Advice for beginners

[CasualChrom]

So I'm just getting started with my chromatic harmonica.

For the veterans on the board (and I define that as anyone with more experience than me--that is, more than 3 days), what is one thing (or more ) that you have learned about playing the harmonica that you wish you had known when you were first learning to play?

Thanks,
CasualChrom

[triggerfinger]

Always warm your harp. No exceptions.

[tonek]

Make sure that your mouth is clean before you start playing. Rinse, or even better brush your teeth.

Tonek

[CasualChrom]

What do you mean by warm up the harp?  Do I blow gently (without making the reeds vibrate) for several seconds?  Should I put it under my arm or in my pocket?  How warm?  And why is that important?

[Sander]

What do you mean by warm up the harp?  Do I blow gently (without making the reeds vibrate) for several seconds?  Should I put it under my arm or in my pocket? 

Under the arm or in a pocket works. Some use other heat sources (light bulb, heating pads, central heating, t.v., the exhaust of their pc...). Gently blowing defeats the purpose of the exercise (see below)

How warm?

About body temperature. Too warm will curl your valves (or melt the body of your harmonica  )

And why is that important?

Keeps condense from forming on the reed plates, which prevents sticking valves. Sticking valves are the source of a popping sound at the start of a tone.

[CasualChrom]

Ah, that makes sense.  Thanks for the advice.

[roady43]

So I'm just getting started with my chromatic harmonica.

For the veterans on the board (and I define that as anyone with more experience than me--that is, more than 3 days), what is one thing (or more ) that you have learned about playing the harmonica that you wish you had known when you were first learning to play?

Thanks,
CasualChrom

Augmented tuning!

Fortunately at 2nd start about 35 years later I just started with this alternative tuning. I only touch solotuning in emergency since...

roady43

[CasualChrom]

Please explain augmented tuning to me.

I take it you have some the reeds modified so that they produce different pitches--is that right?

If so, which pitches do you change?  Is there a standard way to customize your harmonica, or is it more of a "roll your own" where everyone augments their tuning a little differently?

[rnav2174]

OK Casual Chrom, now I know others on this site who've read my post are probably really sick and tired of hearing of my admiration for Stevie Wonder but I could actually care less as I have been into his playing way before I ever heard of this site and am sure I will be until the day I die. Anyway, I've been playing his songs for over 35 years and owe everything  I've learned about playing the Chrom to SW. So my advice for you is to go to YouTube, and first type in Stevie Wonder's Harmonica and listen to and try to copy every piece of his that you can find. After you heard Stevie's stuff , just look for any stuff you can find on the Chromatic buy other players so you can get an idea of the different styles out there and try to play them all. If you haven't bought your first Chrom yet , don't spend to much money on one. I have some really expensive ones and a couple of inexpensive ones like the 10 Hole Educator and can get some pretty good sounds on both. If you do get an Educator, buy a few so you can alternate them and preserve your reeds for practicing. Here are some examples of my playing so you know that I may know a little something about Stevie's playing.

Funky Picante:
Alfie:

On these, the Harp piece is around the middle of the song.

Days of Wine and Roses 3:

Days of Wine and Roses 2:

Days of  Wine and Roses 1:

[RolandTumbler]

Get some kind of keyboard - even a cheap toy one, if you must - and learn to read music as you're learning the instrument (assuming you do not already possess that skill). You will find it much easier to learn new material if you can read.

[roady43]

Please explain augmented tuning to me.

I take it you have some the reeds modified so that they produce different pitches--is that right?

If so, which pitches do you change?  Is there a standard way to customize your harmonica, or is it more of a "roll your own" where everyone augments their tuning a little differently?

The augmented layout has no redundant reeds and therefore a bigger range. You can play chromatic stuff fluently and even, without stumbling upon all these Cs and Fs (B# & E#). Playing blow and draw without slide results in a holetone scale, using the slide gives all semitones in between...

