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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 28, 2021 19:55:13 GMT
Got me a C diatonic harp a few years ago and to be honest I just stuck it in my acoustic case with the expectancy of maybe having a blow through it when I fancied it. Lockdown came and I found myself (with the help of YouTube videos) giving it a go. Learnt the blow and draw notes and chords.....enjoyed playing single note tunes like Ode to Joy, She'll be Coming round the Mountain and Oh Suzannah.... but then I found out how to play (mainly) draw bends. Now I think that I'm Charlie Musselwhite!
I've got the blues now.....and I love it.
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leoroberts
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Aug 29, 2021 5:33:58 GMT
I know that Akquarius enjoys playing the gob-iron. He did a workshop a few years back at Halifax about bending notes and stuff. Never got the hang of it meself, mind!
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Post by fuzzbox on Aug 29, 2021 6:50:27 GMT
Yup, been playing for years, although it's only been during lockdown that I've finally starting to really practice the actual techniques. (Vibrato etc)
About 10 years ago I discovered Paddy Richter tuning and it really opened up my playing. It's a simple matter of altering one reed (3 blow). I do the work myself, but Seydel offer a range of custom tunings inc. Paddy Richter. The disadvantages are you lose a major chord and it's less expressive for some blues. The advantage is you gain a minor chord and scale. This has the advantage of making more folk/pop/rock melodies available down the lower end, either in first or second position.
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Wild Violet
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Post by Wild Violet on Aug 29, 2021 10:11:16 GMT
I started playing diatonic harmonicas years ago, mainly in first position for Neil Young covers. I'm pretty mediocre and can only play with a rack - take it away and I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!
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Post by andyhowell on Aug 29, 2021 10:26:48 GMT
I dabble once every few ye s - but it is always good fun!
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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 29, 2021 12:21:10 GMT
Yup, been playing for years, although it's only been during lockdown that I've finally starting to really practice the actual techniques. (Vibrato etc) About 10 years ago I discovered Paddy Richter tuning and it really opened up my playing. It's a simple matter of altering one reed (3 blow). I do the work myself, but Seydel offer a range of custom tunings inc. Paddy Richter. The disadvantages are you lose a major chord and it's less expressive for some blues. The advantage is you gain a minor chord and scale. This has the advantage of making more folk/pop/rock melodies available down the lower end, either in first or second position. I've heard of the Richter tuning but to be honest I'm having a blast playing and exploring sounds and notes on my diatonic harp. I might 'progress' to alternative tunings later but reckon that I need to get a good technique on the one I've got. Marine Band and Lee Oskar (other brands are available) have diatonics in minor keys and at first I thought what was the point of this as all the notes of the relevant natural minor on my C diatonic (A minor) are available but then realised that the minor notes are in the 4th position (I think!!) and notes that I would want to bend would be more difficult. Then there's the Brendan Powers' Powerbend and Powerdraw system that places notes in a slightly different order to the 'regular' areas so as to facillitate easier draw bends. Similar to the Richter system I would summise. Which would just be too confusing for me to adapt to at the present time. Sticking with my bog standard C diatonic harp.......but interested in alternative tunings.
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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 29, 2021 12:27:51 GMT
I know that Akquarius enjoys playing the gob-iron. He did a workshop a few years back at Halifax about bending notes and stuff. Never got the hang of it meself, mind! Neat.....I hope Akquarius (or anyone for that matter)joins the post. The more discussion, help and advice the better.
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Akquarius
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Post by Akquarius on Aug 29, 2021 13:45:27 GMT
I know that Akquarius enjoys playing the gob-iron. He did a workshop a few years back at Halifax about bending notes and stuff. Never got the hang of it meself, mind! Neat.....I hope Akquarius (or anyone for that matter)joins the post. The more discussion, help and advice the better. I'm not much of a harmonica player. I know how to bend and how to play single notes worth the name. What really amazes me is how easy it is to just play what comes to your mind when playing these tiny instruments, because there are only a few notes to play anyway. Improvising on a harmonica is pure fun.
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minorkey
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Post by minorkey on Aug 29, 2021 21:04:54 GMT
If all else fails you can use it as a slide...
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Post by fuzzbox on Aug 30, 2021 5:36:20 GMT
Unless you're doing it already, the single most important thing you can learn is vibrato. It really humanizes your tone. I've really only got to it over the last two years as I used hand warbles before that.
It's a difficult technique to explain (I'd actually describe it as "tremelo" than vibrato) What I'd say is to watch as many vids as possible to see which piece of info unlocks the technique for you.
For me it was, make the "machine gun" sound you did as a kid on a blow note, now the tricky bit, do the same thing on a draw.
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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 30, 2021 9:43:51 GMT
Neat.....I hope Akquarius (or anyone for that matter)joins the post. The more discussion, help and advice the better. I'm not much of a harmonica player. I know how to bend and how to play single notes worth the name. What really amazes me is how easy it is to just play what comes to your mind when playing these tiny instruments, because there are only a few notes to play anyway. Improvising on a harmonica is pure fun. You can't be 'not much of a harmonica player' if you were able and willing to do a presentation to other members of this board. But I've got to agree with you about whatever sounds that I do manage to play on mine seem half decent...without me really knowing what I'm doing.
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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 30, 2021 9:44:56 GMT
If all else fails you can use it as a slide... I don't play slide guitar.
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Post by frankieabbott on Aug 30, 2021 9:53:26 GMT
Unless you're doing it already, the single most important thing you can learn is vibrato. It really humanizes your tone. I've really only got to it over the last two years as I used hand warbles before that. It's a difficult technique to explain (I'd actually describe it as "tremelo" than vibrato) What I'd say is to watch as many vids as possible to see which piece of info unlocks the technique for you. For me it was, make the "machine gun" sound you did as a kid on a blow note, now the tricky bit, do the same thing on a draw. Haven't got to even thinking about using vibrato. Sticking to the fundamentals at present (maybe vibrato is a fundamental but not to me yet). Thanks for your suggestions....I'll continue trawling youtube for learning content.
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Post by papadon on Sept 5, 2021 1:14:10 GMT
Lead guitar player? I don't need no lead guitar player.
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