Hi Robert - Good question! Obviously I can't know exactly what Little Walter meant when he said "Fill the harp up with air, and then you just navigate" but what I gleaned from it is something like this - Once you've created a nice, tight seal, devoid of unintentional air leaks, then you can find a balance in your playing - a space that allows you to relax while still maintaining intensity.This enables you to obtain a good tone with a more effortless, smooth flow. After that, when you want to really punch it, you can and it'll jump out - providing some good, effective contrast. I hope that helps. For me, that Little Walter statement is both a concept to ponder and a goal to strive for.
2 draw vs 3 blow - Same note, right? When and where to use each - based not only on the character of the sound, but also factoring in the question of which one will best help your flow and phrasing in a particular situation - Sometimes it's obvious which one to use, but often it's a matter of trying both, and not just going along with habitual breathing patterns, but experimenting to see which one is going to best serve the musical "feel" you're going for - It's something that comes up over and over.
If I weren't looking at it and seeing my jaw move, I'd say it's all throat, but, at least on that 3 draw whole step bend, my jaw is obviously working in tamdem with my throat. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Robert - Nice job on this! Very nice work incorporating all the techniques and making the transitions as fluid as possible. Really impressed with how smooth some of those bends are on the 6 draw, and your work on the 3 draw notes as well. There are a few points in choruses 6-7-8 where the phrasing gets off track (usually you just rushed one phrase that sets off the next few bars) but overall a great job on this! I have no doubt that you'll be able to accomplish the phrasing easily enough. The technique stuff is usually what I would be more worried about since it takes more work, but I can see (or hear) you got most of that covered already. Thumbs Up!!
Hi Robert - Real glad you're diggin' the lesson. To tell you the truth, I can't rememberhow I was playing those bottom 2 holes - whether I was lipping or tongue blocking. In looking at the video I think may do it one way one time and the other way another time. At first when I looked at it, it appeared I was lipping the bottom 2 holes, but right about :50 seconds in, I switch the way I'm holding the harp which provides a better view and when I look at that little section, where I'm holding the harp in my right hand, it's obvious that I'm tongue blocking the entire thing. Often you can see it - When I have the look of playing the harp out of the right corner of my mouth, that's a good indication I'm tongue-blocking. I can do it either way and whichever way you chose to do it on the bottom 2 holes, the rest needs to be tongue-blocked.
That helps! Thanks, Rick.
Hi Rick - Any tips on how to fill the harp up with air? Seems like it would be easier to do while tongue-blocking. Thanks!
Hi Robert - Good question! Obviously I can't know exactly what Little Walter meant when he said "Fill the harp up with air, and then you just navigate" but what I gleaned from it is something like this - Once you've created a nice, tight seal, devoid of unintentional air leaks, then you can find a balance in your playing - a space that allows you to relax while still maintaining intensity.This enables you to obtain a good tone with a more effortless, smooth flow. After that, when you want to really punch it, you can and it'll jump out - providing some good, effective contrast. I hope that helps. For me, that Little Walter statement is both a concept to ponder and a goal to strive for.
A "cool stroll" and a great series of lessons - thanks, Rick!
A truly trilling series! Thanks, Dennis!
Who says the trill is gone?
Right on!
Thanks for another great series of lessons, Rick - I learned a lot!
Thanks Robert! I'm real happy to hear that!
Thanks, Rick!
Really like the way the 3-blow is used in this and previous choruses!
Hey Robert - I like the way you're thinking!
2 draw vs 3 blow - Same note, right? When and where to use each - based not only on the character of the sound, but also factoring in the question of which one will best help your flow and phrasing in a particular situation - Sometimes it's obvious which one to use, but often it's a matter of trying both, and not just going along with habitual breathing patterns, but experimenting to see which one is going to best serve the musical "feel" you're going for - It's something that comes up over and over.
Thanks, Rick!
Hi Jerry - Are you doing any tongue blocking on the turnaround (5:55)? I'm hearing
some of the tongue-blocking things (ghost chords, percussive effect)
Dennis Gruenling was teaching in the "Horton Shuffle." Thanks!
Thanks, Rick!
Hi Rick - A question about the vibrato (around 4:16 on the video): is it all in the throat
or does the jaw move too? Thanks for another great series of lessons!
If I weren't looking at it and seeing my jaw move, I'd say it's all throat, but, at least on that 3 draw whole step bend, my jaw is obviously working in tamdem with my throat. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Thank for the lessons, Dennis - "Boxed Up" is a great tune and I learned a lot about third position!
Robert - Nice job on this! Very nice work incorporating all the techniques and making the transitions as fluid as possible. Really impressed with how smooth some of those bends are on the 6 draw, and your work on the 3 draw notes as well. There are a few points in choruses 6-7-8 where the phrasing gets off track (usually you just rushed one phrase that sets off the next few bars) but overall a great job on this! I have no doubt that you'll be able to accomplish the phrasing easily enough. The technique stuff is usually what I would be more worried about since it takes more work, but I can see (or hear) you got most of that covered already. Thumbs Up!!
Thanks, Rick!
Hi Rick,
Great lesson! Was it all tongue-blocking this week? Or were some
of the notes lip-pursed (as in last week's lesson)? Thanks!
Hi Robert - Real glad you're diggin' the lesson. To tell you the truth, I can't rememberhow I was playing those bottom 2 holes - whether I was lipping or tongue blocking. In looking at the video I think may do it one way one time and the other way another time. At first when I looked at it, it appeared I was lipping the bottom 2 holes, but right about :50 seconds in, I switch the way I'm holding the harp which provides a better view and when I look at that little section, where I'm holding the harp in my right hand, it's obvious that I'm tongue blocking the entire thing. Often you can see it - When I have the look of playing the harp out of the right corner of my mouth, that's a good indication I'm tongue-blocking. I can do it either way and whichever way you chose to do it on the bottom 2 holes, the rest needs to be tongue-blocked.