I call it a melodic layout, because there is no really reasonable chord playing with augmented (only major thirds or augmented triads)
 
You will find all informations about alternate tunings here in the forum and at several places in the internet:

http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/patsmusings.html
(scroll down for augmented)

Seydel has augmented tuned harmonicas. Harponline used to offer "standart" layouts of augmented tuning. My guess is, that Hohner will offer it on demand.

My 12 holers go from D#3 to D7 (= 4 octaves minus 1 semitone), my MK covers B2 to F#7!

roady43

[wolfman]

    Hallo roady 43

 Would you say that the"melodic layout"as you call it,would be good for
 melody playing.I am new to the "crom".

           Roman

[roady43]

    Hallo roady 43

 Would you say that the"melodic layout"as you call it,would be good for
 melody playing.I am new to the "crom".

           Roman

Good yes but not better than "solo" or other tunings. Every solution has its advantages. Many players like the redundant keys of solotuning because they can choose between different blow/draw combinations  for some melodic patterns which they believe that makes them playable more fluently...

The efforts for playing on a good or excellent level is about the same for any tuning. Augmented just fits perfectly for my needs and taste.
I called it melodic because like on a flute, oboe, trumpet etc. playing chords originally is not intended (or possible).

roady43

[SlideMeister]

If you play by ear, move away from the tonic key as soon as possible. Playing only the tonic keys will get you "brain-locked" quicker than you can chatter your slide. On a standard 16 holer for example, Aviod learning numbers in C, D flat and A minor. Learning to play stuff in B and E will get you familiar with the Chromatics' layout much faster. (If I started doing that sixty years ago, I'd be so good I probably wouldn't even talk to you guys  ) Ha Ha!

Zodlie sez: Worn out slides and busted springs are badges of honor.

Oh yeah, and my idol is Zoldie Varniac!   He's the guy I listen to the most.

[CasualChrom]

rnav2174, thanks for the advice about Stevie Wonder.  I'll admit that I haven't listened to him much in the past, but I actually saw your plug for him on another thread and have been listening to some of his stuff over the last few days.  I agree that he is great, and I plan to listen a lot more.  Oh, and thanks for the links--I enjoyed listening to you play.  The songs are great.

RolandTumbler,  I do already read music, but thanks for the tip.  In fact, at the moment I am finding that reading tabs takes just a little more thinking than reading music does.  I'm sure that will even out quickly.

Roady43, ah, ok.  That makes sense.  I would have to say that the melodic augmented tuning you described probably makes more sense to me than the solo tuning, at least at this point.  I will probably just stick with the "out-of-the-box" harmonica for now.  I think I need to get a handle on that before worrying about modifications.

A.J.Fedor, I can see how playing in keys like B or E would help me learn the chromatic more completely.  I'll have to work on that.  As you would expect, I've been sticking to the key of C for the most part so far.  I should probably dig out my old flute technique books and go through the excercises in them in the keys with plenty of sharps or flats.

Thanks again for all the advice, everyone.  And please keep it coming if anyone has anything to add.

[CactusGuy]

For the veterans on the board (and I define that as anyone with more experience than me--that is, more than 3 days), what is one thing (or more ) that you have learned about playing the harmonica that you wish you had known when you were first learning to play?

Here's my $0.02:

• Relax. When I first started playing I wore a bloody groove in my lower lip (slight exaggeration) because I was putting too much pressure against the mouthpiece. I also noticed that my two front teeth were sore. I was so tense that I was pushing the harmonica into my mouth. Learning to relax (and hold it properly) solved both of these problems.
• Slow down (this goes for any instrument, I'll wager). You'll learn quicker and play better if you play at a slower pace at first.
  
• Stay hydrated. You need your mouth to keep the mouthpiece slick. Playing in an area where the humidity is maintained seems to help as well.
• Have fun. One of the reasons I like the harmonica is that it's a lot more fun than piano lessons ever were. 

