Don’t tell anyone, but YES, I do sometimes take my harp into the shower with me, particularly when a wanna give it a quick rinse and dry…
The acoustics really are great in the bathroom in general, regardless of what we are doing: shaving, showering or… SHINING like a rock star while playing the harmonica and dancing naked in front of the mirror… Not that I’ve actually ever done that, I’m just saying…
If I could just find a way to play while I am eating and sleeping, it would be great!
I LOVE your steps idea and it makes a lot of sense. I’ve started doing scales again as you and @AstridHandbikebee63 have both suggested. As I do so, the steps make it easier for me to understand the changes in pitch from one note to the next. Too bad there isn’t some kind of a tab format showing the steps progression, though maybe there is one?
I believe I finally figured out what my problem is with number tabs for songs. My mind confuses the “-” sign before draws with going up or down in pitch, which works out on the upper part of the harp but not on the lower.
I wrote out the tabs for a song I’ve been learning now and replaced all the “minus” signs with a circle around draw numbers. My mind seems to grasp this a bit better.
The steps seem to be a more natural way of visualizing the changes in pitch up and down the scale. Now comes the practice of isolating them.
In particular, I’m also enjoying an exercise I do going up and down the entire harp from 1 blow all the way up to 10 blow. The scales aren’t perfect and you get a double G down with the “Low Dough” (I was listening to Jason Mraz song The Dynamo of Volition this morning - I love that song ) on the 2 draw and 3 blow but it gives me a chance to try and get a nice clean note with blows and draws on every hole and also practice the six to seven change over in the middle.
I sometimes practice this at very low volumes as I walk and am puffing up a hill and don’t have much breath. I really like the sound of a nice, slow, easy blow and draw; rather than a fast, loud, aggressive one. Kind of like many other things of life I can think of, though I suppose there’s a time for each.
@Luke, are there any advantages to playing at higher and/or lower volumes when practicing? Other than perhaps annoying your family and neighbors?