Re: [Harp-L] Re:Practising the Bends

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Graham laments:

"...i can bend all these notes no problem on their own both up and down the problem is when i move from hole to hole for instance. 
3" to 2' to 3'to 2" i cant seem to hit what i have heard referred to as the "money note" i have practiced and practiced and still finding it difficult to move around these bent notes correctly..."

Yup, going from bend to bend in adjacent holes accurately is not an easy task to pull off convincingly. Yup, it takes practice to get it right. As others have alluded to, it also helps a lot for you to really know the tone you are anticipating. 

Okay, here are a couple of ideas for you:

Practice some drills like these, moving from unbent directly to bent holes... back and forth:
1-2
1-2'
1-2"
1-2'
1-2

2-3
2-3'
2-3"
2-3"'
2-3"
2-3'
2-3

It really helps to do these exercises with the aid of a piano to play the correct note as you're trying to hit it with the harp. 

You can also start with an unbent that's higher than the bend hole like this:
4-3
4-3'
4-3"
4-3"'
4-3"
4-3'
4-3

These kinds of drills will really cement those stops for you. You can also try them moving from bend to bend, but these are even more difficult without the aid of a piano or other refrence. Best to start with an unchanging bent tone that's easy to reach, like this:

4'-3
4'-3'
4'-3"
4'-3"
4'-3'"
4'-3"
4'-3'
4'-3

Try to articulate a chord that incorporates one or more bent tones. You can play the notes individually on a piano to check your tone... articulating simple chords that use one or more bent tones w

Look at the A major chord on your C harp. Articulate it by playing:
A   Db  E 
3"  4'   5+ 

It is a chord you can articulate when playing 4th position... Or, for me it comes in handy in a blues context, 3rd position, since the A7 is typically the V chord in a Dm blues (the fourth note of that 7th chord, G, can be played on the 6+). Play it up, then down again, hitting the appropriate notes on the piano as you go. 

Another good approach, as I've mentioned here before, is to play a song you know the melody to that might require you to move from bend to bend. I used the example of the tune "St. Louis Blues" in 2nd position, but there are others you could work with. Using a familiar tune helps because you already know the tone you're looking for, and with practice will eventually hit it dead on, and fluidly. 

Good luck! 

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M. 

TeraBlu Band on My Space
http://www.myspace.com/terablu

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