This course is AMAZING except...
I already am a great sight-reader in the treble clef (classical violin). I've been working on my ear training and harmony with other instruments (harmonica just added to that list). Having music in the key of C and playing and HEARING another key than what I already know that I'm seeing is so very confusing.
If I could hear the C harmonica AND learn on the C harmonica while reading the proper notes and then transfer that muscle training to harmonicas in other keys while no longer looking at the music, it would be much less confusing to my eyes and ears.
I LOVE the idea of having the actual notes, but with not having them match the sound ... I'm honestly not sure if this course is going to help or hurt my ability to learn and I'm afraid it could really set me back with my ear training.
I might have to by-pass all the notes (like scratch them out with a sharpie so that I can't see them) and use only the tab (which would be a big loss).
By a long shot, have you made recordings (MP3s) of you playing the studies and especially the songs on the C harmonica besides just the intro lessons on the C harmonica? Those first classes were PERFECT!
You offer something no other course does - REAL WRITTEN MUSIC! - and then make it useless to me by only having the recordings in the key of A.
If you would just add the recordings in the key of C too, then I think your site would be unbeatable for musicians proficient in other instruments to easily learn the harmonica.
Maybe if you did the recordings in the key of C and offered them in a different section at the end or sold them separately???
I just really wish I could have the sound match the written music.
Pretty please! :D
I know of course that the clarinet and sax and horn transpose - but those are the exception. The instruments that I play, the violin, the viola, the ukulele, the guitar, the piano, the cello, the flute and the drum do not and all except the couple of instruments in an entire orchestra do not. Transposition is a difficult and time consuming skill that I have no desire to learn.
99% of musicians do not have to transpose. It's a lot more than a "hiccup" for me as interfering with my ear training would make me give up on your course. You are the only harmonica teacher I've ever come across that teaches in another key other than C, but you are also the only one that has created such a great course in every other aspect. With the harmonica, unlike with the clarinet or horn playing in an orchestra, I will likely rarely ever use written music for the harmonica in any other key other than C (which I will for folk and classical music etc. but not for the blues) EXCEPT when learning in your course.
So, are you saying that for each exercise and piece of music I would put it into the Amazing Slow Downer and it would actually play it back in a different key and not just slow down the tempo?
Wouldn't that distort the sound of your playing on the harmonica? Wouldn't all the tremolos and vibratos and other techniques come out sounding differently?
What about the jam tracks? Are you saying the slow downer can change all those to another key?
I don't need to slow your playing down to learn so wasn't planning on getting that software, but it sounds like you are saying that it is my only option in order to have the music match the sound for intonation purposes. I might then though be learning other techniques incorrectly doing that?
It also would be a lot of work for me to buy and learn a new piece of software to have it transpose your course into the key of C (except the parts where you are actually using a C harmonica and referring to music theory that is as I noticed you actually play on a C harp for those classes). But, wouldn't it actually need to be in the key of G? That's kind of confusing. Then I wouldn't be able to use the software before learning to bend right?
Is there another work around that you are aware of? Maybe a way of changing all your written music into the key of E instead?
It's just super weird to have all your music in a different key than the sounds... to any music literate person except to someone who already plays a transposing instrument. Guitarists (who are the most likely to want to learn the harmonica) certainly don't transpose, but I guess most of them don't know how to read music - except classical guitarists - but your course wouldn't be helping them any to learn how to read music as it is.
If I weren't working so hard on my ear training or was a beginner it wouldn't be a big deal, but at this point in my musical training, it's a big deal. It's a real road block to being able to use most of your course.
It's also no big deal to get an A harmonica, would be doing that anyway. It's really just about the disjunct between sound and page. My brain is already deeply hard-wired to read music fluently since I was a child a million years ago. It's a little like seeing the word "blue" written in red and not reading red out loud instead of the written word blue. Or, like in the martial arts after years of training having to kick every time the teachers says to punch while at the same time having another teacher use the word kick to mean actually mean to kick. Doing ear training and your course at the same time with the music as it is just won't work. Learning through distorted sound won't work either. I want to learn how to make GOOD sounds on the harmonica. Subtle intonation difference is extremely important with most of my instruments. I don't want to mess up my ear for that either so whatever work around can't mess with the accuracy of pitch.
Maybe other musicians wouldn't even bring this up as they would simply not take your course, but I really LOVE your course in every other aspect. I love your step by step careful approach that corresponds to written materials. Nothing is left out and you do a wonderful job of explaining the mechanics of playing. I would really like to go through it step by step with the written music - if I can get it all lined up with my ear somehow that is.
If this is just a hiccup to you, it seems like it would be such an easy fix for you to record your materials in the key that corresponds to the music so that people can actually learn to read music properly while going through your course if they want to use it that way and for musicians like me not to be scared away by the transposition aspect.
