Roadblock on the 1 hole

[Freddie]

#23864

1 hole vibrato
https://app.box.com/s/9foyuwbjjrbszg7b5q4nnyzutsrcb6u7

Mitch’s step 15 lead off jam
https://app.box.com/s/avlbf9kgzqogdc6feoi6kffxy44djb00

Hey all,
So Ive been working on step 15 the second time around and trying to strengthen and refine my vibrato. The 2 and 3 holes are coming along nicely and I’m at least able to work on the 4 hole. Then I come to the 1 hole and just can not seem to get any traction.
Now I had struggled with vibrato a lot for a long time till I remembered Mitch talking about using a muscle in your throat to do it… so I just figured like any other muscle I needed to strengthen it and did “vibrato exercises”…like a lot… and that’s when I saw some improvement.
With that being said do I just need to stay the course and keep strengthening that muscle or is there something I am missing? Any help would be delightful!!

The second recording is Mitch’s lead off harmonica piece to step 15… i loved this one so much I added a little bit to the end so I could keep playing it over and over.

[Udo]

#23868

Hey Shawn,

For me it sometimes helps to play and rehearse new stuff while standing upright. Sitting relaxed on a chair hinders a good tone now and then. And for me it’s also important to have a good connection to my diaphragm while playing and let the air flow freely. I try to practice with a relaxed throat and not to constrict the air flow while playing (e.g. the vibrato). The constriction is most of the time a side effect when I long to play an effect too hard.

And yes for me at least it took time to get the vibrato right – even when bending. Once I could play it on “autopilot” while concentrating on other aspects of a lick it started to feel more natural.

All the best

[Freddie]

#23872

That sounds like some Sage advice… and the components to a solid foundation! Thanks so much for taking the time to write that out Udo! Also I’m looking forward to the next installment of Juke!

[Rooftop Cat]

#23884

“Don’t grab my hand! Lean forward and choke yourself!”

Learning vibrato is the most awkward process. There you are, just casually practicing, choking yourself. With practice, you will have more control over your vibrato and it will feel and sound less like awkward and more heavenly. SOOOOO rewarding like no other instrument I’ve ever personally played. Feel more in touch with your….seafood-like self – that octopus-like beak, the glottis, deep inside our throats. lol. A matter of pulsating that point only partially and rhythmically.

I found tremolo to def be the key. The more tremolo, the more aware you become with where the reed’s choke spot is in your throat. With the correct pressure, embouchure, and pulsed choke spot, in return you receive in-tune/on-time air manipulation and the sound projects further without unwanted sourness.

I find vibrato the most rewarding when holding a fully bend reed with the tongue and then fully modulating the pitch, from the throat, all the way back up to the reed’s pitch at rest. Will Wilde does this one techniques he calls ghost affect – he’ll incrementally raise his pitch in his throat, but at various wavering chokes points (chokes at different pitches before the fully open reed pitch). So he’s modulating his modulations. Now That’s control!

Don’t forget to practice your double stop with vibrato.

Here’s me doing a clean 2-draw, matching that pitch at the right choke point in my throat, and the raising the choke point (A harp): https://soundcloud.com/swingin-on-the-spiral/sets/experiments

Happy Friday, guys!

[Rooftop Cat]

#23885

After the key change in “Darlin'” by James Harman, he bends the pitch upward repetitively, so quickly. I remember last year tring to do it quickly with my tongue. Only way (for me) to match his speed and intonation was to choke it. So much fun!

Once it feels nature…just remember to chew your food.
https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/3-s2.0-B9780080468846008514-gr6.jpg

[Freddie]

#23887

Hey Ryan
Thanks so much for this… it’s surely something for my octopus beak to chew on! And whoa I hadn’t heard of James Harman before… that’s some firey harp playing! And thanks for sharing the example of your playing… always helps me comprehend so much easier to hear it. I’ll try this out. Take care man

[Author]

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