then put them together as you master them. Sorry I haven't played the third clip, and I must say its kinda weird to be offering advice since I have zero CV as a teacher and any authority I speak with is quite possibly delusional...but I have observed an accomplished player trying to teach me...
I've been mostly unaware of this forum, but now that I read some of the threads, I find it very interesting. I've been playing about 8 years, but I'm still learning. It's nice to see posts by a bunch of keen learners.
@Rontana, you are definitely doing it right. You are focused and goal driven. You've come a long way in one year. Much further than I did. You're on your way. I think the key is to have fun while you're learning, and like you said, recordings show you how much you're improving. ----------
Oh, Rontana, I did notice that your grip is unconventional, unless the camera is reversing things somehow. I'd recommend that unless you have some special reason to do things differently, it's a good idea to stick with convention while you are learning. Give the standard methods a good airing before changing them up. It will make things easier in the long run. ----------
@Superbee - Thanks for your advice, and I welcome any feedback/knowledge you feel like offering. We're pretty much on the same page, I think. Generally speaking I've practiced the melodies straight, with no embellishments. These vids are more an example of me trying to add a little bit of stuff.
Breaking up the phrases sounds like a really good idea; thanks again for the tip
@Mr__So&So --- I appreciate the encouragement. There's a story behind why I took up harp last year (short version - it was to distract my mind from some of the stress of helping to look after my 90+ year-old parents . . . my dad has bad Alzheimers). But, somewhere along the line it became more than that. I just feel good when I play . . . and sorely wish I had discovered this at 15 instead of 55. Still . . . better late than never.
I had to look at the still photo of my video quite a few times before I caught what you were talking about. Apparently (unbeknownst to me) my laptop camera does reverse the image. I do use a standard grip, and yes, the video is backward. That's very strange . . . and I didn't fully believe it until I noticed the positions of the great-grandparent's photos were also flipped.
Last Edited by Rontana on Nov 14, 2015 5:04 AM
This being the beginners forum, it's not all about giving hard technical advice - like you might expect to get on the main forum. More about giving encouragement and chewing the cud, so to speak.
Also, I think it's helpful to pass on tips we've got from our own teachers and learning materials. I certainly want to hear those.
That's why I mention playing Summertime in another position. One of the important principles I discovered from lessons is that diatonic players do put energy into matching the position to a particular melody - taking into account the fine detail of which notes lay out where on the harp for maximum oomph e.g. important notes on notes where they can add lots of expression. It's one of the special, and fun, features of playing a diatonic instrument.
So I might be happier playing Summertime in 2nd or 3rd position, but on a lower key harp where the 3'' in particular is more stable and (to my ears) simply better-sounding.
Also, I totally agree that playing melodies is a great way to practice hitting those bends on pitch. For me, I'm doing it for a different purpose. So I play the Batman theme to work on 2 2' 2'', and Three Blind Mice to work on 3'', but I don't want to actually play those tunes in performance.
For melodies I'm going to go down the chromatic road. This is purely personal choice though - not advice!
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Nov 14, 2015 11:25 PM
The other bit of relevant wisdom I picked up - and I've read this quite a bit on the main site - is that bends for blues playing are different to bends for melodies.
For instance, most often in blues that 2'' is played very flat indeed, much flatter than the 'correct' note you need for the Batman theme! If you play it correctly there's almost another note in there. There's a Kim Wilson song where he gets five notes out of an ascending phrase on the 2 hole (including the 2B) - must dig that out.
I spent some time learning the bends to pitch as best I could. Then found I had to re-learn them to sound more like my blues heroes.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Nov 14, 2015 11:35 PM