I have to say that this is the ONLY flaw in your course that I have come across. You were so thoughtful and careful with every other aspect. It's just too bad that it's such a big hurdle for me. The written music is the biggest plus in your course, but also the biggest frustration. The sheet music could so easily be the thing that puts you squarely over the top into the only harmonica course to even consider for every musician that knows how to read music.
I'll watch your class on the slow downer, but I have to say, I'm rotten with computers and software. I will probably need to get help installing and learning it and every little thing I do on the computer takes me forever. I will ONLY be playing the harmonica (like the rest of my instruments) acoustically. Having to learn software in order to take your course is a lot for me to take on and I don't want to do that if it's going to mess up the sound quality.
I'm going to keep on thinking about work-arounds.
I deeply appreciate the course you created and especially your helping me to figure out how to get around this problem.
BTW, I've already watched most of your videos with your wife as an overview already. Having a woman in your course is fabulous! "What's a gasket?" Gotta love it. :D Would you tell Sharon for me please that the way around using lip balm (so tempting!) is by doubling her water intake and eating lots of high quality fats like raw olive oil. Replace regular table salt with REAL SALT or Celtic Sea Salt so that the body can take the water in and hydrate the cells. Playing the harmonica is dehydrating. If you hydrate and oil up the insides enough, the lips will stay moist. It takes effort to keep this up, but I learned this with my recorder and flute playing and it's even more of an issue with the harmonica. You put the oil on from the INSIDE (which is also great for health in general) and hydration is key to avoiding the balm. The more alcohol, regular salt or junk food you eat, the harder it is to keep hydrated so for every little bit of any of that you would have to then quadruple your water intake. Don't drink water just when thirsty. I have to remind myself to drink a glass of water every half an hour while playing and every hour when I'm not. Setting a timer helps. Coffee and tea are also dehyrating and soft drinks are just killers. The less of those you can do the moister your lips will stay. Hopefully that advice will help her like it has me and take care of the moisture problem, but then there's still the "pretty" problem. For that Sharon can use things like natural beet juice to stain the lips or just buy a lip stain. That way she can be pretty and have moist lips without messing up her instruments. Of course lip stain might make her instruments different colors too, but having pretty colored instruments isn't a bad thing. She'll always be able to tell which one is hers. :D
I wanted her to know that no matter what ends up happening with me being able to continue the course or not.
Hello Dorothy.
You don’t need to learn transposition, you’re not transposing at sight.
Yes, with the Amazing Slow Downer, you can change the key of a song, or jam track, independent of the speed.
This will not lead you to learn any techniques improperly.
If you’re playing your C harmonica in 1st Position (key of C), then the music should be in C. If you’re playing your C harmonica in 2nd Position (key of G), then the music should be in G. And so on for other positions.
The Amazing Slow Downer software is easy to use. Drop your song into the playlist within the program and move the “Pitch” slider to the desired key (going up or down how many semitones you would like). That’s it. If you would like to save the file, then you can “Save As” and choose your preferred format. This is the easiest, and fastest way to change the key, if you you find it overly-challenging to work within the movable-do system.
The way I write the music notation is not a flaw, it was done very purposely this way. I’ve been using it with very good results for thirty years… for new students to music and those that have been playing music all their lives like you (I currently have a retired band director, a professional trumpet player, and seven guitarists as private students… they have no issue with the system… nor do my other students). Instead of a student having to learn to read in all 12 keys, AND MEMORIZE the notation layout of all 12 keys of harmonicas, all they have to do is memorize ONE harmonica, reading in ONE key. The majority of students are not interested in learning to read, but for those that are, they build the skill set VERY fast with this system. I don't mean to be argumentative, I'm just sharing with you, and for anyone else who reads this post, that I use this system because it's effective.
I’m sorry that this is an issue for you. If using the Amazing Slow Downer mostly fixes this, fantastic. If this is too challenging for you, I understand, and I wish you the best of luck in your studies, wherever they may take you.
I passed on your info to Sharon and she said to thank you.
I appreciate what you are saying and can understand how you perceive things given the students you have had in the past, but I'm a violinist that sight-reads at a level like I read what you just wrote to me in writing. I understand that I CAN do what you are saying to do, to transpose and hear a different note that I have been hearing played the same way my entire life, but I do not WANT to spend the energy or time to do that and that WILL harm me in my ear training courses that I am presently taking. You are talking about guitarists and band leaders that either don't read music fluently, are not in the process of learning ear training or who already transpose... or who just won't tell you that it doesn't work for them because the people that stay with you - it works for them or they are willing to work it the way you have set it up. Like I said, most people like me would just walk away without a peep. If I were coming to you for lessons live, I would just do whatever I had to make that happen, but this is the internet.
You did not directly answer my question about the changes the slow downer would or would not make to the sound quality itself - whether or not your vibrato and tremolos etc have a different sound quality or speed? I can't see how those wouldn't be affected. I also was thinking about the fact that I'm not ready to bend yet - so it's really not going to work. I can't play the sharps on a C harmonica yet.
