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Tip of the Day: Practice (Lesson 17) - Take Breaks

Posted Thu, 11/10/2011 - 08:02 by David Barrett Admin

“As a general rule, rest 10 minutes of each hour that you spend in the practice room. Rest more if you’re working vigorously or adopting new techniques. A sensible practice-to-rest ratio, widely recommended by teachers and medical authorities, is to practice no more than 25-30 minutes before pausing for a 5-minute respite. Many musicians opt for more frequent breathers and rest 2-3 minutes every 15 minutes or so.” Pg 12, The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness By Gerald Klickstein

Practice (Lesson 16) - Artful Practice (The Musician’s Way)

Posted Wed, 11/09/2011 - 08:36 by David Barrett Admin

“Wherever you hope to travel on your musical journey, practice is the only route to getting there. You may wonder whether you possess the talent to reach your goals, but musical progress depends more on practice than on talent. Talent symbolizes your underlying potential; practice enables you to realize that potential. But not just any sort of practice will do.” Pg 3, The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness By Gerald Klickstein

Tip of the Day: Jazz Insights with Dr. Gordon Vernick - How Jazz Works

Posted Tue, 11/08/2011 - 14:46 by David Barrett Admin

Listen to "How Jazz Works" parts 3 and 4. Part 3 contains a great description of the roll that the bass player and drummer takes... the rhythm section. If you like this, check out the first two parts... you can hear it here http://1690wmlb.com/features/jazz-insights/ or get it via podcast at iTunes.

Tip of the Day: Lee Sankey's Brainstruments

Posted Sun, 11/06/2011 - 12:47 by David Barrett Admin

Do you have a mental model of the harmonica when you play? Lee Sankey's research says that it's a determining factor in your ability to create on your harmonica. I speak about this in the "Improvising Study 8 - Soloing Blocks & Chord Tone Soloing." Read about Lee's research (read the PDF) at http://brainstruments.com/

Facebook updates for Steve Baker's Harmonica Masters Workshop

Posted Wed, 11/02/2011 - 02:46 by David Barrett Admin

I'm in Trossingen, Germany at Steve Baker's Harmonica Masters Workshop. If you would like to follow my daily reports visit: http://www.facebook.com/bluesharmonica. Pictured here is Steve Baker, Joe Filisko and I video recording footage on the Marine Band Harmonica for Hohner Harmonicas.

Practice (Lesson 15) - Henry Ford

Posted Mon, 10/31/2011 - 23:50 by David Barrett Admin

"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." Henry Ford

Tip of the Day: Practice (Part 14) - John Wooden Laws of Learning

Posted Fri, 10/28/2011 - 07:56 by David Barrett Admin

"The four laws of learning are explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. The goal is to create a correct habit that can be produced instinctively under great pressure. To make sure this goal was achieved, I created eight laws of learning: namely, explanation, demonstration, imitation, repetition, repetition, repetition, repetition and repetition." John Wooden

What's New: Jelly Roll Johnson Interview

Posted Wed, 10/26/2011 - 22:42 by David Barrett Admin

Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson's distinctive, soulful style of harmonica has earned him critical acclaim, numerous awards, and a place among Nashville's top session musicians. A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jelly Roll's career has spanned 35 years. He began playing harmonica at age 19 in Cleveland, Tennessee. After touring with several rock, blues and country groups, he settled in Knoxville to work with the Tommy Cole Band. From 1979 to 1989, Jelly Roll played concerts and club dates all across America with Warner Brothers recording artist Con Hunley. continue reading...

Tip of the Day: Holding a Chrome Bullet Mic

Posted Wed, 10/26/2011 - 08:05 by David Barrett Admin

Though chrome bullet mics look great, they can be very tough to hold due to how slippery chrome feels... especially after a bit of performance sweat. A chrome grill can bring some holding challenges as well.

Solution #1 - Focus on FIRST bringing your palms together, allowing your mic to rest in the cradle created between both hands. In this case you're not HOLDING the mic, it RESTS on your hands. Your fingers then form into their normal cup. This is good cupping advice period... say goodbye to cramping hands! continue reading...

Tip of the Day: Playing in a Cup

Posted Mon, 10/24/2011 - 07:05 by David Barrett Admin

Ever play the harp into a glass, ceramic or tin cup... if not, give it a try, it sounds really cool. Bullet mics are 2.5" in diameter, so if you find a cup around that size it will feel comparable to what you're already used to holding. Experiment with different materials (glass, tin, ceramic, etc.) and depths, it does make a difference in the sound. Try hand effect like the Wa Wa, Hand Tremolo, etc. If you decide to use this on the bandstand, place the vocal mic on whichever side you open your hands for your hand techniques. continue reading...

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