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It goes without saying that there is an abundance of Chromatic talent and creativity on SlideMeister; but there's even more in related areas. We have some really great writers, story tellers, innovators, idea people, folks who ask the questions we want answers to, but never thought to ask, and so on. We also have the occasional "good post" from new players that make the forum look good. :o)

There are many diversely gifted SlideMeister members who benefit all of us in some way, but they usually just post something and let it go as that. Then the post gets "buried"  beneath hundreds (yea thousands) of other posts so deeply the it might even require using the site's search feature to find them. However, if one has no idea what kinda "good stuff" might be hidden in there, how can they be expected to know what to search for? Hmmmm! ???  Well, here's where we're going to attempt to rectify that problem with this "Featured Post" page.  If you see it here, it means SlideMeister thinks you'll find it to be interesting. ;o)
November 24, 2015
by "Willis"
                                                      Thank you all for the great answers!

  I'm picking up the chromatic harmonica later in life also... I'm 60.  There are so many different "Methods" of music study.  It can become confusing.  I think using the circle of fifths and fourths is really the way for me to learn the key scales.  I'm taking a key a month. Finding written songs in that new key either with tab or (new for me) sight reading.  I use that memory trick with the circle of fifths: Can't Girls Do Anything Else But Flirt when studying the keys moving clockwise.  Next month I start at the top of the cycle and move counterclockwise and study the flats.  Then comes the practice, practice, practice.  It seems to be working and I owe most of my motivation to this "University of Slidemeister Forum "  Thank you AJ!  The truth is I may never become all that great at the chromatic but I sincerely enjoy playing music and the whole new world the sight reading of music has opened up to me.

  As a baby button pusher trying to learn the chromatic harmonica along with the sight reading of music it can at times become overwhelming.  If you add memorizing the Major and Minor scales, the Blues and Pentatonic scales in all 12 keys along with the study of arpeggios not even getting into how I'm sounding... it can all just become too much.  Like most things if I break it down into small parts and move along at my snail pace I always seen to find some musical success.  Keeping my motivation up by reading how others study the chromatic is super beneficial for me!

 With the help of this forum I'm confident I'm studying and learning the chromatic while headed in the right direction!  This is a huge advantage to us beginners.

Willis​

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April 18, 2015
Barry "MuseChaser's" response to 
"Just gimme speed" thread

Re: Just Give Me Speed« Reply #4 on: Today at 11:06:57 AM »

I'm far from a master harmonica player, but one of the concepts I use with my orchestral students may be helpful to you, Graeme.  

Playing fast is easy.  Anyone can play fast.  It's just that most folks play fast and sloppy.  It's playing fast cleanly and evenly that is difficult.  However, if you are playing well, you are ALWAYS playing fast.  To find out if you are playing well, you must play very slowly so your ear can hear exactly what is going on.  

"What the heck are you TALKING about.. what is this Zen-sounding garbage?!?"  ... lol... I can hear you thinking!

Here's what I mean.  No matter how slow a given tempo is, if you wish to get from one note to the next note seamlessly with great tone and beautiful legato, you must make the transition from note to note very quickly, but in a relaxed manner.  There's no other way to do it on ANY instrument.  If you make the change slowly, the notes smear together, pitch suffers, and the sound of the transition is unpleasant.  Ideally, there shouldn't be ANY sounds of transition... just one note, then the next note replaces it.. more like one long note that just happens to change pitch suddenly.  That's the goal.  

When you play "fast," you're really just stringing together a bunch of frequent pitch changes, but ideally nothing else has changed.  Practicing playing slowly, evenly and cleanly with beautiful tone IS practicing to be be able to play fast.

Once your head is wrapped around that concept, here's an excercise you can apply to specific runs that can help a lot because it breaks runs down into smaller chunks, giving ever note an opportunity to be a long tone interspersed with tones that are increasingly less long (I don't really even like to use the word "fast" for "notes of limited length"... just the word "fast" seems to instill a lack of calm in players).

Assuming you have a run of sixteen notes, practice them like this..

Dotted eighth, then sixteenth, dotted eight, then sixteenth... do a few measures like that, until you can do that pretty much perfectly and easily.  You've just practiced every other note quickly, or half the run quickly.. make sense?

Then, reverse the rhythm... sixteenth followed by a dotted eight.  Now, you've just practiced the other pairs of notes quickly.

THEN, play a dotted eighth followed by a 32nd note triplet and repeat that pattern... "Daaaaahh.... da-da-da Daaaaaaahh... . da-da-da-Daaaaaaaaa"... etc.  Now, you're playing four notes in a row quickly, and mentally regrouping and planning on a long note every four notes.

