learn to play harmonica online

If you've been playing long enough to feel comfortable soloing, then go ahead and do some soloing to a jam track of your choosing. One change though, you can't play 2 draw. If you have a hard time knowing what hole you're on when jamming, then take your bottom cover plate off and place a piece of tape over the 2 draw reed (painters tape is good at not leaving residue). Give it a try... more tomorrow.

Though this is demonstrated on the chromatic harmonica, the principles are also the same for the diatonic harmonica. As Steve Baker states in the video lesson, learning how to gap is essential. It's common for a harmonica to have one or two reeds not responding the way you desire, and this is the quickest way to adjust it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cdfpp2Sg0

Many of you are familiar with Mark Hummel's Blues Harmonica Blowouts... we've been a sponsor of it for many years. This year is a Little Walter Tribute, featuring Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Sugar Ray Norcia, Curtis Salgado and Mark Hummel. I'll be hanging out at the Yoshi's shows this year, most specifically for the 10pm Saturday Show, this is where the grande finale of the King of Swing competition is going to be held. I'll be video recording interviews for BluesHarmonica.com all weekend, so I unfortunately won't be playing... maybe next year. continue reading...

In Mark Hummel's latest submission he talks about Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller)

"Jazz Insights" with Dr. Gordon Vernick has two new episodes worth listening to. Jazz Rock Fusion, Parts 1 and 2, cover the fusion of Blues, Jazz and Rock in the early 1960s. He even talks about early Skiffle bands. These podcasts are free and can be downloaded here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jazz-insights-dr.-gordon-vernick/id38...

Play softly. Warm, radiant air is what you're looking for. A pro player plays at 40% of their capable volume as their normal volume. So, no sucking or blowing... warm, radiant air flowing through the harmonica.

Now that you have your hands, lips and tongue set into a relaxed position...

Place the harmonica a little deeper in your mouth, lower the middle and back of your tongue (the tip-top is on the harmonica, but the middle and back are able to move interdependently to lower for good tone), drop your jaw a bit, and finally open your throat.

A simple way to perform all of this is to use a slight yawn... it will place everything in the same position. continue reading...

When placing your tongue on the face of the harmonica for the tongue block embouchure, use the tip-top of the tongue (the top of the tongue just past the tip). Since your tongue is commonly blocking the holes to the left (except for hole 1, where your tongue is at the right), you do use a a slight amount of the right side of the tongue, but not much... it's still mostly the tip-top (if you feel like you're using only the side of the tongue you'll need to adjust this). continue reading...

If you're working on bending accuracy (when are we not!), then you already know you're wasting your time if you're not using a tuner or at least a piano to reference your pitch. There are times when we're not around such helpful devices and it's handy to have a different kind of reference...

Part of ear training is to develop a tune list of intervals. Here are some good references...

Whole Step Bend - "Three Blind Mice" 3 3" 2, 3 3 3" 3" 2

Half Step Bend on 3' - "Spoonful" = 3' 2 3' 2 3' 2

Half Step and Whole Step Bend - "There's a Place in France" 2 3" 3' 3" 2, 2 3" 3' 4 3' 3" 2