---CactusGuy

[streetlegal]

I've been learning for about six months now. The one bit of advice I'd like to pass on is something I read here that I found very helpful regarding sounding draw notes. I was trying to draw too hard and in the wrong way - until I read a post here that suggested a good way to approach drawing the notes is to think of the way you draw a breath when eating something that is too hot. I tried it - it worked and I was able to make better progress with my breath control from then on.

[SlideMeister]

Okay, here's one everyone is gunna hate me for: 

Loose your idols kids! (You can always come back to those after you learn which notes are behind which holes) Wanna sound like Adler, Toots, Stevie, Chmel or whoever? That's a whole 'nother problem. 

Resist the juvenile temptation to play the Chromatic version of "air guitar" and get familiar with the Chromatic and what it can do. Develop your own embrasure, get a good lip seal and so on. (there's plenty to get familiar with before you start trying to be someone else) I know it isn't glamorous, but stick to the basics at least till you can play a couple numbers perfectly. Yeah, you'll sound mechanical, but everything starts with mechanics. Your new car may be beautiful, but under the hood (bonnet) inside that engine are a whole bunch of ugly, oily, unbecoming parts, but (and you all know where I'm going here) they are ultimately what end up moving your butt down the highway.

Growing up we had a saying, "If you can't hop it; chrome it!" A lot of guys spent a lot of money at the chrome shop, but they never even bothered going to the drag strip cuz they knew their cars were not "performers" and would get their headlights sucked out in the "performance" world. They sacrificed "performance" for style, and even though style may look cool, it'll never win when "performance" is what counts. Musicians are performers.   


Make a Joyful Noise!

@ge

[Grizzly]

AJ, I like your drag strip analogy. When my father was a young man, men carried two handkerchiefs, one for show (the pocket square in the suitcoat pocket) and one for blow. Same concept.

That said, my take is that these players already know their basics, before they trip out on their fave star.

I've never had anyone say that I sounded like so-and-so; but I've been mistaken for a flute, and have been complimented on my sense of the musical genre I choose to play in (classical). Not every "star" is capable of doing this; their attempts at classical still sound like pop or jazz, even when they make a serious effort.

Not to say that a "white bread" approach to harmonica playing isn't anything more than dull; but learning the whys and wherefores of basic musicianship -- counting, tone, expression, phrasing, reading standard notation -- are the building blocks that can allow a player to explore others' style.

Did I mention counting?

Tom

[jonkip]

AJ, I like your drag strip analogy. When my father was a young man, men carried two handkerchiefs, one for show (the pocket square in the suitcoat pocket) and one for blow. Same concept.


I've never had anyone say that I sounded like so-and-so;


Tom

Happy new year, Tom.... You sent me your CD and you really do sound like so-and-so.... but better.

[Grizzly]

LOL; do you mean the cut of Rachmaninoff, or my dulcimer CD?

The harmonica CD is still hanging fire. My engineer seems incapable of finding the time for it. I could use some help, but don't have much of a (read: any) budget for it. It'll be two years come May.

Tom

[SlideMeister]

I've had kids as students who seemed to be more into the body language than they were into the music, till I sent them out for a public caning!  Just kidding  - but I did rip'em a new one, and then explain the concept of getting familiar with the instrument before they can be a rock star.

Seriously, when you think about it, we've all probably seen adults playing "air harmonica" There's something about the exaggerated "visuals" associated with the harmonica that make folks go over the top, and when some actually get a real one to play, they still go over the top!

"Watch" the Chromatic players on youtube, without actually looking at the screen, and write down on a piece of paper where you "hear" differences in sound, then watch AND listen a second time and see if what you heard the first time around corresponds to what you "see" the next. More times than not all the hand flapping and visual gyrations have precious little (if anything) to do with what reaches our ears.

Bottom line: If the listener can't hear it; its worthless. 

[Ed McCullough]

A.J.'s advice about playing in keys other than C and A minor is powerful.

[triggerfinger]

I agree with Roady43. Augmented tuning is wonderful.

[RonnyB]

Have a look at David Barrett's site www,bluesharmonica.com you can learn a lot from this site he has started to teach the chromatic harp.