Then, reverse THAT rhythm ... "da-da-da-Daaaaaaaah..... da-da-da-Daaaaaahh"  Now, a different note gets the chance to the the long, "status check" note.  Check those "status" notes for accurate pitch and tone.. don't scoop into'em.

Next.. assuming it's a long lick...  try a quarter note followed by an eighth note triplet followed by 8 32nd notes ...

"Daaaaaaaa............. da - da - da  dee-dle-dee-dle-dee-dle-dee-dle"  (lol.. sure wish there was a way to type actual notes!)

Then, switch the order of those three rhythmic elements so that each of the three rhythmic values gets to be the first, second, or third beat.  

It's amazing how fast that type of practice can clean up runs.  

Good luck!  Remember, good slow playing IS fast playing.

Barry

April 7, 2015
Barry "MuseChaser's" response to 
"Jazz Riffs, Runs and Cadenza" thread

Fascinating discussion and, as usual in any discussion about the how-to's and mechanics of jazz improvisation, no one is wrong.  There's so many pathways to expression, competency, and eventual artistry that there really is no "right way" to get there.  The process of transcribing masterful player's soli is, if nothing else, tremendous ear training, even if you never incorporate a single transcribed lick into your practice sessions.  Most of the time, though, you'll find things you really like  that become a part of YOUR vocabulary.  Heck, even if you play a sequence of notes that Bird used, or Trane, or Miles, or Clifford.. doesn't matter.. you won't sound like them no matter what; you'll sound like YOU, for better or worse.  No harm in playing the same notes.. it's still being played with your sound and feel.

Having said that, if one is intent on becoming a good jazz player, one MUST, at least in my opinion, have some respect for the tremendous giants who have molded this music over the past eighty years or so, and LISTEN to what has shaped the music over those many decades.  To ignore the aural history of jazz would be akin to trying to write a wonderful novel without having developed a command of the language in which you write nor having read and appreciated the writing styles of great authors past and present.  

If I may, I'd like to offer a small tweak to the technical and harmonic approaches mentioned in this thread.  Much discussion has been made regarding what notes to play over certain chords, and whether or not practicing ii/V/I licks is beneficial because different keys lay differently so some licks won't translate well, etc.  Practicing licks in a myriad of keys, whether or not they lay well or sound good in those keys, is still beneficial simply because of the increased command of the instrument obtained, AND the further cementing of the link between hearing something internally and being able to create it in real time WITHOUT a lot of thought.  However, the point being missed is that one should not play over the chord you are on; you should play TO the chord you're ABOUT to be on.  Just as a slalom skier is ALWAYS planning his path around a given gate based upon the location of the next gate and his desired angle to it, a good jazz player is not solely concentrating on the chord he is on, but rather "hearing ahead" in order to spontaneously create an interesting, melodic pathway TO the next chord and beyond.  This is THE crux of the issue, and where so many players fall short.

My favorite bass player in my area is a master at crafting bass lines based on that approach.  While I'm comfortable with the typical library of jazz standards, every once in a while a leader may call a tune that I'm not very familiar with on a gig.  If the aforementioned bass player is on that gig, I never "wave" a tune... I can tell what the next chord's going to be by the second or third note of the bass line on the previous chord simply because this guy plays so intelligently and melodically.. he virtually telegraphs every chord progression beautifully. 

Granted, as a soloist, one's goal isn't necessarily to be "predictable" to the point of being obvious in one's melodic construction.  However, unless one's ear is in charge and is directing one to play melodies that flow over and TO the chord CHANGES and not just over each individual chord itself, the results will at best be competent and un-involving, and usually much less interesting than even that.  

One of my great frustrations with the harmonica, AND great joys, is that I don't have the ear-to-instrument link in place at all yet.  As a long-time jazz pianist, I rarely think about how to play anything on piano anymore; whatever I hear comes out of my hands.  On harmonica, well... sigh.... what comes out of the instrument right now is a constant surprise to me.  I'm working on it, and loving every minute of it, but it's going to take a long time before that mental-to-physical pathway is fluent and effortless. 

