Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass

[sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hi David

Thanks for the YouTube link. That was a great example of the chop. Your
time-keeping tips of using ghost chops on the 1 and 3 is fantastic. I will
give it a try.

Did you overdub the barking in the vid? Can't beat that authentic
dawg sound!

Cheers



>
>
> Michelle made some great points, especially about using the tongue to make
> the
> chop. You're basically making air dam, building up pressure and letting it
> go.
> The hand thing she was talking about is also a very good point, I can
> illustrate
> what she's talking about with the hands with this video below.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNmhiwGPWV4
> It's certainly not the best rhythm I've ever played, but it illustrates a
> lot of
> points I want to make, including what to do if you screw up.
> A couple of things I can add about the chop, first if you watch a mandolin
> player (such as Steve Williams in the video above) you'll notice that it's
> not
> like they are holding their hand still until they chop, there's a false
> strum on
> the non-chop beats. That's another way the hands really help. If you are
> closing
> your hands on the beat you aren't playing, it helps you keep a better
> rhythm. On
> the 48 chord, you don't use your hands, so I wind up playing softly on the
> non-chop beats. It's really hard to skip a beat and hit the next one in
> time, if
> you're not doing something in between. I'm usually playing a real soft
> chop on
> the 1 and 3 three beats. On the diatonic, it's rarely audible. I just do
> it to
> help me keep the beat.
>  You also don't have to chop every single beat. I usually play some kind
> of
> pattern with a rest or a riff at a certain point, just something to break
> up the
> monotony.
> The key to not getting lost is learning how to reset yourself and getting
> back
> on the beat. Don't be afraid to reset yourself if you have to. It happens
> to all
> musicians sometimes. At 1:02, I lose the beat. So I stop playing until I
> get it
> back again. Honestly, I was probably daydreaming and forgot where I was or
> something. That happens sometimes in informal settings - that's why
> they're so
> much fun.
> But it happens to even the best musicians. Below is an example of a Porter
> Wagoner reset on "Another Day, Another Dollar:"
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImLLPm7Mjtc
> Porter was supposed to kick it off, but the other guitar player jumped the
> gun.
> I think anybody starting to play music with other people could benefit
> watching
> how Porter handled it.  He strums really lightly, almost a false strum
> until he
> catches the beat.  Once he's found the new beat, he looks over at the
> other
> guitar player to make sure he's still going on the same time and not
> trying to
> make an adjustment to match Porter. After confirming that, he launches
> into the
> song full bore. If you look at the expressions on everybody's faces,
> Porter
> evidently was the only one who knew what the hell was going on... that's
> how
> smooth and slick he handled it.
> These are things you learn by playing with other musicians and a big
> reason I'm
> always an advocate of getting with other musicians as early as possible,
> as
> often as possible and surrounding yourself with musicians better than
> yourself.
>
>
> Dave
>
>
>
>
>
> Dave
>
>
> From: Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Mon, January 31, 2011 3:41:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Bluegrass
>
> sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx asks:
>> Great points David and Michelle
>>
>> Do you have any pointers on how to get a good mando chop rhythm on the
>> harp? Mine sound unchoppy at this point.
>
> Sure. I'd start simply.
>
> I assume you know how to count the "off-beat" (aka, "up-beat;" when you
> tap your
> foot to the beat, the up-beat is when your foot reaches the top of the
> "up"
> swing). You don't want to hit the downbeat. Leave that to the bass player
> if you
> have one in the group. Keep your eyes glued to a mandolin player if you
> are
> unsure. [I find it to be good practice to clap on the upbeat in an
> audience full
> of people clapping on the downbeat. Practice tapping the upbeat whenever
> you
> listen to music. You need to cultivate the ability to hit those upbeats in
> a sea
> of distractions. Bluegrass is fast-paced so you need to be able to keep
> that
> upbeat at speed. Remember that when you take that role of playing rhythm,
> you
> become the heartbeat of the group and people rely on you to be keeping the
> time
> exactly right. I'd go so far as to say that what you play is less
> important than
> when you play it in this context.]
>
> Once you know you can hit those upbeats spot on, practice making very
> short,
> percussive chords on your harps. Once you get used to the whole concept,
> you may
> choose to not use them, but tongue articulations can be very helpful. Try
> articulating an abrupt "tuck" sound through your harp with just your
> tongue, no
> breath. Then try it combined with rapidly opening your oral cavity. You
> may be
> surprised at how much sound you can get out of a harp without breathing
> through
> it. But tongue articulations aren't enough to get that real percussive
