![]() These exercises also makes a great ice-breaker for anyone leading group workshops.īreath control is where everything starts and ends. This is light hearted, but there’s plenty of serious stuff to follow and hopefully you are now in the zone. Finally, gently slide your jaw side to side to loosen up. Now exhale and make your lips flap like a horse sneezing. Hot potato – drop your jaw and form a large O with your lips.Turtle face – cover your teeth with your lips.Fish face – purse your best selfie lips.At the Harp Surgery we enunciate a phrase such as ‘I like to play harmonica’ while pulling different faces: Whatever the embouchure you use, loosen up your ‘mask’ and jaw. This is just like stretching before a physical work out or a long run. In other words embouchure, breath control and instrument. Above all, take pleasure in growing musically.Īs musical athletes there are three things we need to warm up before we embark on our practical regime: lips, lungs and Luger. Enjoy the journey and know that while there will be times when progress seems abstract, the eureka moments will bring ample compensation. If your aim is to play and improvise more effectively, practise is your enabler and good discipline is how you will achieve your goals. This builds self reliance and mindfulness as you engage exclusively with your sound and your instrument. Secondly, whether you’re playing a scale, an exercise or a complete tune, take a moment to close your eyes, shut out the notation and digital tuners, and really listen. Begin the corrective process by slowing things down and being more meticulous. Being in control means you decide when to add texture or introduce elasticity of timing. If for example your playing is a little untidy, or your timekeeping is off, address this and seek to remedy it. Identify where your weaknesses and fears lie, face them and fix them. Before we run through the list, let’s review the two overarching criteria we consider essential for effective practising.įirstly, the quest for control in all you do. No doubt you already include much of this in your routine, but there may be a few ideas you haven’t yet contemplated. Our recommended practice content is set out below. Irrespective of duration and regularity, could our practice regime benefit from better structure and, if so, where do we begin?ĭon’t practise until you get it right, practise until you can’t get it wrong Investing time is one thing, but practising productively is another. Equally important therefore is quality over quantity. For many however, the reality is that practice lasts minutes rather than hours and is not a daily ritual. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got – Henry FordĬonvention says that if musicians practise daily, no matter how long or short the window, the cumulative effect will pay off over time.
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