Bass line
Thu, 01/16/2014 - 21:53
Hi Dave
I have a query with the Rhumba bass line 2.6 from solo harmonica 1.
I am hearing something different on the mpg recordings to what you discribe on the video lesson. You say say that the chords should not have any articulation. However, I think I am hearing some sort of articulation when the the 123 blow chord is played. Is this just my ears? I don't seem to get the same sound when I just blow (breathe) those 3 notes.
Also am I understanding it correctly that you would recommend slapping all the notes. Is it possible to slap a note that starts off in the bent position i.e. Ex 2.8?
thanks
Hello bordercollie. Listening to the audio recording… yes, I am using pulls (articulating the chords)… sorry for the confusion There used to only be the videos for this lesson, and then six months later I decided it would be nice to audio record these examples for the students as well. Obviously I didn't remember my comments on the video when recording. So… I guess it's safe to say it sounds good either way!
With all seriousness, in the audio recording I play it slowly and was more apt to using pulls, but at full tempo, for that lick, I would most likely use a pull (articulate) for the blow chord and lift for the draw chords (not articulate)… but obviously each player could interpret and play it differently.
Yes, you can slap into a bend. This is performed by…
1) Slaping your tongue on the face of the harmonica
2) When the tongue arrives on the face of the harmonica to sound the slap, the middle/back of the tongue should raised and in the bent position for the 3'. So they arrive at the same time.
For this slower blues lick I would most likely not slap the 2 and the 3', but the 5, 5+ and 4 I would. Each lick is different… basically whatever sounds good to you, but to over-slap would be a good thing in the beginning, because most students way under-slap.
Have a great weekend.