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Post by jbone on Nov 11, 2019 8:41:06 GMT -5
In the first decade or so that I was struggling to learn to play harmonica, I collected a lot of percussion stuff, egg shakers, tambourine, washboard, spoons, rattles, even a set of jaw harps from about 2 inches up to 8. Also tried autoharp, dulcimer, a keyboard, even a little old Willie Nelson-looking guitar. Which I let go by the wayside. 3 years ago I decided to get a square neck Regal parlor guitar so I could begin to learn some lap slide. Which I made a small beginning before we hot the road full time, but once we were mobile I was not taking the time with it. When we lost that last travel trailer we sold/gave away a lot that we just couldn't take with us, and that guitar went too. A few months ago Jo figured out that the small round neck Regal she used for slide for years was not a fit for her since her back injury, so we had her big Kay Trutone reset up for slide and I inherited the Regal she had. Which here I am again, not taking time to get it out. For the most part though I am a harp player and anything else would be gravy. I've known guys like Mr. Catabellotto. And more so. Some folks like Roy Clark to name just one could pick up anything and learn it quickly and make it sound great.
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Post by whitefang on Nov 11, 2019 11:08:39 GMT -5
When I was a kid we had, (for some reason I never learned,) in the "junk drawer" of our house, both a jaw harp, and some castanets. I could never figure out how to successfully work either, always dropping the castanets, and near breaking my front teeth with the jaw harp! I grew up in(for my first 12 years) one of the many story and 1/2 frame houses with a finished upstairs. the closet wall had a little door that lead into some attic space, and in there was an old archtop acoustic guitar(blonde finish) with two strings, and a 5-string banjo with only three strings. For decades(after we moved) I've been kicking myself for not thinking to take them with me when we moved, or at least noticing the maker brand of either. What I do remember most about the guitar was that the back of it was totally covered with masking tape(for some reason). Now I'm retired and regretfully on my own, I've been toying with the idea of obtaining another jaw harp and seeing if I can get anywhere with it. Like.... There's also a cat who plays jaw harp on the introduction to the tune "Mind Ecology" from SHAKTI'S "Natural elements" LP. but I can't remeber his name, and it's been some moons sincei've seen the old vinyl around here. Might be the previous guy... don't really know... Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Nov 11, 2019 22:34:47 GMT -5
I expect you were pushing it onto your teeth too hard and maybe biting down. I learned to kind of frame it in my lips and just gently hold it to the front of my teeth. It was though a kind of one trick pony, pretty much the one novelty sound. I didn't do the kind of stuff the first guy did though. I have one around someplace but have yet to find a place in our material to bring it out.
I use a kazoo on a couple of ragtime songs when I remember to bring it along! It's shaped like a 1/3 size trumpet. All tin too. these days they are all cheap ugly plastic.
I had an old Carolina brand washboard and a bunch of thimbles early on. Black Oak Arkansas was hot then and Jim Dandy made the washboard a comeback thing. Nobody around me was interested in me playing it and it fell by the wayside. Most everything but harmonica went away as I progressed with it and singing.
I tried to make a diddley bow for Jolene years ago but I had no idea what I was doing and it faded away. I think I needed the 2x6 I was making it out of for a home project.
Adam Gussow is a noted harp player out of Oxford MS who also uses a foot drum setup and does or did solo harp/drums stuff. He's in a duo now for years. Those foot drum sets can cost out pretty good and I was always afraid I'd fall off time. Sometimes if I try to keep time with foot taps I begin following the harp part instead and it makes a train wreck.
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Post by whitefang on Nov 12, 2019 10:36:27 GMT -5
Y'know, you could try keeping time like this guy( a long favorite of mine)----- if impatient, ff to 1:40 or so Whitefang
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Post by whitefang on Nov 13, 2019 11:02:55 GMT -5
Annnddd.............
