Posted Wed, 02/22/2012 - 08:05 by David Barrett Admin
Some subjects that I write about I'm an expert... something I have taught many times in many situations... the focus is to just write it down. Other areas I write on I am not an expert, and the research I do helps to educate me AND others. You don't have to be an expert to help the harmonica community by creating something new. Get started today on a project that excites you (and doesn't take away too much practice time... I'm dead serious about this).
Here are some Ideas for you:
- Create a listing
- Catalog something
- Gather historical data on an artist or artists that interest you continue reading...
Posted Tue, 02/21/2012 - 08:36 by David Barrett Admin
If you're not interested in participating in something someone else is doing, then create something yourself. Do you like history? Are you mechanically inclined? Do you like working with databases? Do you like design?
Posted Fri, 02/17/2012 - 12:19 by David Barrett Admin
What does it mean to "help" the harmonica community?
Here are some examples...
1) Ask the leader of the local jam session you frequent if there's anything you can help with. Aspects of running or setting up for the jam... getting the word out via social media or flyers in the local area...
2) Get the word out about products or services you feel strongly about in your social circles... local and your social media (Facebook, blog, etc.). Possibly write a review. continue reading...
Posted Thu, 02/16/2012 - 09:05 by David Barrett Admin
Most likely you didn't have anything to list when I asked you what you were doing for the harmonica community yesterday. Let's look at three paths of thinking though... supporting, helping and creating... you're surely doing one of these?
Posted Tue, 02/14/2012 - 08:14 by David Barrett Admin
It's true that the harmonica is a blind person's instrumental, though we do have our hands. Your lips, jaw and cheek touch your hands while playing the harmonica, giving you a tactile reference. Experiment by playing across the range of your harmonica and noting where your face is in relation to your hands; you may find this helpful when working on new passages that require large leaps. As you practice those challenging passages, over time your muscle memory will take over and you won't need that tactile reference, but it can be helpful at first.
Posted Mon, 02/13/2012 - 07:45 by David Barrett Admin
Have you heard of the 10,000 hours rule to mastery? Chapter two of Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" does a good job of covering it. Dan Levitin's book "This is Your Brain on Music" also speaks of it in reference to the musical mind. Joshua Foer's "Moonwalking with Einstein" covers the subject in reference to skills development for his memory project. K. Anders Ericsson, the leading expert on skills acquisition, coined the phrase and is the source quoted in all of these texts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Ericsson). Fascinating stuff. continue reading...
Posted Thu, 02/09/2012 - 07:40 by David Barrett Admin
Here's a quote on accompaniment playing from Steve Czarnecki, keyboard instructor at School of the Blues.
"We’re not always the center of attention in music or in life, and there are times when it pays to play the background role graciously—learning to be a member of the musical boiler room propelling the great ship of song. You can become a very popular musician by being a good accompanist."
Posted Wed, 02/08/2012 - 08:17 by David Barrett Admin
The most effective way to encode a lick into your long term memory and ensure that it shows up in your improvising is to apply the chorus form method. Learn the lick, then play it as an: AAA; AAA with fills; AAB; AAB with fills; the three variations of A B/A C; change the presentation of the lick (dip, add a little of the upper note, shake, slap, pulls and slaps, flutter, octave, etc.); move it up and/or down an octave; break it into smaller pieces (fragmentation)...
This process is not only VERY effective, it's very fun!