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Messages - Blue boy

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1
Main Stage / Re: Voting, grading, giving feedback
« on: August 24, 2015, 09:43:02 AM »
Thanks for your response Matt. I really appreciate it, including your positive remarks about my playing. I always look forward to hearing your tracks as well and it really adds to this site when you are active on it. I think the underlying principles are to have fun and get better at playing harp. Whatever supports those goals is a positive.

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Main Stage / Voting, grading, giving feedback
« on: August 23, 2015, 11:21:35 AM »
I have found the assignment of points or a letter grade to be difficult and I endEd up at times avoiding listening to posts. A big problem I have with the point thing is that we have players of varying skill levels, and for a beginner or early intermediate player, giving the lowest point value can not recognize the relative strength of their post. So far, in this current jam I have listened to almost all the posts and have done my best to give useful feedback. I tried to take care of my problem with the "grade" or points thing by giving everyone maximum points. Not an entirely satisfying solution. Then one of my recent songs, someone gave me the minimum point value (a C or 3 points) on a post the I thought was reasonably decent playing. Little feedback accompanied the score. Maybe it was a typo. Whatever.  I noticed that very few "C" scores are given on this site. I don't know if the track just annoyed the listener or if I had somehow offended them, or if they just thought it was very weak playing, but it kind of got in my head. And it highlighted for me the issue I already have with grading. So I decided to neutralize the issue of grading as much as possible in a different way. In future comments I give I am not going to do the grading thing. I realize you all will have to make your own decision concerning grading my tracks or not. I also know I can get better as a harp player (as we all can) and do want and appreciate thoughtful feedback. I absolutely am inviting all who read this to refrain from grading my stuff also. Thanks.

3
Travel has kept me from posting anything, but I will be able to do more before long. Really miss playing!   :P

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Misc. Conversation / Re: Playing harp on TV
« on: March 29, 2015, 03:12:34 PM »
Great story, Matt, and well told! I really liked what you wrote concerning the harp as a " little powerhouse of an instrument". That phrase captures it and so well describes its hold on me!
Thanks,
Bob (aka Blue boy)

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Administration & Announcements / Re: How Do I Remove a Backing Track?
« on: March 25, 2015, 04:49:15 PM »
Thanks Bob!

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Administration & Announcements / Re: How Do I Remove a Backing Track?
« on: March 24, 2015, 03:20:38 PM »
Thanks Ringer!

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Administration & Announcements / Re: How Do I Remove a Backing Track?
« on: March 24, 2015, 03:19:52 PM »
Thanks Ringer!

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Administration & Announcements / How Do I Remove a Backing Track?
« on: March 24, 2015, 01:01:23 AM »
I posted "Slow Italian Blues" and realized I got the title wrong (Should be Italian Slow Blues) and also need to credit the Wikiloops player (Buran70) who created the song. The BT description is incomplete, as I thought I would remove the BT and re-post it. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do this.
Suggestions?
Thanks,
Blue boy

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BZB. This is such a good topic for me. The biggest question for me is: Where and how do I invest my time for: 1)building technique and 2)  practicing enough that I feel a growing freedom to express myself musically through improvisation with the technique I have built and refined. I love the diatonic harmonica because it can be played so expressively and feels so immediate and personal. I enjoy playing the chromatic in third position, like third position on the diatonic, because I can transfer what I learned on the diatonic with relative ease, and build from there. Playing the chromatic only in third position limits what I will do musically with the chromatic, but I know I will not give the chromatic enough practice time to develop the fluency necessary for improvisation using scales other than what is available in the third position. I love how William Clarke played the chromatic, and I believe he used third position much of the time. Rod Piazza is also a good model for me, and the model that both used was George Smith, a very fine blues chromatic player. Responding to your post has helped me clarify my goals for the chromatic. Thanks.

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On the backing track upload note, I mistakenly identified the 3rd position harp key as "A", when it is "G". Mea culpa  :). If there is any way to edit this, please let me know. But if not, Obladi, Oblada.....

11
Practice Log & Blog / Re: Jerry McCains Steady youtube
« on: November 07, 2014, 03:57:22 PM »
It is a great tone and the overdriven sound merges so well with that great tone.

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Misc. Conversation / Re: Uploading a head shot
« on: November 03, 2014, 11:23:06 AM »
Thanks Rick. I will give it a try.

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Misc. Conversation / Uploading a head shot
« on: November 01, 2014, 11:32:23 AM »
I have not been able to get a "selfie" headshot for my profile accepted by the website. It gets rejected as having too many bytes.  I realize that my photos become more visually disturbing as I age, but the website is saying the rejection is due to too many bytes, not issues related to my personal appearance. These are selfies taken via iPhone and iPad. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Blue boy.

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Misc. Conversation / Re: Kate Davis, bass player and jazz vocalist
« on: November 01, 2014, 11:18:46 AM »
I watched these videos. She is so good. Heck of a bass player, AND her vocal style is so compelling. Thanks BZB!

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Hello Room / Re: Hello from Atlanta Georgia
« on: October 26, 2014, 01:47:11 PM »
Hi BZB.
Thank you for all this info and for the very positive feedback. I am a slow learner when it comes to tech stuff, so the simplicity of GarageBand for iPad is very attractive to me. Based on some of what I read from your previous posts, I purchased Sony's Acid Music Studio 8. It was a very good price, so I felt there was little to risk. I have yet to start learning it, but will give it a try. I also have the Zoom H4n portable digital recorder, which I used before I discovered GarageBand for iPad. I am hoping to start working on some backing tracks. I think they will be pretty elementary, but some might be of use to this website, and at the very least keep me developing my guitar playing, which has been pretty dormant since I became so excited about harmonica.
I have already told two harp players I know about this website because it is fun and a great way to get better. I would like to keep exchanging info, and appreciate your input.
BB
 

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