+ alongside the note numbers
Hi, just starting out and using the Study 1 and find the + with the note number (4+).
What does this mean?
Thanks.
Chris
Hi Chris,
A + sign after a note means to blow. There is no sign used in David's notations to indecate a draw, so where you see just a number that means to draw. I think all this is explained in the fundimentals lesson.
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/blues_harmonica_fundamentals
If you have any problems with the lessons ask David in the Ask Instructor David Barrett forum. He almost always answers same day. Also check out the FAQ for this website. David has posted solutions to many problems people have.
https://www.bluesharmonica.com/faq
There are other experts who welcome questions and have there own forums, so look thru the forum list. The general discussion forum is a great place to chat with others about harmonicas, music, or just spill your blues.
I hope you have fun.
Brian in Tennessee
As Brian has pointed out, David uses a really simple system. No + or - means draw. + means blow. Some other teachers use arrows, with some of them using different directions from the others. And there's one really good chromatic teacher out there who uses arrows, with open arrows meaning slide out, and filled-in arrows meaning slide in. And then there are those who use arrows, with diffent curves on the shafts to signify degrees of bends. It can all get really interesting. Props to those folks who can easily read musical notation, and ignore the numbers/arrows/signs etc.
"And there's one really good chromatic teacher out there who uses arrows, with open arrows meaning slide out, and filled-in arrows meaning slide in."
If you mean me, I actually do the opposite. Solid arrows are slide-out and hollow ones are slide-in. That's how I designed by Chromatic Sans tab font. Thirty years ago, before I developed the font, I did do the opposite in some issues of the magazine HIP - The Harmonica Information Publication. But when I designed the font, I switched as it seemed more intuitive.
You can see examples of my tab fonts (and order them) here.
As to arrows going up or down, they've always gone up for blow, down for draw AFAIK, though somebody might have done the opposite. This sytem has been used by Hohner since at least the 1930s, probably earlier.
The rationale for up = blow was pointed out to me by Joe Filisko:
- Imagine a person with a harmonica in front of them
- Now look at them from above. The harmonica will be "above" the person's head, so to blow into the harmonica, the air travels "up" and to draw air out of the harmonica, the air travels "down.
If I'd meant you, I woiuld have said, "... really, REALLY good chromatic teacher ..." Actually referring to Ross Walters.
for example:
5- means draw on hole 5
4+ means blow on hole 4