Whitefang
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Post by whitefang on Nov 23, 2019 10:41:06 GMT -5
Whaddya think BONE---- This guy THINKS he knows what's what, or really does? Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Nov 23, 2019 14:32:39 GMT -5
He makes good points. If you are starting out and having problems this is not bad counsel, especially about how hard you play. This is the thing that kills most harps. The misconception is that you can copy some moves that you see ie Little Walter shaking his head instead of moving the harp with his hands. Playing harmonica is unlike playing guitar. With guitar you can look at someone's hand on the fretboard and have some idea of what they are doing. 99% of a harp being played is invisible, either because it's internal or it's air going through a harps' reeds.
Some years ago I tried to teach two neighbor kids how to play. They constantly stopped me and asked "How did you do that right there?" and I would then try and explain what was going on in my diaphragm, chest, throat, mouth, with my tongue, lips, nasal passage, and hands. All these things are used just to move air a certain way through a harp. Yet pretty much 95% of it is not visible. After a few tries they pretty much decided to just go their own way. Which may mean they gave up, or they learned some bad habits and will have to unlearn them later. Like I did!
So this guy is giving some good clues on how to act with a harmonica and that's what beginners need. I know one old guard player who just assumes most new players put too much air into a harp and he's most of the time right. Some players who have been around a long time could benefit from the lessons this guy is giving.
A few days ago I was having trouble hitting the right octave in the right key when I was singing, and Jo asked if I'd been doing any warmups before trying to belt some vocals out, and no, I had not. Even after at least 24 years' singing, I can get in a hurry and forget to get lined out before hand. The basics in review are a valuable grounding tool even for me with 2/3 of my life trying to play a harp.
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Post by whitefang on Nov 24, 2019 10:24:53 GMT -5
Y'know, back in the day I learned the harder you blow into a harmonica, it seemed to "blot out" some of the reeds. Thankfully, I did most of my harp playing early on with it in a "rack", and in my room(being 13 or so) and parents who sternly insisted I don't play too loud and annoy them. Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Nov 24, 2019 23:12:25 GMT -5
I can't count how many harps I have killed one reed on. That was from using force instead of focus wind-wise. You completely disable a harp if one note is not working. Generally the 4 draw was my problem reed since it can be bent to hell and back, I think a step and a half down, but when you bend that far too often the metal actually fatigues and loses it's tonal qualities. A huge epiphany for me was realizing that I could not force a harp to do more than it could do. So I began easing off the force and learning about using just the right amount of air to get the harp to work at it's optimum level. It's true, I do still kill a reed here and there, but it's far fewer than say 20 years ago.
When you hold a harp and press it into your lips you can definitely put more air through it to the point of killing reeds. Maybe not so much with a rack.
The guys who are successful at keeping harps in good shape and making good music generally talk more about breathing into a harp that blowing and sucking.
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Post by whitefang on Nov 25, 2019 10:52:32 GMT -5
Like I said, the combination of the rack + not playing loud (to keep the folks off my back) might have helped with breath control. And too, this discussion is getting to sound a bit racy to me! Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Nov 26, 2019 7:42:16 GMT -5
Sure Fang. When people tell you, you suck and blow like a pro. and you have to be nice and say thank you...
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Post by whitefang on Nov 26, 2019 10:35:25 GMT -5
Was a time I'd smack any guy who said such a thing to me! Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Nov 26, 2019 11:22:04 GMT -5
"Y'know, back in the day I learned the harder you blow into a harmonica, it seemed to "blot out" some of the reeds."
It's like putting too much water into a pipe. Only x amount will go through. In the case of a free reed it will choke and stop sounding.
That other was a joke. Obviously.
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Post by whitefang on Jan 16, 2020 12:07:57 GMT -5
So, how 'bout this guy?
It's one thing to play "De blues", but DEBUSSY? WELL now........ Whitefang
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Post by jbone on Jan 18, 2020 14:47:48 GMT -5
That guy is like Galileo to my kaleidoscope.
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