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Forums :: General Discussion

"should know" listing

1 reply [Last post]
Sat, 09/28/2013 - 13:22
idonohue
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Joined: 05/01/2013

What are the things that a 'beginner' 'intermediate' or 'advanced' player should know,as to be able to display their ability?
This is different from Levels Of Achievement. With the L.O.A., to me, has more to do with your ability and technique..what i mean to ask is what should be memorized by those who consider themselves 'beginner' 'intermediate' or 'advanced' players?

for example:
A beginner player should be able to:

get clean blow/draw notes on the middle octave
have 5 first position middle octave tunes memorized (stephen foster, etc)
know 1 chugging rhythm, etc..

I guess this has more to do with what should be in a players repetoire for each level..an ascending box shuffle, a descending box shuffle, a tongue slapped boogie 12 bar, the openning to juke, a great train chug,I'm sure this has already been asked, but do you have a definition?

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Thu, 10/17/2013 - 19:44
#1
idonohue
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Joined: 05/01/2013
for instance: I consider

for instance:

I consider myself an almost complete beginner:

i know 7 first position licks by heart and now slap/pull them to add sound.

i know two shuffles

i can arpeggio my way with zero creativity through a 12 bar blues.

my rhythm needs major work

my pucker bends are on point, but tongue blocked my 4 needs to be deeper and my 3

needs more precision.

i can play and bend out of both sides of my mouth (for that 1 hole draw)

my train needs work as i can only go a moderate speed without it being muddled and for my breathing.

i got a slow "lost john/fox chase" rhythm going and i give my sonny terry whoopin a 1 star outta 10. (i find if i listen for a while..then play for a while..then listen..then listen to myself play, my mouth changes to make the noises i want to hear more..the speed and variety aren't there yet)

i'm just starting to make flash cards of licks i like, both from the study songs and from riffs i've found of harmonica players i admire so i can put them into chorus forms. I think i understand how to arrange them (as if they are an A,B,or C depending on the notes that are played on what chord)

but yeah..i'm going..someplace with all this. forward i hope, i'm better off than i was a year ago.

 

what about yourself?

 

 

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