20 Button Anglo Beginner

[flash]

I live by Port Huron Mich. Is anyone looking for a student? I have a VHS lesson but I don't want to develop bad habits. Besides a VHS can't answer questions or give exercises. Thanks FLASH

[Mikefule]

I live by Port Huron Mich. Is anyone looking for a student? I have a VHS lesson but I don't want to develop bad habits. Besides a VHS can't answer questions or give exercises. Thanks FLASH

 

 

I can't offer lessons because 1 I ain't good enough, and 2 I'm on a different continent (some would say "planet") but...

 

I understand your fear of developing bad habits, having fallen into a couple of traps myself over the year or so I've been playing.

 

Here're some "good habits" to aim for:

 

Take your finger off the button and put it back on if you play two notes on the same button - as far as it is possible to do so. That is, use the buttons/valves to control the airflow to the reed, rather than relying purely on what you do with the bellows. This is not an absolute rule, but on the whole, if you can do it "the proper way", you can always choose to do it the "sloppy way" if you're after a particular sound.

 

If you are playing in the melody/accompaniment style, with the melody on the right and the accompaniment on the left, then use your little finger of your left hand on the bass notes (the lowest two buttons on each row - I simplify) and your other fingers where needed.

 

Practise in a stacatto style with short clipped notes. Even if you're practising at a slow speed, don't make it legato and mushy.

 

Practise the difficult bits time and time again. Too many learners on any instrument rush through the bits they know and leave the tricky bits for later.

 

Rhythm, harmony, melody, in that order, if you're playing in a harmonic style. That is, get it chugging along at a steady speed; get rid of any discords; get the exact notes of the melody right. Even if you are playing only or mainly 1 note melodies, the audience notices stumbles in the rhythm more than a few isolated bum notes.

 

Good luck.

Edited February 27, 2008 by Mikefule