Articulation/slaps with the "lump"
Hello,
Wondering if I can get some tips/clarity on using tongue articulations like puills and slaps when accompanying, specifically, when doing the "lump." I want to make sure I am not learning bad habits as I practice!
The quick backstory is, I've been trying to figure out how to accompany my daughter while she plays violin, just for some family fun (I did another post on that in the general discussion forum, in which I got a lot of great tips!). Turns out, one of her practice books has a song titled Shuffle Boogie in C major. I had her try it out, and she is already able to shuffle pretty well!
What I am trying to do is play the bass line/back her up. So far, I figured out that I can do the lump while she shuffles (I am hitting C, then F, then back to C, since each little section of melody (which is a shuffle) ends on those notes, respectively). Seems like it will work. Then there is a little solo part in the melody, which I plan to accompany by taking over the shuffle. Also note, I am using a chromatic harp.
Anyway, I was trying to do some slaps to add a percussive element to the lump, but it came out sounding more Regge than blues; like, syncopated. Is it possible/desirable to add a percussive articulation like a slap when doing the lump? The way I was doing it was giving a continuous blow and slapping my tongue to close the three holes on the right (I tend to tongue switch for the 1 hole). i guess this is like a slow flutter. I am doing 3 bars of C eighth notes, followed by 1 bar of 3 C eighth notes and a rest (in the last bar, I am mimicing the melody line).
Thank you very much for any help!
Best,
Matt
Hi David, thank you so much for the tip. I'll try to put into actio. Your recommendation. I realize that I may be getting A bit ahead of myself trying To jam with my daughter, but, hey, struggling to inprove is part of the process, right? Hope you and your family had a good Turkey Day!
-- Matt
You're right Matt, it is. We had a good one, thank you... I hope the same for you.
Hello Matt. It’s great you can jam with your daughter. First thing to note is that most blues chromatic is done in D, what’s known as 3rd Position. 3rd Position is what gives the chords of the slaps and pulls their cool sound. With this said, blues can be played in any key/position, but it’s not garounteed that slaps and pulls will work/sound good. Slaps and pulls are not common on hole 1, for both diatonic and chromatic. I think the strange sound you’re hearing is that. Try doing the lump on hole 4 blow, for the C chord, and hole 2 draw for the F chord. Use slaps and pulls. If you don’t like the sound of the pulls, just use slaps in a shuffle rhythm. Also experiment with shuffling the notes of the chord... C E G E or C E G A for the C chord and F A C A or F A C D for the F chord. Let me know how it goes.