Barry
August  2014 Featured Post
  "Vocal Playing"
  By Tim Atwell

all of the talk about singing has me thinking about a few things.

when we play songs on the chrome, we are either playing the head (melody as written) or we are playing a solo.  i would guess that more of us are playing heads than are playing solos.  if playing the head, we carry the burden of the lyric, so it makes sense to think about the lyric, because no one else is going to state the lyric even indirectly.  meanwhile, the members of the audience are hearing that lyric in their heads as you play.  during a solo, the lyric disappears, so there is no need to consider it, just the general mood of it.  while it's harder technically to play a good solo than to play the head, there is more of an 'emotional' burden on the player and the chrome, the sound of it, when playing the head.  thus the search for songs that sound good on the chrome.

there is a long thread elsewhere on the subject 'why isn't the chromatic more popular?'  now, some think that the chrome IS popular, but i'll set that aside for now.  a closer identification with singers is what will bring it into more prominence.  yes, stevie plays it and sings, but his playing is so quirky, i doubt many people get the idea that the chrome is for them from listening to stevie.  toots' style would not suit many people.  but more people heard toots play from listening to billy joel's 'leave a tender moment alone' than from any other recording he made.  and his style of playing on that tune would give people the idea that they might try the chrome, i think.

once there was a guitarist whose trio made records that no one bought, though they were spectacular.  and let's face it, the guitar is not an obscure instrument.  he said to a cowboy singer, "i need a singer.  then people will listen to me."  the cowboy singer said, 'i know a girl, she sings with her sisters, but she should go out on her own.' the cowboy singer, gene autry; the girl singer, mary ford; the guitarist, les paul.  people listened.  it is ever thus - people do not turn out to hear music; they turn out to hear a woman sing.

the chrome is suited to working with singers, because of all the 'horns' it's the easiest to work with when a song has to be transposed to another key, to suit a singer.  

how many would never have heard lester young or sweets edison if it weren't for billie holiday?  even a male singer is better than no singer.  chris botti is more likely to have become a movie star than a well-known trumpet player if not for sting.  one of coltrane's most popular albums is the one he made with johnny hartman.  (of course, the trumpet and the sax do not need their champions).

hohner should be looking for someone to back up queen latifah on a world tour, someone whose playing is solid and not too quirky, someone who could make you think that you could play that way without a brain transplant.


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                                                               July  2014 Featured Post
                                                              "SlideMeister Criticism"
                                                      Elizabeth (a/k/a Scotty)


Quote from: A.J.Fedor on Today at 03:29:45 PM
I'd really like to make the THE SLIDEMEISTER STORY "required reading" for every "harp" player, just to clear the air once and for all.  According to my spies, (yes, I do have a few :o) even after sixteen years, all the cliched (and I might add, phony) negatives about me, as well as you good folks, are still tossed around, and believed on some of the "harp" groups by folks who have yet to stick their ignorant heads in the door to see if the stuff they read is true.    Sad! 

SM
http://www.slidemeister.org/the-slidemeister-story.html

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You're dead right because I'VE read that same negative BS on other harmonica sites--and tried in vain to counteract it. I'm usually informed a bit snippily that it 'happened before your time' or 'we know more than you do' blah blah. Well, SlideMeister IS older than my tenure here but I've been here for 'a while'. 

NONE of those who use the old arguments visited here after SlideMeister became a website so they were 'judging' based on the old list. And Age is correct--people who play both type of harmonicas simply couldn't understand why he was so dead-set against mixing discussion of both types of instruments. In fact when I first joined I had no idea there was a controversy about it and questioned it myself since I saw them all as harmonicas--of course I was new to the harmonica scene, ain't a blues player so had no dog in that fight.

 But I began to see what went on between the two 'camps' as they were divided at Conventions: the old-timey people who weren't interested in hearing anything new and innovative and the blues players who thought anything played on chromatic other than blues was 'old-hat and boring', so they wouldn't give any courtesy to those who founded SPAH...and after a while I realized how utterly BORING was the interminable discussion on other forums about gear and Amps which could go on for days with nearly no room for chromatic talk.  I didn't realize at first just how tired Age was of all that same gear talk and increasing focus on diatonics where a chromatic player could post --and be completely ignored or get maybe a single response. I saw it all as time went on--and became increasingly grateful for SlideMeister. HE bent a bit as well--giving short-harps their own space here since he (and so many others) play them as well--but mostly wanted a place for chromatic players to call 'home'. That's the hard and fast rule which should never be compromised IMHO. He sure didn't have to extend that courtesy to diatonic players. Keeping a firm hand at the helm is absolutely crucial to having SlideMeister run as well as it does. I've personally been victimized on other 'less than firm' forums who allow their members to post vicious (and usually misogynistic) attacks openly--only to THEN shut down the thread--preventing a response. Huh? Where is the fairness then and how frustrating when their posts are open to the public? 

