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David's Tip of the Day: Harmonica Community - Creating, Part 2

Posted Wed, 02/22/2012 - 08:05 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Some subjects that I write about I'm an expert... something I have taught many times in many situations... the focus is to just write it down. Other areas I write on I am not an expert, and the research I do helps to educate me AND others. You don't have to be an expert to help the harmonica community by creating something new. Get started today on a project that excites you (and doesn't take away too much practice time... I'm dead serious about this).

Here are some Ideas for you:
- Create a listing
- Catalog something
- Gather historical data on an artist or artists that interest you continue reading...

  • harmonica community volunteer

David's Tip of the Day: Harmonica Community - Creating, Part 1

Posted Tue, 02/21/2012 - 08:36 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

If you're not interested in participating in something someone else is doing, then create something yourself. Do you like history? Are you mechanically inclined? Do you like working with databases? Do you like design?

  • supporting the harmonica community

David's Tip of the Day: Harmonica Community - Help

Posted Fri, 02/17/2012 - 12:19 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

What does it mean to "help" the harmonica community?

Here are some examples...

1) Ask the leader of the local jam session you frequent if there's anything you can help with. Aspects of running or setting up for the jam... getting the word out via social media or flyers in the local area...

2) Get the word out about products or services you feel strongly about in your social circles... local and your social media (Facebook, blog, etc.). Possibly write a review. continue reading...

  • supporting the harmonica community

David's Tip of the Day: Harmonica Community - Support

Posted Thu, 02/16/2012 - 09:05 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Most likely you didn't have anything to list when I asked you what you were doing for the harmonica community yesterday. Let's look at three paths of thinking though... supporting, helping and creating... you're surely doing one of these?

Supporting continue reading...

  • supporting the harmonica community

David's Tip of the Day: Harmonica Community

Posted Wed, 02/15/2012 - 07:38 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

What are you doing for the harmonica community?

  • harmonica tips

David's Tip of the Day: Knowing Where You Are - Tactile Reference

Posted Tue, 02/14/2012 - 08:14 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

It's true that the harmonica is a blind person's instrumental, though we do have our hands. Your lips, jaw and cheek touch your hands while playing the harmonica, giving you a tactile reference. Experiment by playing across the range of your harmonica and noting where your face is in relation to your hands; you may find this helpful when working on new passages that require large leaps. As you practice those challenging passages, over time your muscle memory will take over and you won't need that tactile reference, but it can be helpful at first.

  • Tactile Reference Hand Harmonica Harp

David's Tip of the Day: 10,000 Hours to Mastery

Posted Mon, 02/13/2012 - 07:45 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Have you heard of the 10,000 hours rule to mastery? Chapter two of Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" does a good job of covering it. Dan Levitin's book "This is Your Brain on Music" also speaks of it in reference to the musical mind. Joshua Foer's "Moonwalking with Einstein" covers the subject in reference to skills development for his memory project. K. Anders Ericsson, the leading expert on skills acquisition, coined the phrase and is the source quoted in all of these texts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Ericsson). Fascinating stuff. continue reading...

  • 10
  • ,
  • 000 hours to music musical mastery

David's Tip of the Day: Becoming a Popular Musician

Posted Thu, 02/09/2012 - 07:40 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Here's a quote on accompaniment playing from Steve Czarnecki, keyboard instructor at School of the Blues.

"We’re not always the center of attention in music or in life, and there are times when it pays to play the background role graciously—learning to be a member of the musical boiler room propelling the great ship of song. You can become a very popular musician by being a good accompanist."

  • accompaniment playing harmonica harp blues

What's New: Joe Filisko's Breathing Guide

Posted Wed, 02/08/2012 - 21:59 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

Join Joe Filisko for his latest submission to breathing. Joe talks about: Breathing Range, the Exhale Push and Nose Breathing.

  • breathing breathe breath harmonica harp joe filisko

David's Tip of the Day: Context - Part 4, Chorus Forms

Posted Wed, 02/08/2012 - 08:17 by David Barrett Admin
David Barrett Admin's picture

The most effective way to encode a lick into your long term memory and ensure that it shows up in your improvising is to apply the chorus form method. Learn the lick, then play it as an: AAA; AAA with fills; AAB; AAB with fills; the three variations of A B/A C; change the presentation of the lick (dip, add a little of the upper note, shake, slap, pulls and slaps, flutter, octave, etc.); move it up and/or down an octave; break it into smaller pieces (fragmentation)...

This process is not only VERY effective, it's very fun!

  • placing licks you learn into the context of improvising soloing
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