Tongue Blocking Study 1 says A harmonica but looks like C
Howdy,
I'm just getting started, and the first fundamental lessons say we can go do tongue blocking exercise 1.5. It's the C scale and there's a picture underneath of the layout of a C harmonica. The intro says we should be using an A. The rest of the exercises (to a rank beginner), also look like they should be a C.
Am I wrong?
Thanks,
-- taters
So I'm trying to learn to recognize notes. I gather from your reply that in the videos, you're playing an A when the webpage says A, so I'm all good. I'm glad this forum is here so we can ask, and I'm glad you link around so we can look at other stuff we're ready for (in this case, maybe, almost ready). Thanks for the help!
You're correct. You'll be using the A harmonica for pretty much all your studies in the first three levels, so you're good to go. We'll only be thinking about the C for music theory purposes. My pleasure... keep the questions coming.
Is there a reason for me not to find something that will output sheet music and convert the exercises so I’m looking at the sheet music for the sounds I’m producing?
I ask because I’m totally ignorant of music and wish to learn music through the harmonica. Being as I’d like to learn to read sheet music, it seems counterproductive to play a note through the harmonica while ingraining the wrong note internally from the sheet music.
In an introduction, you’ve already said that your students mostly prefer tongue blocking to lip pursing because most people prefer what they learned first and anyone trained by you learned tongue blocking first. I’m with you (but it is harder, you know). Even if it’s part of your training that we should learn to disregard where the notes are vertically on the staff, perhaps considering notes to be relative instead of absolute things, I still want to know sheet music and think it’s probably best to learn the right way first. It seems like I’m jumping the gun learning to ignore where the notes are before learning what the notes sound like in each position, music theory or not.
I’ve also read about your very in-depth notation style which imparts far more information than the sheet music by itself does. Still must learn sheet music as well as your notation. It’s a goal.
Could you please let me know if you have the exercises with the notes we’re playing on the staff, whether the obstinate should convert it themselves, or if it’s part of your training to unpucker and look upon written music in a different light from the get-go.
Thanks,
-- taters
Hello Taters.
No, all of the music notation is written this way.
This is a very common method in the music world, called "C Score." To twist your mind a little bit... the clarinet, for example, plays a written C, but sounds Bb. The french horn plays a written C, but sounds F. These are known as "transposing instruments," but the conductor reads a score that's all in one key (a version of C Score).
Because each harmonica is an exact copy of the other, we learn to read in one key, and just grab whichever harmonica places us in the correct key for playing with others.
The easiest way to think about it, is that you're using a C Harmonica, playing whatever song you have. If you would like to play in a different key, no information changes, you just grab whichever harmonica you want to change the key.
Another way to think about it, is to learn how to read music notation, thinking on a C harmonica (like you're doing now), getting good at that, then try to learn to read the other 11 keys. With this in mind, it's a LOT of work to memorize 12 keys of harmonica, and to learn how to read in all those keys. In the blues world, this is not needed. In fact, the common thing to do is ignore the standard music notation, using the TAB and your ears (this is how 99% of students do it). I just provide the music notation for those that already read, and prefer it.
I know this is very confusing, but simply put, this system works, and works well. Think as if you're reading and playing on a C harp, and then just switch to whichever key of harmonica you want... way easier. You'll learn later how to translate this thought process (in the Music Theory lessons) by using a system called "scale degrees."
If you haven't already been doing so, make sure you're going through the music theory lessons... it takes a while to get a handle on all this stuff, and that lesson series is designed to help you.
If you're like most blues harp students, who just want to blow on the harp, another option is to ignore all this and just grab the harp for the study, ready the TAB and use your ears.
Hello Taters. You’re correct to use the A harmonica. We use the C harmonica for our music theory understanding. What you’ll find out in your studies is that each harmonica is an exact duplicate of the other, just lower or higher in sound. What’s played on one harmonica, can be played the same way on the other (same blows, draws, and movement)... again, the result is the same melody, just higher or lower in pitch. Because of this, when we speak of music theory, we “think” only using one key (saves a lot of study time), but we can be holding/playing any key of harmonica we wish. I know, a bit confusing in the beginning, but for now, just play that A harmonica to match me in the lessons and you’ll learn in the music theory lessons why this all works out.