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beginner forum: for novice and developing blues harp players >
My determination was flagging, just a little
My determination was flagging, just a little
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New but determined
7 posts
Nov 27, 2015
4:35 PM
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I know it's been such a short time since I decided to take playing a harmonica seriously, even if it's just going to be for me playing by myself or along with recordings to get me through retirement. But the last few days, while I seemed to be getting a tiny bit better, practicing single notes and bending at 5 and six, at the same time I feel I'm getting sloppy.
So a few minutes ago the UPS guy came to my door and I looked at the package and declared hey, you must be my new best friend. It was the book and cd Jon Gindrick's Revised Book and 73 - Minute CD Country & Blues Hatmonica for the Musically Hopless-ful... With a title that long, he could have skipped the first chapter.
Anyway now I have something to work with, the origional publication was published I think in the 80's but some still refer to it and him so I went looking for it.
A couple of hours ago I tried recording my playing of one tune with the Crossover then Manji and then Sp20 to see if it sounded differently recorded, well kind of, it is just a fancy phone after all.
I assumed the Manji would sound the best, then the Sp20 then the Crossover which is the most fun to play- I thought would come in last.
Well the Manji lost out completely- now take into consideration I've got less than two months of playing every day but compared to everyone else I know and see in videos, I could have just picked up a harmonica and said-what's this?
Well the Crossover won by a little over the Sp20- these were all in the key of C and I've played them all a lot. But it startled me so much about the Manji that I put it and the Sp20 away in a drawer to be tried in a few months after I learn more.
Oh well, recording did teach me some things about the way I play that could become a style that I don't particularly care for so maybe I can do this.
I, like my username indicates, can be determined but earlier today I was starting to have doubts.
Last Edited by New but determined on Nov 27, 2015 4:38 PM
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SuperBee
2991 posts
Nov 27, 2015
7:28 PM
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It takes time...you have done a good thing by recording your playing. If you recognised that you didn't like it...some folks play all their lives without recognising that...oh, wait, that's me...
Seriously, that's the first step...I saw a nifty little video on this topic...I've forgotten who made it...maybe Ira Glass...they said people who take up creative endeavours generally have great taste. They often become discouraged when the realise the stuff they are creating is not living up to their expectations...because even though they are not yet skilled, they still have good taste...there is no way around this; it just takes a lot of work and time. A lot of folks quit though, because they figure they don't got what it takes...and maybe they're right...because what it takes is tenacity and a lot of work...
Personally, I feel like I'm just about on the edge of being able to play some stuff the way I'd like to...but I've felt that way for quite a while
You'll be ok...if you hear yourself playing something you hate...work out what that is and do something else
Oh yeah...another thing...it's good to have a harp that plays well, but mostly it's not too big a deal about the brand and model...so long as it plays ok. People love to get into all that, and there is something to it...just not all that much...personally I like those hohner harps but I don't care if it's a sp20, marine band, crossover, deluxe...I have views about the quality of brands, and the way they are tuned makes a difference...but mainly, at this stage just play them
Last Edited by SuperBee on Nov 27, 2015 7:34 PM
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New but determined
8 posts
Nov 27, 2015
8:40 PM
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Great response- thanks??
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MindTheGap
795 posts
Nov 28, 2015
12:49 AM
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Superbee say it right IMO. My own experience is...
- I didn't start recording my practice for some time after I started playing, and when I did I thought it was poor (I mean: unacceptable) compared to what I thought it should sound like. I then spent ages finding out why that was and trying to fix it. That has been the motivation for my practice and continues to be.
- The difference between harp makes and models is insignificant compared with playing technique. And you might not think that given the amount of discussion about harp models vs the amount of discussion of technique.
- What you hear yourself when you play is different to what you hear when you record.
Sound like you've come to this crossroads early on - 50 days now? Which is a good thing. For me it was a bit over a year. I was furious that I'd put all that effort in and I sounded like I did. What I should have done is give up at that point and put the effort into some other more rewarding instrument but like a fool I carried on with it.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Nov 28, 2015 1:05 AM
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MindTheGap
796 posts
Nov 28, 2015
12:55 AM
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Just a bit more on the harp models as it is an important point - you've already got really good ones and they should all be fine. You may find that differences between how easy they are to play would be ironed out by tweaking the gaps.
Myself, I play various different makes and models, not because they really sound much different, but because they FEEL different (different combs, construction, hole sizes, cover plate size, different amount of breath required, different bending feel etc.) And this is so I don't get hung up on only being able to play one model.
Just a guess about your Crossover - when I got mine it was my first harp where all the notes played evenly across the instrument and didn't need any tweaking. It's a lovely thing but I honestly can't say it's 'better' than an adjusted SP20.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Nov 28, 2015 12:57 AM
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Rontana
228 posts
Nov 28, 2015
5:08 AM
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Ditto to all of this. I've just been playing a little over a year (daily) and recording since about the first week. Most of my recordings still don't sound even close to the way I want them too (sometimes listening to them pisses me off). But the difference between now and my first week is pretty huge. That sort of comparison helps a person avoid feeling they''ve made no progress.
