From: Dave Breeze Date: Fri, 19 Apr 1996 15:54:42 +0100 Subject: A Beginer's Tale
I have owned a harmonica now for about 2 years (play would be too strong a word). I class myself as an absolute beginner and as such I have been a little reticent about mailing to the list. I thought, however, that there must be other people out there just starting off on the harp who may benefit from sharing my experiences. So here I go popping my head above a parapet.
After 2 years of practising on my lonesome I summed up the courage and the cash and attended a harp weekend run by Dr. Midnight (active on this list). This has to have been the most positive move I have ever made on the harp. I had been struggling for almost ever to get all three bends on draw 3. I had incorrectly assumed that I was simply not bending far enough and that if I just tried harder and kept practising that I would eventually get there. In my darkest hours I even ignored the problem in the vain hope that it would go away.
Well - 2 minutes into playing in front of the Dr. Midnight revealed that I was over-bending on draw-3. I was already below the bottom bend and had been attempting to force the instrument beyond its physical capabilities. I was shown a chromatic tuner and shown a few simple exercises to improve pitch control. One week later after about 30 minutes practise a day all three bends are clearly there. OK they are not 100% accurate but according to the tuner they are not far off.
Two take home messages here. Expose your playing to an expert at the earliest opportunity and buy a chromatic tuner.
The Dr. Midnight weekend was #100 (UK sterling) and worth every penny (or should that be cent).
To anyone else who is struggling to master this beast - keep playing - there is light at the end of that tunnel.
