how to play blues harmonica

Let's now try that new lick in all of the positions...

D Harmonica (2nd Position) = 3' 3" 2 1 2

G Harmonica (3rd Position) = 5 5+ 4 3" 4

A Harmonica (1st Position) = 8'+ 8 7+ 6+ 7+

Which one is easier for you to play and which version sounds best to you? Think about it.

Let's now talk about the first note for each position...

1) 1st Position: A Harp - 6+
A) Single note
B) Slap
C) Flutter
D) Octave (3+/6+)

2) 2nd Position: D Harp - 4
A) Single note
B) Dip (start bent and release quickly)
C) Addition of 5 (bluesy/dirty)
D) Shake (4/5)
E) Slap
F) Flutter
G) Octave

3) 3rd Position: G Harp - 6
A) Single note
B) Dip
C) Addition of 7 (VERY dirty)
D) Shake (6/7 VERY dissonant, but we do use it now and again)
E) Slap
F) Flutter

Let's now take a look at what we have so far...

1) First Position: A Harp - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+ = Pitches: E E D C# A A = 5 blows and 1 draw

2) Second Position: D Harp - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2 = Pitches: E E D C# A A = 5 draws and 1 blow

3) Third Position: G Harp - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4 = Pitches: E E D C A A = 5 draws and 1 blow continue reading...

Gary Smith's newest Submission (#25) for Song Writing (#16) is "Midnight at 7 Bamboo"

Grab your G, A and D harmonicas and let's play the following licks on each harp.

1) A Harmonica - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+

2) D Harmonica - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2

3) G Harmonica - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4

Play these licks a couple of times on each harmonica and think about the possibilities for each harp.

How many Tips of the Day have we had on bending so far... I lost count... there's tons of them! Why is this so? It's one of our most challenging techniques performed on the harmonica. If you had the mistaken impression that harmonica is easy to play, then this technique will set your straight! Use the knowledge you've gained from understanding the physics of bending all the way to where the tongue is located in your mouth and what part of the tongue humps up for each pitch found in each hole for bending. continue reading...

Whistling a low-pitched note (like 3, 2 and 1 draw bends) you'll notice your tongue in the back of your mouth, with the pitch being created near the very back of the tongue... it can also help for you to drop your jaw. Note that the tip and middle of the tongue is not humped up... it's down so that you can have a resonant tone chamber... always thing "big tone" by getting parts of the tongue down that don't have to be humped up for the whistling/bending process. Experiment with this!...

Why?

1) Listen - No playing... no humming... just listen.

Why: Just appreciate the lick for what the lick has to offer... what its essence is.

2) Hum - This personalizes/internalizes the lick... learning the rhythm and contour of the lick before you pick up your harmonica.

Why: If you play ON TOP of the music right away it will take longer and be less accurate to learn... it's like the saying, "How can you listen if you're talking?" make sense? continue reading...