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One Liner Tips
[General] |
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Here is a collection of instructional one liners. They include rules of thumb, playing tips, and common sense rules of physics and nature that apply to harmonica playing (and many other activities for that matter). The rotating "Tip of the Day" on the homepage is taken from this collection of tips.
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General Tips
- Knock out the saliva- Get in the habit of frequently rapping the harmonica (mouthpiece side down) against your leg or palm to knock out the excess saliva and condensation from your breath. Do this before and after you put the harmonica into your mouth. If the reeds are stuck together with saliva, they can't vibrate and make sound.
- Practicing advice- To get the best results from your practice sessions, "don't over do it and don't under do it". There is no need to work on something so long that you get so fatigued that you can't play again after a reasonable amount of rest. It's easy to burn out mentally if you frustrate yourself by expecting results and perfection too soon. On the other hand, don't give up too quickly. Sometimes persistence, quality repetition, and a little sweat, are the best ways to gain improvement.
- Stand when you play- Whenever possible, be in a standing position if you are playing or practicing. Especially when you are working on your breathing technique, stand erect with your head up, back straight, and body relaxed so that you have a fighting chance of getting the airflow to originate from your diaphragm and not your mouth.
- Which notes are bendable?- Generally speaking, on a standard diatonic harmonica, holes 1-6 draw and 7-10 blow are capable of being bent (to a lower note). But, holes 5 draw and 7 blow don't bend much and constant bending may cause their premature demise.
- Bent notes are lower- Whenever you do a basic draw or blow bend on the harmonica, it will always go down in pitch (lower). Bending notes on a stringed instrument like guitar, the note will always go up in pitch. Different rules of physics.
- Muscle Memory- Your body remembers whatever it repeats. This is called muscle memory. Every time you play something, right or wrong, your body is learning it. Take your time when you practice, do it slowly and correctly, and then play it as many times as you can. This creates what is referred to as a "good habit".
More "One Liner Tips" pages include: Starting Out,
Technique, and Becoming More Musical. You may also want to take a look at the Beginner's Shortcuts and "When In Doubt..." pages.
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