walk with me
Dave,
I am having problems with the tongue blocking on the 1 and 2 position of the song walk with me. It feels like
I run out of room on the left and I dont get clear notes, My tongue blocking works ok for a beginner mainly from 3 on up
Al
Well I finally got "walk with me" recorded and sent in for evaluation the results were good and though I'll keep working it over I'm moving on to "temperature"
I was very pleased with how fast David reviewed and evaluated the clip secondly the detailed information he gave me, I don't know what I expected but not that!! Very helpful,Thanks so much
So here's a question or 2
I sent this clip after recording it 8 separate times trying to get it right (which means perfect to me) I know this isn't what's expected but it's what I have to fight everytime so is there something I should be doing to become more consistant when playing because that seems to be the my main problem when recording.
I've read some teachings of other instruments that it's taught to never play faster than you can play with exact precision, if I did that I'd never get to full speed.
I would say that I play better when not being recorded but that can't be proven can it? I just know that many times I'm thinking too much when I'm trying to record and then I make errors, will this go away with experience or is it a problem that I should work on?
Glad to help.
Consistency is the product of consistent practice... the more you play it the less mistakes you'll have in a song.
Recording a tune, like getting ready for a performance, takes a lot of practice. It's like a recital without all the stress of playing in front of people! The fear of public humiliation though is a great tool to get one to practice and grow their skills! So... all the work you're putting into the song and what it takes to record it well is making you a better player.
And yes, we ALL make more mistakes when recording or playing in public ;-)
That helps a great deal!
Mark
i noticed the same thing, spl20.
it could be that i just notice the mistakes more when listening to the recording for submission.
so i do it again. different mistakes!
finally i said, "this is the one, no matter what!"
i didnt listen to it but went about cleaning it up as david shows on the garage band vids.
right before i sent it, i gave it a listen.
wow! was it bad. i thought maybe i was using the wrong harp!
i sent it anyhow.
got the review back real quick. (you are right. i dont know how he can do the reviews so quick.)
it was fairly positive and encouraging.
so there are 3 possibilities about my take on the recording:
1) david is stone deaf
2) david just gives everyone the same review to keep the money rolling in
3) i am my harshest critic
i rule out #2 immediately. i would think a bad critique would be what keeps folks around in the hope of improving.
i got to rule out #1 because he catches joe tartaglia's mistakes immediately and tells how to correct it.
that leaves me with #3. therefore, when i finally like what i play, i will be friggin' awesome!!
this site rules!!
You guys crack me up!
I like how Rod puts it, "If I'm not too upset with what I recorded, I keep it."
That critical voice in your head is what drives you to be a great player... it's helpful when practicing... and will bring great results over time.
Just keep that voice off the bandstand... it has no use there. Rick Estrin taught me that one.
There's a reason all of these "made-up" acts these days lip sync through their live shows. Imagine how many takes it took for them to get it on disk (and how many effects producers had to lay on to make it passable).
The problem is, we can't mask our lack of talent by going on stage wearing next-to-nothing and wiggling our ass in the audience's face.
...so therefore, we practice.
And practice...
And practice...
It's funny how it helps to know others are having the same issues sometimes I wonder, about me!
Anyway on this same subject I took a lesson with Ronnie Shellist and one thing he told me was to always play honestly......Hummm!! it wasn't obvious to me at the time but I thought I understood him then about a week later while applying things he'd taught me it hit me! Playing honestly isn't from a place of perfection which is what I'd been trying and still fight with is playing from place that perfection is the only thing good enough and that's just not true, now I have to believe it. I'm all for being the best you can be through hard work but then there's the evil twin called "13 takes" and I still can't post it etc... After all it should be about expressing yourself, so we work hard to make it an enjoyable expression.
I think the last time it was around 50!
Spl20, speaking from some experience in a past life, even pros spend a lot of time doing it over and over in the studio. You'd be surprised how many takes go into laying down that favorite song you're downloading from iTunes. It's a lot of long hours, sitting with a bunch of guys who get smellier as the day goes on, getting on each others nerves while the most minute of slip-up causes the producer to go - "Let's do that again." All the while you see your manager standing in the corner, smoking cigarette-after-cigarette, sweating about how much money all this studio time is racking up.
By the time you get out of the studio, you're in many ways more happy that it's over, rather than satisfied that you've created something artistic.
Ditto on all the previous comments, but particularly about David's reviews.
I was startled at how quickly he was able to review and critique my playing.
Frankly, the only possible response is that he cares enough to keep up with his students and realizes that the quicker the feedback the more encouraging it is to his students.
So eharp, are you also a part time comedian, that's funny stuff (particularly your Letterman style version of the top 3 reasons David has a prompt response).
jjudson - Your comment makes me feel a whole lot better especially combined with David's comments.
I know live performance wasn't necessarily the theme of this thread, but it's applicable... here are two more quotes that have and still help me.
For patience in practice:
"To be patient is to have the capacity of calm endurance. To give yourself time is to actively work toward a goal without setting a limit on how long you will work." Master Bong So Han [pg 16, Zen In The Martial Arts by Joe Hyams]
That one is powerful... I use and recite this one to others on a regular basis. We are ALL capable of great things, you just don't know when we'll be able to do them.
For performance... both for the harmonica and martial arts for me... whether it's an intimidating fight or audience... there's no difference.
"In the heat of combat I am calm, which is as it should be because I have discovered that fear is shadow, not substance." Master Bong Soo Han [pg 105, Zen In The Martial Arts by Joe Hyams]
Okay Dave, now I'm afraid you're going to kick my ass if I mess up...
Dave, are you also some kind of martial arts black belt?
I can't think of a cooler combo!
..Except maybe Muddy, Cotton & Winter on "Hard Again"..! :O) :O)
I'm no Bruce Lee, by any stretch, but yes I do study and teach martial arts. I start my training for second degree black belt in January. Love it. And Muddy ;-)
Just like everything Dave does wether it's harmonicas or Tae Kwan Do he puts big effort into it and gets good results. He's a kick ass black belt by the way.... and he's got the bruises to prove it.
Allow your lips to go over the corner of the harmonica for hole 2... you can pucker up a little, but the goal is to stay open and relaxed as much as possible. For hole 1 you'll tongue switch (tongue to the right, with the single hole to the left). You can also pucker the 1 if that feels more comfortable to you. Experiment... you'll get it!