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Loading...Vibrato Vibrato and Tremolo Vibrato and tremolo and two terms that are often used, misused, and interchanged, and different people have different ideas about the distinctions and similarities between the two terms, techniques, and effects. I have decided to take the essence of my definitions from the “Schaum Dictionary of Musical Terms”. These are my definitions: Tremolo is pulsations […]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Loading...Overbends: Overblows and Overdraws A so-called overbend is a type of bend where the pitch that results is higher in pitch than the natural note of either reed in the hole, rather than lowering the pitch as with ordinary bends. This is because the overbend technique actually causes the normally-sounding reed to choke while you’re playing so it doesn’t […]
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)Loading...Breathing Playing the harp Begins and ends With breathing. Breathing in and out. When you want. As fast or slow as you want. As hard or soft as you want. For as long as you want. Whenever you want. From Your Diaphragm Through out these pages you have heard (or will hear) me harp on breathing […]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Loading...Embouchures The embouchure (ahm’ ba sure) is the method of applying the lips and tongue to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument, like the harmonica! If you are just learning to play I recommend you start with the Lip Block. 1) Lip Block – A variant of the pucker (see below), it’s also called lipping. Tilt the harp up at the back about […]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Loading...Bending Tips Bending is a basic diatonic harmonica playing technique used to produce notes not otherwise available in the basic tuning of the harp, and they are also used to provide various sliding-note effects. Bends are, in large part, what give the diatonic harp its unique character, and are intimately related to the blues tradition. […]
(No Ratings Yet)Loading...SpeeD Speed, in music, means playing fast in a musical context. Not just playing fast. Playing in a musical context means staying coherent with the rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic content of the piece. If you play fast but ignore the musical elements, then you are just playing fast, but not using speed. Speed implies control. A child can pick up the […]
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5)Loading...Motivated Notes A “motivated note” is a note that is played for a reason. All notes are motivated to a certain extent, but the degree of motivation is a big part of how well the note will work in the music.. how good it will sound. What motivates the selection of the next note to […]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)Loading...To figure out the chords, you first have to know the “interval relationships” of the notes. Lets look at the notes again. Holes: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Blow notes: C E G C E G C E G C Draw notes: D G B D F A B D F A So, for blow holes 1, 2, […]
(No Ratings Yet)Loading...Arpeggios An arpeggio is the notes in a chord played one at a time in sequence, instead of all together at once. There are a very limited number of chords available on any one diatonic harmonica, but with the use of bends and overbends (or valves) any arpeggio can be played. Knowledge of the arpeggios is very […]
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)Loading...The blues is an improvisational form of music. That is, it’s dynamic–you play what you feel and make it up as you go. You can find sheet music and tab for blues songs, and these can be useful helps for learning a particular song. But you have to play from your heart, not from your head. That is, the […]
