So, ya know that kind of squeaky noise you get when you don't hit the hole just right and get a little of the next hole in addition to the one you aimed for? Some days I'll nail a song the first time through and other days I'll sit there for hours trying to play the simplest songs without squeaking them up. Am I going to improve any more than this, ever? It's been over a year now, and no I can't tell you how much I've been practicing, I never had a set schedule. Some weeks I'd only find 20 minutes here and there, other weeks I'd play like a madman. But I've definitely been playing all this time and it doesn't seem like I progressed at all after the first few months. I'm obviously better than I was during those first few months, but I have a hard time getting through even an easy song without at least 1 or 2 boob-ups, and I don't see any signs of improvement anymore.

This is getting frustrating. This semester has been a disaster for me financially, I'm losing money hand over fist, and I was thinking about busking on my days off just to see if I could make a little extra money. Basically just play for myself for fun, but in public and see if I can make 10 bucks here and there while doing it. Last night I was practicing and nailing song after song and feeling confident, but today I sat down to practice again with plans to go out and busk tomorrow, and it has been about an hour now and I can't play the simplest damn song without squeaking it up all of a sudden. And now I'm feeling like maybe I shouldn't bother after all.

I think this marks the first time this hobby has felt /really/ frustrating to me. I've been frustrated before, but not quite this exasperated. This is almost golf levels of frustration.

Are you using and practicing with the same harp all the time? What playing technique are you using (as in, are you "tongue blocking", using "pursed lips", or "U-blocking"?)

If you're not using and practicing with the same harp, that could be part of the difficulty.

If you are, then give it more time. Try to relax. It'll come.

4 harps, 3 are the same model and the 4th is different, but I don't play that one nearly as much because it keeps trying to rip my mustache off my face as violently and angrily as possible.

pursed lips.

give it time and relax. So... basically there's nothing more to improving on the harp than there is to peeing in public? (sorry, I thought it was funny >.> )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2012 11:42PM by ,,,.

I’m guessing that very few of us regardless of our playing level are ever quite happy with the level that we play at. I read in this site somewhere that “you’ve never got it, you’re always just getting it” (hope the quote was close to the original). How true that seems to be. I always seem to be stuffing it up, but because I recorded my early days, I can go back and listen to what it was. My first thought is “boy, was I crap”, but that’s not fair on myself or others starting out.

I'm not a Harp player yet, I’m still just learning. Not sure when, if ever I will drop that statement. I can say that a few years ago, I would have given anything to play at the level I do now. I would give the same now to be able to play like others I listen to, but as Deb said, give it time and one year is not a lot of time. How long did it take you to be able to write confidently. We practised every day at school writing line after line from the black board (showing my age on that one) and by the time we got to grade 6, it was still not comprehensible by our parents but it was so much better than when we were in grade 2.

In my mind, the answer to your question is, we never get good at this, we just keep getting better.

haha, that's kind of what I was wondering. When I was learning to golf I'd go out with my grandpa, and he'd tell me that everyone he golfs with (for however many years it had been) still flubs one from time to time. That's what I was wondering about my squeakiness. I wonder if I'm always going to be flubbing one.

I just got especially frustrated now because, 1-- I was hoping to get people to toss some change into my briefcase for it, and 2-- I was just so on last night. Now today it's like I developed sudden onset fetal alcohol syndrome.

Mama said there'll days like this, I've been at it regular now this stretch for 4 + years and reading your opening message was like viewing a video of myself. Recently I left Harping alone for three days then tried again and had to pinch myself to see if it was me really playing. Give yourself a break and come back to it. It works wonders.

What cjd said!

Also, you may not like those little flubs, but just gliss on by them like you meant to do it, and try not to do it next time.

I'd bet good money that there are tons of recorded "flubs" that nobody 'cept the performer knows about.

Well, when I flub it tends to make pretty ugly noises that are very clearly things I did not mean to do and would not inspire people to toss change into my briefcase.

But I'll put your name in the acknowledgments when I release my first number-one single: "I Meant to do That."

I thnk we are hardest on ourself. Dads been playing chromatic for 75 years and I get so mad listening to him thinking I cant even get close. So maybe 74 years and 7 monthes from today I might finnaly get good at it

,,, Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, when I flub it tends to make pretty ugly
> noises that are very clearly things I did not mean
> to do and would not inspire people to toss change
> into my briefcase.

On those days, just turn the game around completly: "I'll stop playing as soon as you all pay up"

I started playing harmonica with this lesson, and i'm happy I did.
I could play clear single notes on the first day of my playing. by the second day I could silent night perfectly. Your probably not just starting, but this lesson will help you review your technique.

Link to Lesson: [www.harmonica.com]

When i have rough warm-ups i find that its OK to get angry at your harp.

I don't mean throw it or beat it, but instead intentionally blow your harp ridiculously hard, overly slobber and lick it, and just blast it.

It helps to clear my mind and suddenly the tab targets will just come into focus.

[standard disclaimers regarding harp treatment apply ]

^Yeah, that's a good way to blow out a reed. You'll really be mad once you do that.

Hence the note about the standard disclaimers applying hahahaha

2 comments come to mind:

1) I find that practising a tune/riff until I know it then just playing it occasionally is enough. After a while it starts coming easy. Once committed to memory I take the effort out of it. Sometimes a break helps too.

2) In the same way that girls can be harmed by looking at pictures of airbrushed models. I think that musicians can falsely judge themselves by comparing our 'real' efforts to the 'recorded, once only and edited afterwards' music we aspire to. No harm in aspiring to perfection but there is harm in not realising that even the pros make flubs. they say that Little Walter never played a tune the same way twice.

Paaul

the above sounds o so familiar ,hee hee

I am new to this harp milarkie ( second time attempt in 40+ years)...to get going I took some lessons, and teach gave me a great one-liner for when a duff note occurs


"do it once, and its a mistake, but do it twice and its jazz"

I helped me at least !!!