Thanks for the insights. I practiced on a C today using bbt. Wow a few chooks got strangles round here today. That 3’" is doozy. Then on the LC and got the -6’ a lot more often. Its my new main practice piece.
I’ll post HELP ME when I get it up to speed.
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Okay, following Luke’s advice and encouragement I continued on practicing
what really helped was constantly keeping the Gandalf meme where he says “a wizard is never early” and repurpose that for notes/articulation. Having looked it up, it actually says “a wizard is never late” but I still really like the vibe
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Thanks toodog! You are right about the “swivelling?” motion, I got distracted from also adding the hand vibrato - I did do it a bit at the very beginning - I’ll incorporate it next time. Seems every time I add something new something “older” gets dropped (at least, for a while) - when I first started trying to play with actual rhythm, I “unlearned” the relaxed mouth position from focusing so much on the rhythm and my mouth went super stiff and there was way more spit and I actually thought there was something wrong with the harmonica (like I thought when I just started learning it)
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Right on @toogdog! Yeah @yuriythebest, @davidkachalon was just talking about this during my lesson with him yesterday. It’s like juggling trying to think about all of these different things. You gotta just throw a ball and drop it before you learn 2 balls. 2 before 3. We can’t just go straight to juggling 10 balls!
I love your arrangement btw, going from single notes to double stops and then back to single notes. Very nice!
Have you tried playing along with the 8th note pulse on the metronome instead of the 1/4 note pulse? I’d be interested to hear it.
Rock on! 
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Ditto! 
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And… delivered! Here is a variant with lots of swiveling!
- Worked on improving my “chords” version as well - it’s surprising how chords seems “easier” at first, since that’s what people start with right? However, playing this song in chords and having it sound not out of tune took lots of practice and re-learning. I found that for best results my mouth has to be super relaxed (slack-jawed) with more space inside when compared to the single notes version, and also the breathing technique is different. It came off a tad quiet in this version, but I’m happy that the sound itself is more “correct”
@Luke - By sheet coincidence, I recently came across an 8/8 (instead of 4/4) note sheet music version for this tune - will add it to the things to try!
I love your arrangement btw, going from single notes to double stops and then back to single notes. Very nice!
Thanks Luke! I saw the “HarmonicaFun” Channel doing this with bluegrassy/old timey tunes and used it here. It’s awesome useful how this “lifehack” is, in that it both adds “contrast” and also extends playing time. In this latest version I also added even more variation in the 3rd part (after the chords) by adding hand vibrato
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On several of my Simple Songs to Practice Scales, I do something similar, though I like to call it:
Single Notes
Dirty Notes
Lotsa Notes
I kind of did it on this song which I call:
TOGETHER
I progressively get a little “dirtier” on the bottom end, while keeping the high part of the song in single notes so as not to hit the dreaded -6 -7 evil sound:
On this one, the harmonica is all single notes, but on the piano I go from single notes, chords, then chords with the melody. I haven’t tried that yet on the harmonica, but I’m going to 
It’s funny to see these now, especially the last one. My timing is all over the place!
I don’t know what the heck my leg is doing, but it’s kinda going crazy. Definitely no steady beat. It seems to have a mind of its own. After using the metronome now for about a week, I can see what I’ve been missing, and how far off I am on timing, but I’ll save that for another post.
Keep harpin @yuriythebest
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I liked the “on our way” one especially! I literally have the same issue with the leg - it often feels “disconnected” and doing it’s own thing unless I’m playing something slow and simple. I decided in those cases to switch to just a general “body shaking/rocking back and forth” instead
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He’s not playing harmonica, so off topic in that respect, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better foot tapper than Pete Seeger. Take a look at this, which I think I’ve set to start at 2:09. Sometimes he’s using both feet, with each foot working at a different tempo!
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I realised that after watching this I that was feeling tired from concentrating
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Hi @Steve_walters, I would love to play Legends of the fall but have been unable to find the tabs. I’ve tried playing it by ear but can’t quite get it. Did you find the tabs somewhere or work it out yourself?
Yeap Bad habits are as hard to break as good ones. Agreed
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Practicing me some rhythm! (basic melody but methinks this type of stuff is “where it’s at” for getting good)
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I can’t teach you to play because you’re great at learning a tune. You’ve got that.
If I was teaching you to dance I’d say stop dancing, clap along to the music. Nail the beat then dance. I feel the same applies. You’ve got the Melody now stop playing, put a metronome on and clap with it. Get the beat with the metronome or an original recording of what your trying to play. Your notes are really great.
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you are totally right - in some parts it feels a tad “awkward” , will try the whole “learn to clap before you learn to sing” approach
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I love the way his feet seem to “Talk to Each Other” as he taps them along to his rhythm. I’m not that coordinated, yet… But still working on it!
@yuriythebest , I also get tired from trying to concentrate on what my feet are doing. They often seem to have a mind of their own, sometimes in complete disconnect with everything else going on.
@yuriythebest on your Dancing Ducks in G, I’m digging your groove bro… I do see it a little awkward on the timing in the beginning, but love how you kick in some chords toward the end.
Keep Harping!!
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This is my very basic song for scales. I call it UP AND DOWN. As the song says, it just goes up and down the scale, but with a bit different rhythm to give it a little flavor.
Let’s see if it opens this way 
Let me know, if not, I will try something else.
I have found with a metronome, I’m back to basics, but really starting to love the sound of the tack, tack in the background to keep me moving at the right rhythm. Still working on it, but this is my first venture to share what I record with the metronome with my major scale song. Still very challenging for me to get it right and a very humbling.
Here are the tabs:
UP AND DOWN ON HARP
(Major Scale) @96 bpm
1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1
1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1
Here we go again
1 2 3 4 5
Up and down we go
6 5 4 3 2
Once more just for fun
1 2 3 4 5
Up and down we go
6 5 4 3 2
Up the scale we go to right here
1 -1 2 -2" 3 -3" -3 4
Then down again, to right here
-3 -3" 3 -2" 2 -1 4
Up the scale we go to right here
4 -4 5 -5 6 -6 -7 7
Then down again, to right here
-7 -6 6 -5 5 -4 7
Up the scale we go to right here
7 -8 8 -9 9 -10 10’ 10
Then down again, to right here
10’ -10 9 -9 8 -8 7
-5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -4 4
6 5 4
- I cheat a bit on the 10 overblow
It gets a little scary for me up at the top there and I don’t want to scare my neighbors. 
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Nice! The beginning has the feel of the “US military wake up song” (whatever it’s called). I guess, that’s kinda the point - simple melodies do have a “marching” feel to them. I actually think the “dancing ducks” would also be more aptly named “marching ducks” cause it’s just so rhythmic
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This is better in terms of rhythm right?
- feel like I’m now able to “catch a wave” (like in surfing - not that I’ve ever surfed) and let the rhythm carry me along. Still, wish I held some notes just a teeny bit longer
- Now unlocked the ability to hear myself not just playing the single “note” itself but almost hear myself ‘from the side’ in terms of time (like watching a recording) - helps a lot with rhythm
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