I love how this website has grown and developed with A.J. in charge. Everyone has mellowed somewhat too--with those refusing to play by or accept his rules taking their leave--but for the most part we get along famously and agree to disagree whenever something 'major' comes along. Age is the final arbitrator and I, for one, trust him with the final decision. That's cool with me--it should be with everyone here.

The only small disruption (as I've noticed it) is when someone new and perhaps quite egotistical joins up and tries to stir the same old pot we've dealt with so many times in the past. Not only won't Age have it--we won't have it either since it affects us all.  Even the very best players who post here aren't ego-driven so new members have to realize you're going to have to stow your egos at the door and join the community, or you won't get the most out of what's offered here or have the best time. That's the best advice I could give anyone joining--because the guy who owns this site (and is himself a really good player) could shut it down tomorrow out of frustration with those kind of aggravations, to how much work it takes AND for lack of funds (he runs this thing on a shoe-string--so DOES need help to keep it going; I've no idea how he's managed this long). Keep that in mind. Are any of you willing to see it all just disappear? 

He (with the help of his son to help set SM up initially) has done such a good job I seriously doubt anyone else could ever duplicate anything chromatic-focused this good and this enjoyable or with the loyalty Age has inspired for so long if SlideMeister doesn't survive. I doubt I'D sign up to anyone else's site unless it was run by someone I knew extremely well personally and who inspired the same kind of loyalty.

So..let's at least all do our part in keeping this forum as good as it is and appreciate what we have. It DOES seem to be a common thread in a lot of new members' posts which I've read lately--their gratitude in finding this amazing and quite unique forum.

I too think 'The SlideMeister Story' should be required reading to join so count me in (if you're counting votes about that).

Elizabeth (a/k/a Scotty)

May 2014 Featured Post
"Chromatic Positions"
By JP Pagán

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The concept of positions can be very useful for chromatic harmonica players. It is not necessarily a harmonica concept—at it’s core it’s just a musical concept—though one that is particularly valuable for instruments that come in many different keys, like the 12-hole chromatic harmonicas. 

Positions are merely the relationship between the key of the music one is playing and the key of the instrument one is playing on. That relationship is most easily explained using another fundamental music concept—the Circle of Fifths:

 

The Circle of Fifth represents all 12 keys, arranged in a circle like a clock face. Starting With C at the top position, each movement clockwise goes up the chromatic scale in 5ths (in the C Major scale, G is five notes up from C: C-D-E-F-G) . There’s a lot of musical information that can be gleaned from the Co5, but for now, let’s just stick to the keys you see in the circle. 

Now let’s number the circle so that C is 1, G is 2, D is 3, etc… F ends up being 12. These are the positions on a C chromatic. I’ll explain:

On your C chromatic, you can think of each key that you play in as being a “position”. The number is whatever number it is clockwise from the key of the harmonica. Using a C chromatic, C itself would be 1st position. G would be 2nd position, D would be 3rd, A would be 4th, and so on, all the way around the circle, with F as 12th position. If you have a G chromatic, then the numbers move clockwise a ‘tick’: G is now 1st position, and the next key clockwise, D is 2nd position, A is 3rd, etc etc… C is now 12th. 

This is true for any key of harp: you start with the key of the harmonica as 1st position, then the next key clockwise is 2nd position, and so on. That’s all a position is: the relationship between the key of the harp and the key of the music, using numbers from the Circle of 5ths. 

But what does that mean?

Say you have a few 12-hole chromatics. You have a C (who doesn’t?) an F, a G and maybe a Bb (you figured you’d play jazz one day, gotta have a Bb!). You only ever play the C. You’re really good at playing some songs in C on your C chromatic. And you can play a few songs in G on it as well, maybe a song in A minor (say, Amazing Grace). But you’re not so hot on the other keys just yet. But your church really wants you to play Amazing Grace next Sunday with them, and the band does it in E minor. You have no idea how to play in E minor on your C chromatic. Well, you are in luck. 

The key of A is 4 positions clockwise from C on the circle. Similarly, the key of E is 4 positions clockwise from… the key of G on the circle. In other words, playing in the key of A on a C harmonica is the same as playing in the key of E on a G harmonica — you just pick up a G harmonica and pretend it’s a C, the blow and draw patterns are the same. Both are 4th position. Pretend you are playing Amazing Grace in A, and on your G chromatic it magically comes out in E and the church band doesn't hate you for being in the wrong key. 

