Skip to main content
Blues Harmonica logo

User Account

Username:*
Password:*
Forgot Your Password?

Visitor Menu

  • Sign Up
  • Sample Lesson #1
  • Sample Lesson #2
  • Student Recordings
  • Forums
Forums :: Gear

Opinions on using a spectrograph app to improve one's bends ?

2 replies [Last post]
Fri, 11/12/2021 - 14:00
marcihm
marcihm's picture
Offline
Level 3
Joined: 06/15/2019

Hi,

does anyone have thoughts or experiences on using a spectrograph app (smartphone) to work on his bends ?

For me it looks like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOa-aNnFXY8

and sure one can hear, that my bends need work, but now one can clearly see it too :-)

So I am kind of optimistic, that this will help me to improve ...

Did anyone try something similar ?

Best,Marc

Top
Sat, 07/06/2024 - 00:23
#1
bod
bod's picture
Offline
Level 5
Joined: 06/19/2016
best exercise to work on bends

This is a late subject, but I do have something to say. Hoping it will benefit others.

I tried it and was enthusiastic about it. It is nice to see that the base frequency is moving when adjusting the tongue. It goes left (lower frequency) and sometimes disappears if gone too far. It gave a visual hint but no more than that.

I found out that the best exercise for me was to hear the target pitch with my ears (piano app or alike) and then try to reproduce it. There is NO POINT in trying to match the tone looking at a spectograph curve.

Now, as I improved, my best exercise is to try to achieve the correct tone by playing a few notes below the bent note so that I feel that the note is right (=trust my feelings about that note). In fact, when you are playing (not exercising), there is no way you're going to hear the target note to help you achieve it.

For example, I would play (up or down) :

* +1, -1, +2, -2'', -2. -2'' is the bent note (F on a C harp)

* -2, -3', +4, -4', -4, -5, +6. blues scale with two bent notes

* +5, -5, +6, -6', -6. -6' is the bent note (G# on a C harp)

In short :

* the best exercise will change with your abiliity

* using a spectrograph might get you started, but it is probably something that you will (should) let go rather quickly

 

Final though : get your ears trained, trust your ears. It might take less time for some people, but often quite some time for the rest of us.

Top
Sat, 07/06/2024 - 13:10
#2
UkuleleRob65
UkuleleRob65's picture
Offline
Level 8
Joined: 06/06/2014
Good tips

bod:

Good stuff! I use the iStroboSoft app from time to time to check how my mouth and body feel when I'm getting the pitch right, but don't use it while actually playing a tune or licks. I also have an electric piano in my practice room, and will play a sequence of notes on it just to hear the pitches, then play the harp. And re your exercises, from there it can be really helpful to work in isolation on short melodic or lick sequences that have challenging bends, including sequences that start on a bent note, or go back and forth between a bent note in one hole, and an unbent draw bend in another.

And you're absolutely right about training one's ear to hear note intervals.

Will be looking for more from you!

Top

Sign me up!

Full access to all lessons starts at $20/month! (with annual subscription)

Subscribe

Free Sample Lessons

After watching the BluesHarmonica.com overview video, try one of the lessons below to experience a lesson at BluesHarmonica.com.

  • Tongue Blocking Study 2 – This study is for the newer player or the player new to tongue blocking
  • Bending Study 5 – This is for the advanced player looking to improve their bending skills

Contributors

  • Aki Kumar
  • Joe Tartaglia
  • Gary Smith
  • Mark Hummel
  • Joe Filisko

Site Links

  • About David Barrett
  • Accredited Instructors
  • Links
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us
Hohner
© 2009 - 2025 David Barrett and the Harmonica Masterclass Co. for Bluesharmonica.com