Entry level musician-Part two

[Glanceblamm]

Mine is a diatonic harmonica that I inherited (new in box) four to five years ago.

This just means that it is a ten hole that has the ability to create a new note from the same hole by inhaling instead of exhaling.

I do not play anything except for the closed and open reed predator call’s so I figured that this instrument might be a good one to try to learn to play. What I had been doing over the last five years is to get it out every three to four months and practice making sharp, clear, notes up and down the scale. While I can do this well, There was no inspiration gleaned by myself to play something by ear. This has changed.

Enter U Tube video’s: Many lessons have been posted here with most being ok and some being very good for any instrument that one may choose to play. My search Was centered on the harmonica of course.

3 4 3 3 –this is lick one and is repeated x 4
4 4 3 4-is lick two and is repeated x 2
3 3 4 4-is lick three but lick one is repeated x 1 before doing this.

Please note that the bold numerals signifiy that one is to inhale instead of exhaling. After lick #4 is completed, the whole sequence starts over.

Hurray! I am playing the 12 cord blues and it does not sound too bad. The only problem that I now have is that I will have to search for music in the numbered format to be able to proceed with other lessons for beginners.

My question is will I always be restricted to having a so called piece of sheet music in front of me or will I eventually learn to play by ear? Perhaps you guys can provide me with a course of action on proceeding farther?
Thanks

[Rex in OTZ]

I was given a couple old Horner Harmonicas one a 10 holer and another a 24 holer.
I find getting the notes clear right off are a challange, Im still very green and definately havent spent more than 3hrs playing it yet.
I went on line and orderd a couple Mel-Bay music books one for the 10 hole harmonica and the other was beginner guitar cords.
I had learned to play one note at a time on a soprano recorder and can do sight reading, all I can say is practice when ever you can, after lunch wash yer mouth and do a little playing in a quiet spot, practice is the only thing experence is the key, with time you will get it.
I find that I'd get a tune stuck in my head and messing with the recorder I could pick out most the tune or least parts, I'd play with the lights off and laying in bed (Im a single parent) so I had only the family pooches to entertain, our sled dog Blackie is the most musical of the bunch, you know its bad when yer kids yell at Dad to shut up and knock off that god awfull racket.

I use post-it sticky pads allot and make notes, I had in the beginning wrote the notes on the sheet music, even used high liter pen to mark repeats, used crayon to color the sharps and flats so I'd remember to play them in a group (Christmas,Easter,Funeral).

Do you have the notes down? I disremember what you get for a note when you blow #4 as opposed to suck#4, I think it starts out suck/blow #4 then onto #5 same thing all the way to #6 should be a scale
I'll check my book on the notes, ten all you have to do is train yourself to know what to play by sight reading.

[Glanceblamm]

I use post-it sticky pads allot and make notes, I had in the beginning wrote the notes on the sheet music, even used high liter pen to mark repeats, used crayon to color the sharps and flats so I'd remember to play them in a group (Christmas,Easter,Funeral).

Good idea, this is how I learned to operate a computer (MS-DOS) back in 89 or so.

Do you have the notes down?

Yikes!!!...That was my first thought but then I realized that this is probably so. I am so slow that I would have to convert those notes to numbers though and place them on the stickies.
The sight reading seems to be the way (at least for myself) to go thou. It may be fun to make the conversions from notes to numbers and give it a try.

I currently have two piano's in the house that could help with this task, Sister has been coming to get them for the last 10yrs now and if she does not hurry, the five yr old grandaughter will use the good one to start piano lessons. The older one (piano) is an upright in 60% playing condition...I want that one pretty bad so as to salvage the beautiful piece of wood, a 1" x 4' plank just above the keyboard to make some grips for my Birds head Vaquero!

It would be great to be able to play by ear. I know or have known more than one person over the years that could not read or write but could shred (a term I learned from U Tube) a guitar, banjo, or even a sax beyond belief. (I dont think that one shreds a Sax hahaha) Music to me has been like the play I tried out for several decades ago...they ended up telling me that they wanted me to be the one who clapped and cheered!

you know its bad when yer kids yell at Dad to shut up and knock off that god awfull racket.

Kids are up and gone so I am ok there...The wife tolerates my harmonica much better than my predator calls.

[Rex in OTZ]

There was some on-line info

www.overblow.com
tab music  www.jimmyharp.hk/jimmy/sheet%20music.html

wikipedia search under - standard Diatonic Harmonica / Richter tuned Harmonica / Blues 10 holer

[Glanceblamm]

Thanks Rex!

[Rex in OTZ]

Having different types of instruments and learning them, having the 6string and the harmonica and learning both at the same time as well as maintaining profincency with Tenor and Soprano recorders seems a little much for me, I just started learning bought 5 years back and dont hit it hard & heavy.

At times it reminds me of my youth working some Beef cattle at my Uncles farm, down by the pens was a old cattleshed & grainery, My uncle had the chute handle in the grainery(loose cattle rub on it and break it), I open'd the granery door and mice scatterd in every direction, after lunch we brough back a barn cat and hucked it in the grainery real quick, ther was some commotion in the graiery after a couple bit we opened the door to see how that old gray tabby had done, she had a mouse under all four paw's and one in her mouth, she had so many mice she dident know what to do.
I kinda feel like that cat some times so many instruments and dont know which way to jump.