The next night, your jazz buddies want you to play Autumn Leaves with them. You know it cold in C on your C chromatic, but they want to play it in F. Perfect: you pick up an F chromatic and pretend it’s your C—in both cases you are playing in 1st position. The jazzers loved your playing so much, they want you to stick around to play Take Five in C! You're about to reach for your C chromatic when you realize that you learned that tune in G on your C chromatic... Now what? Well, G is second position on your C harp, right? So C would be second position on an...? 

F harp. You have that in your hand already, bud. Start blowin'!

Now clearly, this is a great ‘crutch’ for people who don’t know how to play except for in a few keys on one chromatic. They can buy more chromatics in different keys and—with the magical power of positions—play in any key they want. But positions are good for other things as well. More on that in a separate post.

October, 2013 Featured Post :
"Chromatic Maintenance tips" 
by Smokey Joe

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Albeit, a chromo has to be clean but as we are warm blooded mammals, we secrete  liquids. Some of these can eventually condense like condensed milk and the  deposits on the valves will make them stick. I always used white paper to clean  my valves. That way I can see any deposits that are coming off. I continue to  clean the same valve until the paper runs clean.

A gigging musician  should carry several items when they go to the club or studio. Some are liquids
which I keep in cleaned emptied eye drops bottles discarded by the wife. They  include:

1... Alcohol. (70% only . . maybe even watered down a bit). Reason? A
tiny spritz into an offending reed space will free up a stuck wind saver. Then a
good puff of air and everything is clear. Cleaning the wind saver takes place
once home.

2... Whale oil. (not actually from whales). Trumpet oil. Used if  a spot on the slide is worn through the chrome and starting to tarnish and  therefore 'drag'. Cleaning the slide takes place once home.

3... Water. Used
same as above. Usually as a first resort. A little water will usually work. And  I don't mean to spray it all over the place like insect poison as if you're  being attacked by hornets.

Then,
4... A small packet of cigarette  papers (gum removed with scissors). But any white paper is fine. I use what I  use because they fit in my quick and dirty adjustment box. Which I made exactly  the same size as a 14 hole chromatic..to fit my carry case.
5... One each of  Phillips and straight blade screw drivers.
6... One long hat pin.
7...  One packet wind savers.
8... One bottle 'thickened' nail polish (varnish in  U.K.)

smo-joe
September, 2013 Featured Post :
Discouraged? What do you guys do? 
by Tim Atwell
first of all, when you listen to jazz masters, or even the old guy playing at the jam down the street, you are not listening to improvised material.  you are listening to previously improvised material.  maybe 5% of it is improvised on the spot as a variation on something else that the player has done before.

second, who is playing the chords while you are playing the harmonica?  is the chord just some writing on a piece of paper, like Dm7 or Cmaj6?  when you know a tune and you hear the chords, it suggests something to you, a feeling an idea.  you know where you are in the tune, and whether feeling or energy is being created or released.  sitting alone with your chrome (or should i say "Chrome Alone") will not suggest anything to you.  your best ideas will come from those around you, so find someone to play with if you can, maybe someone at your level who also wants to improve.

if you have never improvised before, learn three major pentatonic scales: C D E G A C/F G A C D F/G A B D E G.  improvise thru an entire standard in C using just the C scale, an entire standard in F just on the F scale, and entire standard in G just on the G scale.  just to see that you can do it, though this approach is limited.  this will encourage you and keep you playing while you begin to incorporate playing through the chord changes.

try to find recorded back-up (or create it yourself with various apps).  make sure that you can control the tempo.  a lot of recorded back-up is at tempos much too fast for beginners.  even mellow ballads are often presented at break-neck speed.

i don't know who your teacher is and this is no dig at your teacher, but there are a lot of music teachers who (love to) make you feel that it is all so complicated, or who are simply not good at explaining things. what they all want is for you to take the next lesson.  they will do anything but de-mystify the whole business, teach you what you need to know, or tell you how they do it themselves.

be-bop is the only style that is difficult.  it was intentionally designed to be difficult by musicians who thought that swing had been sentimentalized.  be-bop is a player's art, with no regard for the listener, and its message is, Sentimentalize This!

August, 2013 Featured Post :
Reed Soldering
by Vern Smith

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Here is an interesting video from long time list member Vern Smith describing his reed soldering technique. Vern says: "The soldering is extremely quick and easy.  The alignment of the reed in the slot must be carefully done." Reeds affixed in this manner will never misalign, and have no tension on the rivet end (since there is no rivet to speak of) Since they are soldered (not welded) they can also be easily removed using the same basic procedure.