Online blues harmonica lessons

So we can play softly.

What's the right gap for you?

1 - Low enough that it responds at very low volume.

2 - Not so low that reeds stall when articulation or played with relatively high pressure (when it's time to kick butt!).

3 - Set evenly across the range of the harmonica (keep mind that it's higher for low reeds and lower for high reeds)... nothing's worse than playing a beautifully-soft passage and a reed in that passage doesn't respond similarly to the other reeds... this is a case of the instrument getting in the way of the music. continue reading...

In hour 2 of Science Friday's 02/10/12 radio program they speak with psychology professor and author of "Guitar Zero, the New Musician and the Science Learning" Gary Marcus. Professor Marcus started learning the guitar at age 38 and speaks about the science of learning and if there's a critical age range to learn an instrument or if there's still a chance for the older learner. In the second half of this program they speak of the science of audio and spend time on the CD verses Vinyl debate and about common compressions used for digital distribution such as MP3 and what they do to the sound. continue reading...

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...

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...

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.

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

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...