  Happy harping Ron

[SlideMeister]

A.J.'s advice about playing in keys other than C and A minor is powerful.

Read my "Periodic Ramble" in Age's Page. 

[Gnarly He Man]

Playing in all 12 keys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFQUpjxy5g8
This is from two years ago--
It's not my advice, it's Age's--
My advice is, don't listen to advice 
G
"Don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters"

[Danny G]

Nice way to bring in the New year Gary.
Welcome back from your too short vacation.
Loved Dave's comment about his Grandpa and the Koreans

[triggerfinger]

Hi Roady

I call it a melodic layout, because there is no really reasonable chord playing with augmented (only major thirds or augmented triads)
 

But how versatile is the solo tuning with respect to chord play? I don't play the solo tuning so I took a look at how well it does in a few different keys with respect to chord play. Here is the 12-hole solo tuning layout

             1     2     3      4     5     6     7     8     9    10    11   12
          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
blow: |  C  |  E  |  G  |  C  |  C  |  E  |  G  |  C  |  C  |  E  |  G  |  C  |      key out
draw: |  D  |  F  |  A  |  B  |  D  |  F  |  A  |  B  |  D  |  F  |  A   |  B  |
          ----------------------------------------------------------------------

             1      2     3      4     5     6     7     8     9    10    11   12
          -----------------------------------------------------------------------
blow: | C# |  F  | G# | C#| C# |  F  | G#| C#| C#|  F  | G# | C#|      key in
draw: | D# | F#| A# |  C  | D# | F#| A#|  C  | D#| F#| A# |  C  |
          -----------------------------------------------------------------------

And here are lists of the diatonic chords or chord pieces (one note doesn't count) available in a few keys.

Key of C:

I chord  (C maj):  root, 3rd, 5th
II chord (D min):  root, 3rd, 5th
III chord (E min):  root, 3rd
IV chord (F maj): root, 3rd
V chord (G maj): 3rd, 5th
VI chord (A min): 3rd, 5th
VII chord (B dim): root, 3rd, 5th

Key of Bb.

I chord  (Bb maj):  3rd, 5th
II chord (C min):  root, 3rd,  or root, 5th (tongue block)
III chord (D min):  root, 3rd, 5th
IV chord (D# maj): root, 5th (tongue block)
V chord (F maj): root, 3rd
VI chord (G min): NO CHORD
VII chord (A dim): 3rd, 5th

Key of G:

I chord  (G maj):  3rd, 5th
II chord (A min):  3rd, 5th
III chord (B min):  root, 3rd
IV chord (C maj): root, 3rd, 5th
V chord (D maj): root, 5th (tongue block)
VI chord (E min): root, 3rd
VII chord (F# dim): root, 5th (tongue block)

Key of D:

I chord  (D maj):  root, 5th (tongue block)
II chord (E min):   root, 3rd
III chord (F# min):  NO CHORD
IV chord (G maj): 3rd, 5th
V chord (A maj): NO CHORD
VI chord (B min): root, 3rd
VII chord (C# dim): 3rd, 5th

Did I make any mistakes or leave any chords out? Like I said, I don't play the solo tuning.

The first thing that I notice is that the availability of chord pieces is key dependent. The second thing that I notice is that there are no chord pieces available for some chords. Maybe somebody that actually plays solo tuning would tell me what the worst chord playing key is for the solo tuning. The third thing that I notice is that some chord pieces are only achieved by tongue blocking.


With the augmented tuning and for any key one can play the following chord pieces:

I chord:  root, 3rd
II chord:   3rd, fifth
III chord:  3rd, fifth
IV chord: root, 3rd
V chord: root, 3rd
VI chord: 3rd, 5th
VII chord: NO CHORD

Looks pretty darn good to me! Looks ... versatile ... dependable ... simple.

[banjo-guy]

Nice breakdown of the chord possibilities Trigger. I am already too much invested in the solo tuning but you make a great case for the alternate tuning of augmented.