Yeah okay – So it’s been a while since I wrote about some of my Aha-Eureka Moments.
It’s not that I’m not having them – I am. It’s just that in exploring all their ins and outs, as well as how best to express/share them – That’s where the challenges and real fun begins!
Actually, when one experiences their own Aha-Eureka Moments, I know for myself I become speechless. Yeah, hard to believe, but true! Why? Because virtually no words can describe the utter amazement as Spirit moves through you answering whatever it was you were struggling with and/or questioning and/or working on at that particular time! Praise God, Allah, Buddha, Jesus! The Universe! Whatever your higher beliefs in the Powers That Be are!!
Okay so enough of the philosophical, albeit Spirit is always there anyway – And yet too before getting onto the lowdown brass tacks of this Aha-Eureka Moment, first some brief history.
Thing is, this month I celebrate my full straight year in studying harmonica as my instrument of choice. From my introduction with JP Allen’s DVD boxed set lessons – for me the best harmonica home course in the world; to David Harp; Howard Levy; Norton Buffalo; the list goes on and on – I’ve come to my first circle of what I hope to be many circles more.
Yeah so, congratulations to me and all that jazz.
But I’m not writing this for kudos and back slaps; instead I want to discuss the most difficult thing I’ve come across so far, and that is: Bending!
Yeah, sure, it’s everybody’s most difficult thing to do, so why should I be any different? And I agree with you 1000%!
Now though, whenever you first read about bending – after you learned to play your first Oh Susannah or When the Saints Go Marching In tunes – like most people, you want to get right into and start doing it. And like everybody who after getting a 1, 4, or 6 Draw Bend – it’s when they get into the 2 & 3 hole bends they discover it ain’t as easy it as it all sounds, is it?!
Of course it isn’t. If it were, everybody would be doing it. And we’re not all harp players at that. But for those of us who are…
Sticking with it then, it took me approximately 8-9 months to finally get my 2 & 3 hole bends so that I knew I was doing them. Again, no kudos or congrats wanted or necessary here. Rather something I found in this journey I’d like to share with you now. To wit:
Thing is, like most people, I was getting some bends right of the bat. Well, at least I thought I was. Sure, I can get a 1 & 4 Draw Bend on even those cheapo Hohner made in China harps.
However as we all come to find out – If you really want to learn this instrument, you have to be willing to invest in something better. And while investing in upgrades and whatnot, you’ll also eventually have to learn about maintenance, gapping, cleaning etc. etc. But all this aside –
On my Spec20s and Golden Melodys, and with use of a chromatic tuner, I was making those 2 & 3 hole bends. But nothing all that great to me to be sure.
I then also worked on JP’s Chin Up exercises and the other riffs posted here:
http://www.harmonica.com/forums/how-to-play/you-may-have-all-seen-this-but/
However, while I could do the 4D-4d’- 5D and/or 4d’-4D-3D riffs to some extent – In all honesty, after doing them a few times, my mind and mouth begins to wander and I go into something else entirely different. It’s true! I get bored with it; and find myself doing some harp traveling more often than not. Why?
Well, okay, riffs such as these may have and are used by rock ‘n roll harp players the world over, all well and good. Yet to someone who isn’t into rock ‘n roll harp playing all that much – What does that actually mean to me?! Really, truthfully, not a whole helluva lot to be sure!
So yeah, JP offers these riffs – And Steve Baker’s Harp Handbook has plenty of similar exercises to work on too. And those are the key words here: ‘exercise’ and ‘work’! Which if you ask me – sounds too much like “practice” which in my view (as most know here) is “sheer friggin drudgery” at that! And it’s no fun at all!
So then what to do, what to do?
Well, whether one chooses to admit it to themselves or not – everything in learning to play this instrument is a process. On ongoing process. Taken step-by-step; little bit by little bit.
Okay that’s the known, the given. However, what’s not necessarily known of me anyways is that I’ve collected many books and tapes from various harmonica instructors over the years. Add this to the other DVDs and CDs I’ve invested in, in a relatively short amount of time now – And it’s pretty a decent collection, I must say. Well up into the 20s, 30s at the very least.
Yet within all these courses, while all discuss special effects such as vibrato etc., when it comes to bending which they all discuss too – I’ve found less than a handful that offer a different kind and unique approach to it.
Not that they’ve actually come out and said it directly; more it was implied to be inferred by the serious student. Of which I decided to be and have become one.
The three I credit for helping me along in this leg of my journey are books and tapes by: David McKelvy; a guy named Marcos; and Jon Gindick, the guy who first scared me, but no longer!
What do their books and tapes offer that I haven’t found from anyone, anywhere else?
Well all three do have plenty of songs to be sure. Yet it’s how the songs are presented which led me to some great Aha-Eureka moments in themselves.
First though – My other most recent Aha-Eureka moment was in teaching myself to play more than one song at a time. I explained this in the following thread:
http://www.harmonica.com/forums/how-to-play/two-by-two-hand-in-hand-youre-in-love-they-are-too!/
Hopefully those who have read and begun applying these methods have already experienced some success with it. Be that as it may…It was that in conjunction with this…Well, time now for the songs I’m using to illustrate and demonstrate the next level of Aha-Eureka moments. [Please study them carefully before moving on. Thanks!]
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