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Forums :: Ask Instructor David Barrett

level 3 accompaniment assignment

5 replies [Last post]
Fri, 04/20/2018 - 07:10
Tom -Bo- Halay
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Level 7
Joined: 12/11/2017

At the risk of sounding stupid....

 

I am not understanding the instructions for this assignment.  Am I only to play the notes in a single hole throughout the chorus as in example 2.2 ?  If so I am not sure how to make that work.  Or am I to include the notes in all six holes using the appropriate chords ?  Is there an example I can listen to to get an idea of what is you need ?  

Thanks 

Tom

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Fri, 04/20/2018 - 08:37
#1
David Barrett
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Joined: 12/20/2009
Morning Tom. Yes, you're

Morning Tom. Yes, you're going to do the same idea as Ex. 2.2. Yes, you're going to stay on one hole for each chorus. So chorus 1 is hole 1, chorus 2 is hole 2, chorus 3 is hole 3, etc. When no notes from a chord is available on a given hole, move one hole to the left or right to find a note that matches. Ex. 2.2 is your reference.

If I provide a complete example, then students will just play and mimic what I wrote/played... I want you to fill in the information in Ex. 2.1 for yourself and play it.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

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Thu, 10/17/2019 - 06:36
#2
Geoff7
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Level 3
Joined: 08/24/2013
LoA Accompaniment Study 3 submission

Good afternoon David,

In answer to the question another student submitted last year, you replied as follows: Yes, you're going to do the same idea as Ex. 2.2. Yes, you're going to stay on one hole for each chorus. So chorus 1 is hole 1, chorus 2 is hole 2, chorus 3 is hole 3, etc. When no notes from a chord is available on a given hole, move one hole to the left or right to find a note that matches. Ex. 2.2 is your reference.

I am still baffled by this because I cannot identify what is meant by the chorus - you mention the supplied jam track in one of your videos,  so I listened to the Blues Creepin' Over me track with no vocals and struggled to play matching notes starting from hole one and moving up to hole 6. Is that the wrong jam track to play to? I'm rather frustrated because I have completed all the other assignments, so please pardon my lack of understanding and some more guidance will be gratefully received.

Regards,

Geoff

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Thu, 10/17/2019 - 06:42
#3
David Barrett
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Joined: 12/20/2009
Hello Geoff. No worries, I'll

Hello Geoff. No worries, I'll try to help you.

A "chorus" is one time through the 12 Bar Blues (so, twelve bars total... one time through the form).

I was using the jam track we used in Accompaniment Study 2 https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/accompaniment_study_2 ("I Want You With Me"), sorry if I wasn't clear. You can do the exercise to the slower "Blues Creepin' Over Me," but you'll probably find the faster shuffle easier.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

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Fri, 10/18/2019 - 04:20
#4
Geoff7
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Level 3
Joined: 08/24/2013
LoA Accompaniment Study 3 submission

Hello again David.

Many thanks for identifying the jam track and for the guidance on what to record.

The only other thing that is confusing me is that in Ex. 1.11 in Accompaniment Study 2, we are shown the C harmonica layout, but the I Want You With Me jam track is in E, so we are using an A harp. Am I misunderstanding something here? Should I be referencing the A harmonica layout, especially when it comes to the submission where I need to play holes 1 to 6 and identify the notes that match the chords I am hearing? I'm sorry if I am making what I am sure must be straightforward too complicated, but I don't think I have quite got this yet.

Thanks,

Geoff

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Fri, 10/18/2019 - 06:41
#5
David Barrett
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Joined: 12/20/2009
Hello Geoff. You will always

Hello Geoff.

You will always "think" as if you're playing a C Harmonica in 2nd Position, key of G. It doesn't matter which harmonica you use, the thought process will get you to the correct hole.

So, use your A Harmonica in the key of E, but do all your music theory work and thinking on the C harmonica.

This is a common way to work in the music world (it's called C-Score). Because each harmonica is an exact transposition (intervalically the same) of the other... to know one harmonica is to know them all.

I teach this in the Music Theory lessons if you would like more clarification (a spend a lot of time on this).

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