You'll hear that you really are progressing if you record regularly. It's just so gradual that you don't realize it. It's easy to forget what you sounded like in the very beginning.
I agree with the harp comments too. I've tried Rocket, SP 20, Golden Melody, bluesmasters, bushman, harpmasters. Sort of like the 20 best because of how it feels (Rocket is okay, but the holes seem to be a bit bigger, or maybe a little further apart, than the SP 20). I am itching to try a Marine Band Deluxe.
At our early stage of play though, any decent harp is okay. And tweaking the reeds is a massive help. It's simple, and generally makes a harp much more responsive.
Hang in . . . the damned thing is a lot of fun (the first thing I do every morning, before coffee, is play "Summertime." Hell of a good way to start the day.
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New but determined
9 posts
Nov 28, 2015
7:28 AM
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Summertime- one of my all time favorite songs, what a good way to start the day. I've been really interested in many things over the years and ones I love, I really study. But somethings I find I'm just naturally not good at and in others I can excel and not afraid of the work of it truly interests me.
I grew up playing rhythm guitar during the folk and hippie decades but later put it down. Five years ago I simply had to play again and went searching for a good couch guitar, something sweet but not loud that would suffice practice in an apartment. What I found after about a year was that I wasn't interested in singing or rythm strumming but started fingerpicking. After awhile I started writing my own compositions (not quite true as I don't know how to read music so let's just say it's stuff I made up) but I practiced every day for about an hour for several years and now not so much. What thrills me most is the sound when I play well, I'm looking for that in playing a harmonica.
I'm also older and in a way more patient. One of the things they say is good for the brain during your advanced years is to play a musical instrument- add that to the fact that it's incredibly satisfying and with a harmonica, can be done with much less expense which is important to seniors because regardless of how well off they are, they're likely to be on a fixed income whether self imposed or absolutely necessary and overall cost is always considered more carefully. These are just my own observations. I've had a freaking awsome life and intend to keep it that way- which can be a decision in spite of the obstacles which age presents, it is possible to find joy when other things aren't working as we planned (refer to John Lennon's comment- life is what happens when you're making other plans).
But about different harmonicas, I'm already finding the above comments true. At first I bought a Sp20 in C because it was reccomended but thought it suffering from malfunction (high notes hardly were there) . I studied and watched videos and adjusted the reeds and now it plays beautifully. And is seriously comfortable to play.
This morning one of my Manji's (I'd bought a set of 3 from Ron's and that's all I played for the first five weeks- well the one in the key of A is just the sweetest sound I've ever heard and I was playing it quite well, it's just a little harder to get my mouth right on the Manji's vs. the Hohner Sp20 and Crossover.
But the Crossover when I first got it, seemed a little less pretty compared to the Manji's. Am I nuts it is it possible for a harmonica get some degree of breaking in in just a couple of days because it (key of C) sounds every bit of sweet as my Manji that's in the key of C only in a different way. Maybe it's just me that's getting broken in with my hearing which isn't all that great but concentration regarding what I hear when focused, can improve what I think I'm hearing- life is interesting. I mean really- the Manji in A almost seems to have soul and that's exciting, considering I'm not good at this- yet, maybe this is something I can do but right now I realize it's worth perusing as long as I get good enough to keep enjoying playing, that's the only "should" I'm applying as a parameter for success.
But I'm also well aware of the face that as in love as I am with Christelle's playing, I also realize that it's amplified and maybe a bit of EQ has been added or maybe it's a really good mic- not to say that dissuades because she's incredible and when I listen to fast and furious Jason Rocci I think OMGosh is that even humanly possible??? The spam code for these posts while using my iPhone whoch is my only Internet is a nightmare and it generally takes three tries.
Right now I love what I'm getting with the Crossover in C and the Manji in A. The Manji in D is a key that I quite like but today I'll work adjusting the reeds on the high end and practice with it a lot more to see if I can find a sweet spot like with the A.
I keep telling myself it's okay to order another Crossover from RockinRon's and I'm not as interested in developing a whole set as I am with finding instruments I really love in the basic C,A,D (G seems a bit dark but the Sp20 I do have in that key plays well, I just don't seem to want to play in that key very much.
Any advice regarding the purchase of another harmonica, I'm thinking mostly about the Crossover in either D or A and I've considered a Marine Band Deluxe in A but there's anothe part of me that says don't get anything until I improve. Life experience has taught me that the human can become good with any took they choose to really learn, even when there are possibly better choices out there. The mind is a fantastic thing.
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ME.HarpDoc
42 posts
Nov 28, 2015
9:04 AM
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I just went and recorded myself after reading this post using a blues backing track in E and my A harp in second position, amplified and it really, really sucked!! Timing was off, not smooth, hitting notes incompatible with tune, etc. Got a lot of work to do
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New but determined
10 posts
Nov 28, 2015
9:21 AM
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I'm loving this conversation- thanks, it's helping me process a lot of information and that's encouraging.
Last Edited by New but determined on Nov 28, 2015 12:16 PM
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