HARMONICA SCHOOL DIARY, STUDENT JOURNEY

Here, you’ll find some questions from students about the school, the courses, the methodology, and how to practice. Feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have.

How do I know when I’m ready to move on to the next course? Should you be able to play perfectly everything in the actual course?

Well, students should of course try to play the best they can. However, I suggest that you strive to reach a good level for you rather than for perfection. Often, perfection and progress are in conflict. It’s better to aim for 80-85% of what could be called a ‘perfect performance’ and move on to more complex material. Once you’ve practiced the new material, you’ll find out that you can play the older stuff even better, as the learning process takes time. Be gentle with yourself – even professional players make mistakes. Take your time, and you’re sure to succeed.

How many hours a day should I practice? Anything from 15 minutes to 45 minutes is good, although with one hour per day, you’ll make faster progress. If you have more time, split the practice session into 20-minute blocks with a 5 to 10-minute break between each block. In this way, the brain will retain more information and you’ll learn better.

I only have 5 minutes today, what should I practice? 5 minutes of really focused practice can give you plenty. Work on one or two technical exercises or a scale, focusing especially on the correct execution and timing. A small and well-defined task is ideal for a small amount of time. Remember, focus is the key.

I will be unable to practice for several days, will this affect my learning too much? Absolutely not! If you’ve been practicing correctly and consistently the rest of the time, you’ll continue to learn during your breaks. Remember that we learn even while we sleep. If you feed your mind with enough quality study, you’ll be fine.

I find that I can play the exercises and the songs in the courses, but my tone seems to be weak. Is there anything I can do? If you’re in the beginning stages of learning, having a good tone is something you should work on. As you learn and practice more, you’ll develop a more rounded sound almost without noticing, as you’ll learn to breathe correctly and make use of your oral cavity to shape your tone. If you play with the tongue blocking technique, you’ll develop the required skills. It takes time, and I suggest practicing long notes with dynamics and seeing how your mouth shape affects the tone. However, most of the work is done in relation to breathing with the diaphragm.

I seem to play at tempo without the metronome, but then when I use it I get confused and really struggle to play. What should I do? This is perfectly normal. If you’ve never previously used the metronome consistently, you need to focus on the beat and try to play with it. My courses help with the visual and auditive metronome, and you’ll get used to playing with it very soon. Make him your best friend!

How long should I practice each course? The beginner course is set in monthly sections, although you can of course study at your own pace. You can move on to the next course when you feel you can play everything in the actual course almost as I do in the videos. Keep me as a reference and try to imitate me. Don’t worry if you don’t get to play everything well – strive for about an 85% performance. Concerning the other courses, the average study time is two months for each course, although again, it really depends on you. You’ll have full access to the courses forever, so there’s no need to rush. Very often, the more you focus on practicing the basic stuff, the faster you’ll proceed later.

How long would a complete learning path take if I start from zero? This depends greatly on how much you study as well as some other variables. A complete learning journey can last from two to four years, and at the end, you’ll be an advanced harmonica player who’s capable of playing many different musical styles with ease.

I’ve been playing harmonica on and off for a couple of years, what course should I get? Unfortunately, we don’t learn harmonica in relation to the time we own the instrument, but in relation to what we study, how we study, and gaining valuable feedback on our playing. Most ‘intermediate players’, when starting to work with my courses, discover that they should take the beginner course. This is normal, as self-teaching is not like going to school. However, don’t think that everything you did before was for nothing. The skills you learned previously will remain and the easier courses will help you fill in the gaps. In this way, you’ll start to become a better player.

What’s the difference between the complete beginner course and the 12 songs course? The former is what you need to build strong fundamentals, while the 12 songs course is more concentrated and the level of the songs spans from very easy to intermediate, with some more complex techniques involved like bending. I suggest taking the 12 songs harmonica course after having completed the beginner course, studying the songs as you proceed with the other courses and gaining new skills.