Hi there, because no one follows my YouTube channel, I dare to disturb you with this video. I would really like to get some comments on my harmonica playing from the experts, because this is the first song I’m using powerbender+ harmonica I have tuned myself. 11 reeds of those 20 differs from Richter tuning. (+ means that also 3th hole blow reed is one whole step higher A=>B(H) in this D-harp). I’m not copying anybody in my playing and also the song is new - our bands own. I hope that you watch the video in YouTube by clicking the YouTube sign in the bottom left corner of the video and comment it there so my friends can see those also and may even think that I do have some friends, Maraboy Motherson.
The single biggest thing that would transform this song is your timing. The bulk of the track sounds like you're always just about to pull off the fill, but come in late and cut the line short.
I wasn't sure if using the new tuning was throwing you for a loop or not. The one strong indication that the tuning is not the issue are the final seconds of the track in which you play a brilliant, smooth flourish. If you could bottle what you do in those final moments and bring that to the rest of the track then I'd say you'd have something.
Cheers for doing your own thing and going for the alternate tuning. Keep working the tune and maybe post a follow up? ---------- Ridge's YouTube
Last Edited by ridge on Feb 21, 2018 4:16 AM
I would not have thought to critique the timing. It seemed consistent but slightly outside the groove that the rest of the band was holding down, consistently. I thought it might be something new. It definitely made me listen more closely.
What I am hearing, and I hear it all the time in ~90% of all harmonica players(myself included), is patterns/riffs instead of music. Maybe that is the result of getting outside the groove. Maybe only saxophones can get away with that. In small doses.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on Feb 27, 2018 9:08 PM
Thievin sez "I hear it all the time in ~90% of all harmonica players(myself included), is patterns/riffs instead of music."
So true, and this may be attributed to how harmonica is taught....most of the "how to" books seem to be pattern/riff based rather than how to create a musical idea using the notes available.
Pattern/riff based learning limits the player and they usually end up getting bored with their riffs, so they end up learning new patterns/riffs, eventually getting bored with these, so - repeat the process again and again and...
A better focus is on understanding how those note choices are good ones for playing musical lines. This path leads to endless ideas and a lot of "playing in the moment" rather than "cut/paste the riff I learned into the song". ---------- The Iceman
