Good job Tom! Sounds like you've really memorized the piece pretty well! If you don't mind, I'll give you a couple suggestions - First, I noticed some of your notes that should be clipped off are being held a little too long. Try to listen for the length of the notes - Listen for where the notes are clipped off, and where they are held a little longer. The other thing I'd suggest would be to listen more closely to the pitch on on the 3rd hole draw. Listen to where it's bent and where it's not bent. Also pay attention to the spots where the note finishes with a bend on the back end of the note, how long that bend is, and the times when the note ends without a bend on the back end. These may seem like small points, but small things can make a big difference in the overall sound and the effect it has on the listener. Thanks for posting the videos. Overall you're doing great! AND - Thanks for the bonus video! It made me smile!

Hello Rick !

I thank you for your opinion, it’s so important and useful for me. The duality of emotional feelings I had during I was expecting it is very strange: on one side I was thinking “I hope he will encourage me and won’t say you’re too bad for this instrument poor guy”, and on another part I was thinking “I hope he will criticize me honestly in order that I can work on the most important problems of my playing and progress faster thanks to him”. And you did both with these precious words, so thanks. After hearing my “performance”, I begun compare it with yours to organize a “war plan of progression”: identify the points that are not the same to change them. 

As you said, I’ve noticed some effects of my playing are not efficient at all compared to yours. In fact, firstly when I learned the choruses, hearing my playing appeared to me very empty, shy. I thought it was because my vibrato was poor and because you use “ghost notes or chords”. So I tried to pull up the vibrato notes, and maybe instead I plaid notes longer than they are, to occupy space, in spite of a short vibrato I don’t dominate for the moment. I realize well how important is to clip off or not as a conversation tone or the suspense of a movie, I’ll work on that, you’re so right. It makes me think about Adam Gussow speech about the importance of not playing notes that good blues players have. Silence can be stronger than a note when you put it at the right time.

Some bend are not the same, I noticed it, and probably I haven’t identified all the notes concerned! And I understood you don’t speak only about fully bend notes but also about end of some notes transformed in a bend more or less long. That’s tough, but it’s an interesting clue you gave me to follow… Two facts are in relation with this point for me: first I don’t have your capacity to define how the note is bent (but I progressed for that since last year for sure). Second, I worked so hard to learn to bend notes and to integrate “the blue note” to my playing that I have the sensation my mouth forgot  the way for how not to bend, how to play a clear 2^nd,  3^rd or 4^th hole draw. In fact, I think matching all the bend notes and the not bend at a high speed playing is the real difficulty. When you speak about “3^rd hole pitch”, do you mean in this 6^th chorus lesson or anywhere else?

Playing amplified, you give intensity sometimes by closing strongly your fingers and so the sound on the mic. As well you open your hands to create “wouawoua”. I didn’t notice it when you explained it (you explain so many details that I can look and listen many and many times the same lesson before I catch a new element! That’s difficulty and pleasure blended). Playing acoustic, I saw with my video that I don’t open my hands correctly for “wouawoua”, I use my fingers most of the time.

Some choruses parts are plaid to much mechanically, some variations have to be learned and added. The thing is it’s not easy to develop these details when you don’t play easy, means when you run after the note, after your memory, and after rhythm. Maybe I’ll be able to integrate more and more things to my playing thanks to my motto “Do it again”.

So I think repeat and repeat again a chorus is important to play it easier, but stop, listen and think about what to change is too. Register video can be good for that, and if you, fabulous sweet teacher harp (my English is poor to compliment you, sorry!), if you take a look on it and give your opinion, it’s greater! Maybe I’ll post another one when I will have worked enough on all these points, if you don’t matter of course. I’m happy because that’s the first time I can play a whole musical harp title at 100% speed and without the feeling of running always after the rhythm. I know it’s not perfect but it’s better, and it gives me pleasure. That’s all I need! I apologize because my speech is too long, probably as the end of some of my notes!! Now, I CLIP IT OFF !

Hi Boyd - I checked out Horton Shuffle. That's a lot of stuff to remember! You're doing an excellent job of memorizing the verses. My first recommendation would be to try to zero in a little more closely on the rhythm and the time.