My huge chromatic progress update.
I have been absent for awhile, but not from progressing with my playing and Christmas challenge. Here is where I am at. Perhaps I should be splitting all this up into separate posts. Maybe some of this content belongs in another forum. Hopefully, this will be read and I can get some comments and advice.
I Managed to complete my 12 Songs of Christmas challenge and did purchase the East Top Forerunner 2.0. It has certainly been a step up from my old battered Hohner Chromatic Deluxe II I bought in Germany while on band tour in 1970.
The Forerunner seems to be a diatonic on steroids. It is pretty solid, however, I can hear the slide making noises. A couple of reeds were not firing properly, so I decided to try a washing technique I saw Dave Kettlewell demonstrated in a video. I dunked and swished the harp in a bucket of water. When I removed it and tried a blow, it was full of water. After some effort, I got all the water out, sprayed it with some hydrogen peroxide, and let it dry. Later, I dripped a very small amount of trombone slide oil on the slide. It is back in working order.
I have continued to learn more Christmas carols, playing by ear and from music. The Forerunner has a nice case that fits in my coat pocket, so I take it everywhere with me. I have played it outside in the cold on beaches, outside grocery stores, in the car (not while driving), etc… I can play plenty of tunes from memory.
I have expanded my long list of carols and Christmas songs where I have the key, starting note and page number for the music. I also have a column where I make a note as to whether I can play it, need to practice, or go back and read the music. Some songs are a little too complex at this time, so I might make a note such as, need a different key, too fast, or too intricate for my current abilities. I have a similar approach to the lists of YouTube video music. Sometimes I just sit down look at a list, find a song I have not done yet and see if I cam play it. I’m planning to try playing along to more songs in iRealPro. I also want to try to get JJazzLab working on this old Mac.
Recently, I have begun to play along with YouTube videos. This has held some challenges. The performances are not always in the same key I am familiar with. Usually I can find the key and make a note on my list for future reference. A couple times, I found that, to play along, I have to hold the slide in. This makes me wonder if the video is somehow half a step off. However, I found one where this effect happened on a modulation from another key.
You may be wondering what sort of videos I am playing along to. Well, I found a plethora of long Christmas videos of music. Some have vocals, some are instrumentals and some are karaoke. I look for ones that list all the songs with a time stamp. It is certainly one thing to play tunes on my own and another thing to play in time with a recording. Once I learn the tune better, I try a bit of harmony and making up some sort of accompaniment part or just adding some fills and embelishments.
I have yet to really buckle down and learn scales and arpeggios better, however, I am working through some of my other goals, which include playing:
With all this I hope to be able to make clean notes and transitions, even with the shakiness from Essential Tremor. Perhaps there is more I should be working toward.
Currently I am playing using the pucker method, but would like to learn tongue blocking too. I’ll have to do some experimenting.
At some point, as I have mentioned in other posts, I hope to play well enough to warrant a better harmonica, one with a wonderful tone. One problem I have noticed is I need at least one note more at the bottom end. I am most familiar with the the range just below and just above the treble staff. I find the top end of the harmonica to be too high and ear piercing.
Originally, I felt the Suzuki SCX-64. Then I heard the Sirius and discovered the price was not much more on Amazon. Curiously, the version with wood covers seems to be nearly twice the price—a price similar to the price of the non-wood cover at the local music store. I don’t know why the Sirius is so much cheaper on Amazon. I made a post about this, however, I have yet to see a reply with a reason for this.
Lately, I heard the stainless steel reeds of the Seydel Deluxe Steel. The problem is they only come in 12/48, so missing the lower notes I need. I have thought about orchestra tuning. One aspect of a larger 16/64 is the harmonic overtones when certain reeds vibrate in sympathy.
So, I think I am down to the Suzuki SC-64 Sirius, or the Seydel Deluxe Steel (orchestra tuning). The Suzuki SSCH-56 would be nice, but not worth the extra money. The Seydel Saxony is just out of price range, but may have to be considered if the Deluxe Steel Orchestra is not available.
Anyway, a new harp is a far down the road. I have a long way to go and have only just started a few weeks ago.
We were in a grocery store and there was a trio of ladies singing carols and Christmas songs. One played a uke and another a melodeon. I had my Forerunner 2.0 in my pocket and has the use to whip it out, thought better about possibly spoiling their performance which they were hired for.
That’s it for now. After Christmas I shall transition to other types of music and even more challenges hopefully resulting enough progress to warrant the purchase of an even better chromatic harmonica.
Jay1
Jay1