I think what I'm going to have to do is just listen to you playing once to get the idea of your technique and the general idea of what I'm supposed to sound like and then learn it on the C harmonica while reading the music so as not to interfere with my ear training classes or have to buy and mess with software for every little bit I want to learn. That undoubtedly will slow me down substantially if I have to deal with sofware. I'll just by-pass most of the tools. I can later play the same thing on the A harmonica to use the jam tracks once the song is memorized and in full muscle memory. This will force me to memorize the music, but that could be a good thing. I'll skip most of the exercises and use the music you wrote in the key of C.
I would so much prefer to just read all the music and hear the examples and music as written, but I guess if you have been doing the same thing for so long and you can't see the upside of gaining a larger audience, no reason for you to make the extra effort. When teaching people who are used to transposing or who don't read music fluently in a classical way it truly wouldn't matter. I'm probably too much of a minority for it to matter.
I'll get what I can out of what is here. Like I said, I really love your explanations regarding techniques. I'm picking up things super fast with those explanations. I'll make it work the best I can for me with my situation. I just so wish you had the things recorded on the C harmonica too. I know I'm just one person so not worth that kind of effort, but that would be my little vote.
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
BTW, I'm almost done with Sharon's lessons and you are playing on an A harmonica yet you call the notes what they are in the key of C instead of the note names you are playing on the A harmonica and you put up a diagram of a C harmonica to talk about what notes the holes are called on the harmonica you are playing instead of a diagram of an A harmonica.
I'm so glad that I already understand enough theory and about music to understand that you are talking about a different harmonica than the one you are actually playing.
You might want to put a note about that on the lessons that you are naming the notes on a C harmonica rather then the notes that you are playing on the A harmonica.
I think this kind of thing is the reason why learning everything on the C makes so much logical sense. Learning theory, notes, written music and having it correspond with the piano and the guitar that you were playing to demonstrate - that seems so much clearer and easier to me.
Which gave me the added idea that I'm first going to memorize the music on my violin to get it clearer and understand the theory more easily. It might be a nice way to learn some blues fiddle in the process.
I'll make it work, but man, I would be confused if didn't know what I already know. I think this kind of thing can be more confusing on the internet than in live classes.
Thank you for your input Dorothy. In regards to sound quality when changing keys with the Amazing Slow Downer... yes, it does change the sound quality.
Thanks David.
It took me a little bit to figure out that so far all your playing has been in the key of E yet written in the key of C so all I have to do is make believe you have a bass clef instead of a treble cleff with three sharps in the signature and I'm good to go. When you say G you really mean the sound is an E and when you say D you really mean B. That makes all the theory lessons make sense to me now. This way I will better understand all your instructions during the videos. Believe it or not this also make me able to play along with you on the C harmonica while looking at the music by jumping all around the C harmonica to match you and skipping the notes I can't play with you. This is helping me to learn the notes of the C harmonica - as much as I can and still learn the technique you are teaching that is.
I'm still going to play on the c harmonica any time I'm studying the written music. I think I'm going to be just fine concentrating on the songs you wrote, listening to your instructions, then your recording to understand the general idea of your musicality, tone etc. and then I can memorize the songs first on my C harmonica and then eventually play them along with the tracks on an A harmonica when I get to that point. Memorizing the C harmonica as you have instructed will be much easier if I'm actually using a C harmonica to make music. Understanding the theory well will be much easier from the key of C and from that harmonica for me. Trying to integrate the theory fully with this instrument while playing on an A harmonica is going to be too complex for me even if I fudge myself into thinking that I'm in the bass clef. I'm so much more at ease in the treble still. I'm learning the harmonica mostly in order to really get the concepts of harmony out of my head and into my bones. I'm not going to use any software that will affect my ability to copy your tone and techniqe or your musicality, because that's too valuable to give up.
I'm not giving up in general because what you have created when it comes to all the instruction for technique, the exercises and the songs you wrote that progressively incorporate techniques are simply too valuable. I'll probably come up with more work arounds as I move through the course.
Just in case anyone else ends up here in the same boat, I'll make sure to post what I figure out - like that bass clef trick. That's really going to help me a lot!
Thank you for sharing Dorothy.
Hello Dorothy. I'm glad you're enjoying your studies, and sorry for this hiccup you're experiencing. The system I use is commonplace in music. For example... the Clarinet, Trumpet, and Tenor Sax are Bb instruments... when they read C on the written page, it sounds Bb. The Alto Sax reads C and sounds Eb. The French Horn reads C and sounds F. For this reason, working within a system of "moveable-do" is smart. Though there is merit to a "fixed-do" system (mostly for developing relative pitch), it's helpful to work within the moveable-do system, which focuses more on intervalic relationships (know one key and you know them all). If this throws you off too much, you can use a program like the Amazing Slow Downer to change the key of all the songs you're playing to match that of your C harmonica.