> beat or
> good tone. You need to coordinate your in- and out-breaths with the motion
> of
> your tongue, timed with the expansion or contraction of your oral cavity.
> Think
> of your tongue as a piston inside your mouth. You can make a percussive
> little
> beat without any breath by moving your tongue from the front of your mouth
> to
> the back while simultaneously opening the inside of your mouth (and
> vice-versa).
> Now couple that action inside your mouth with some very short and choppy
> in- and
> out-breaths (for the blow- and draw-chords). As always, opening up your
> oral
> cavities and airways helps your tone.
>
> Another key factor in accentuating the staccato nature of those "chops" is
> your
> hand cupping. If you start with a tight cup and then abruptly open the cup
> in
> synchrony with your "tuck" articulation and choppy breath, you can make
> that
> "chop" even more accentuated (and pleasing to the ear). This will require
> some
> practice and maybe recording yourself or enlisting a volunteer listener,
> but the
> effect is well worth the effort. Just understand that the timing of
> opening and
> closing that cup can further accentuate that "piston" effect you are
> shooting
> for. Careful timing of opening and closing your cup with respect to the
> sounds
> you are making with the harmonica is key to a great acoustic sound. (If
> you
> don't know what I mean take a listen sometime to great acoustic players
> like Joe
> Filisko, Grant Dermody or Paul Davies.) The ability to employ hand effects
> is
> one of the great joys of playing acoustic harp. And, once again, you can
> use
> your hand cup to expand the tonal palette you have at your disposal. Many
> players don't realize that their acoustic hand cup can actually make their
> sound
> louder as well as muting it.
>
> When you become comfortable with the simple "tuck" articulations on the
> off-beat, you can think about what to do the rest of the time. Here are a
> couple
> of my personal ideas. I like to softly mirror or echo single (down-beat)
> notes
> that complement whatever the instrument taking the break is playing -- in
> a
> supportive way, say echoing simple tones from the melody or hitting
> harmony
> notes. [This also gives me an opportunity to cheat a little particularly
> if I am
> not terribly familiar with the song of the moment (you can't know 'em
> ~all~ ). I
> can (softly) and subtly practice what I want to play when it comes time
> for me
> to take a break. By the time it's my turn for a break, I will have heard
> several
> versions by the other musicians. That, coupled with my subtle "practice"
> usually
> enables me to acquit myself fairly well when it's my break. Of course,
> it's
> always perfectly permissible to deny being handed a break with a subtle
> headshake or motion to send it to the next player.]
>
> Another thing you can do is embellish the rhythms you play using more
> complicated tongue articulations. Try making the "tuck" you articulate on
> the
> off-beat the much more accentuated of several "tucka-tucka-tucka's" (timed
> with
> the string instruments) before the next off-beat. Sort of a
> "TUCKA-tucka-tucka-tucka. Also, try leaving a gap between your lips and
> the
> cover plates to vary your tone on either the louder off-beat "tuck" or the
> softer ones that follow until the next off-beat. As I'm sure you know
> there's
> lots of different sounds that can come from a well-played harmonica.
> That's part
> of what you can offer to a bluegrass circle. The whole idea is to blend in
> and
> enhance the overall sound of he group. Only the player taking the break or
> singing should stand out.
>
> A few words about bluegrass jam circle etiquette. There are two ways of
> selecting which player will take a given break. One is to simply hand the
> break
> to the next player in the circle (usually clockwise). Also, many circles
> take
> turns going around the circle to determine who will call the next song.
> Then the
> person who chooses the tune plays the intro and head and then the break
> will
> either hand off to the next player in the circle or s/he can point at any
> random
> player to take a break. Then when that player is finished, the person
> calling
> the song selects another player for a break with a head nod or pointed
> finger.
> When the song caller reckons the song is over, instead of handing off
> another
> break, s/he will lift one of their legs up off the floor a bit to signify
> the
> song's end (really). When one song is finished, the next person in the
> circle
> calls the next tune. (When you are "up" is when you really do need to know
> a few
> popular tunes.)
>
> That should help some.
>
> Closing note: Of course, rigorous study of the popular bluegrass melodies
> can
> certainly open (or keep open) doors for any wannabe bluegrass musician.
> But I
> wanted to make the point that even if you aren't a fiddle tune virtuoso,
> as long
> as you understand the genre and appreciate the roles that the various
> instruments play within it, it's actually fairly easy to fit harmonica
> into a
> bluegrass jam circle. Like Dave Payne, some of the most fun I've had
> playing
> music has been in late-night jam circles at bluegrass events. I suggest
> you try
> it out even if you aren't a Tony Eyers. :-)
>
> Michelle
>