Learn to play harmonica. MUSIC 097 OK ~ BENDING NOTES ~ What makes a note bend? Normally, when you play a note on your harp, the air passes over the reed more or less parallel with it. If you cause the air to pass over the reed at an angle … it makes the reed vibrate at a different rate, so the note changes its pitch and we say the note has “bent.” IT’S BY CHANGING THE SHAPE OF THE CAVERN OF YOUR MOUTH THAT THE AIR IS DEFLECTED AND THIS AFFECTS THE TONE AND PITCH OF THE REED. Some trivia ~ when you bend a note on a harmonica, the note flattens . . . when you bend a note on a stringed instrument, ie a guitar, the note sharpens. ! Now isn’t this great information? ! ! ! There are several ‘bending’ methods in addition to what’s on the video, here are two others ~ 1) Place your harp in your lips at hole 1 … inhale while DRAWING FROM YOUR ABDOMEN … drop your jaw. The note will bend. Try it on holes 2, 3 and 4. (These are the holes that are the easiest to bend.) See it demonstrated here – this is an EXCELLENT presentation – www.youtube.com 2) This method is a bit more advanced. ~ Choose one of the holes 1 to 4 … USING THE MUSCLES DEEP IN YOUR THROAT/NECK draw the air through the reed. ie DRAW FROM YOUR THROAT. Your tongue goes back a bit and your jaw drops a little … it’s dinky to explain, however by experimenting you’ll soon get it. See it demonstrated by Adam Gussow on this video – watch his throat closely and you’ll understand. www.wonderhowto.com Bending notes …
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LEARN TO PLAY BLUES HARMONICA – Lesson# 5 – BAJAN PIEDPIPER
Learn to play harmonica. MUSIC 100 Put the video on pause and read these side-bar notes before you watch. There are two aspects of music that particularly interest us – melody and harmony. In blues, the melody will be played by a lead instrument (for us on a harp) and the harmony (chords) will be played -usually – by a guitar or a keyboard such as a piano or organ. Playing blues has to do with improvising. What you want to avoid when improvising are ‘sour notes’ –ie notes that sound discordant! THE FACT IS you can play ANY note ANY TIME! ~ But there is a ‘trick’ to it! There are notes that sound right and some that definitely sound ‘wrong’ ! YOUR EAR TELLS YOU WHICH NOTES ARE HARMONIOUS AND WHICH ARE INHARMONIOUS! HOW TO DEAL WITH SOUR NOTES ~ DAMAGE CONTROL – Trick #1 -ooo- HOW TO PLAY RIFFS THAT ‘FIT’ EACH TIME ~ Trick#2. One of the skills you have to learn ~ is how to cover a mistake. Whenever you play a discordant note, what some call a ‘wrong note’ – you get off it right away! You certainly may use them as stepping stones, meaning when you play it (or them) you just touch them and quickly move to the next note. Another way of saying this is ~ you can use discordant notes as links to bridge one harmonious note to the other. Again, let it be clear: the trick is to not dwell long or linger on the discordant note. In real terms ~ you may use all notes when you play, but discordant notes you use as passing tones. Yes! DO use ‘discordant notes’ – they give your music …
HOW TO PLAY HARMONICA – Lesson 1 – SINGLE NOTES – Bajan Piedpiper
MUSIC 101 It has been said “a harmonica is the world’s greatest musical instrument.” Played with pizzazz it sure sounds sweet! There is one thing I can surely promise you ~ if you will view this video, study and visit the links given in these notes, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS… if you will be patient and persistent and refrain from becoming frustrated… you will succeed in learning to play harmonica! It does not matter what skill it is, ALL SKILLS require PRACTICE … just take it one step at a time and you will succeed. Ok! One of the first things you notice when you try to play a harmonica is that you’ll play more than one note at the same time, this is because the holes are small and close together… Even though you will sometimes use chords formed by playing more than one note at a time, your first task is to play a clean, clear single note … this is necessary to properly play the melody of a song or riff. So … to get good clear single notes is your first ‘assignment.’ Here is the technique: 1) Wet your lips with your tongue so the harp can move easily from hole to hole. 2) Move the harp and not your head! 3) Purse (pucker) your lips as when whistling or drinking through a straw. Cover the holes on the harmonica with your lips except the one hole you want to play. Your pucker should be about the size of a pencil eraser. 4) Place the harp well into your lips … do not have it out on the front. 5) Inhale, exhale gently on the hole… BREATHING FROM YOUR ABDOMEN …