Posted Wed, 02/08/2012 - 09:17 by David Barrett Admin
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!
Posted Mon, 02/06/2012 - 09:29 by David Barrett Admin
If you have a band, take each new song you learn and place it in your set to give it context. Not only does playing a new song with the band in an upcoming gig give you the impetus to practice hard, the great thing about having a band is that you have the opportunity to use your new and old material often... the licks, movement and technique stay active in your playing.
I don't gig often, so I when I get a high-profile gig, I use it as an opportunity to write something new.
Since most of you will not have a band, you can place that new song on the bandstand via a local jam session. continue reading...
Posted Fri, 01/27/2012 - 17:41 by David Barrett Admin
Joe Tartaglia has reached the skill level he was interested in achieving and is now passing the torch on to a new student for the intermediate study material at BluesHarmonica.com. In one month I'll introduce this new student to you and we'll continue working through the material on the site. Best wishes to you Joe!
Posted Fri, 01/27/2012 - 08:52 by David Barrett Admin
A dialog on absolutes today. Not that anybody does this, but it's a good thought process...
The two main techniques used (and thus the two main technique areas of study) on the harmonica are bending and tongue blocking.
Someone who uses tongue blocking, but no bending, is focused on textural and rhythmic elements, at the detriment to bluesy pitch content. continue reading...
Posted Thu, 01/26/2012 - 09:19 by David Barrett Admin
Play that jam track again and improvise over the first ten bars without playing the 2 draw or 6+. At the end of your V-IV-I Transition lick allow it to resolve to the 2 draw or 6+.
What you're doing is building musical tension... tension that gets released on the downbeat of bar 10. Think of it as musical foreplay. continue reading...
Posted Mon, 01/23/2012 - 10:14 by David Barrett Admin
I'm sure you found this challenging to do. The 2 draw is the most common hole used on the harmonica (4 draw being a close second). The 2 is the root note (we're speaking of 2nd Position here), so it's obvious that we'll be playing it a lot. This is true, but we DO NOT have to resolve every phrase we play... in fact it's boring to resolve every phrase we play.
So, what to do. There are some tools. Try this lick.
4 4+ 3 2 2 (hold last note)
Now, instead of resolving the phrase with the last 2 draw, kick into another note like in the examples below...