Posted Tue, 02/10/2015 - 10:12 by David Barrett Admin
In "Rocker" Little Walter plays the opening four-bar lick thee times. This creates the first of five common Chorus Forms, known as A A A. The lick is played (A) and then it's repeated two times (A A). Pretty cool that you can play one lick over all of the chords of the 12 Bar Blues and it still works.
Take a listen to LW's "Juke" and figure out which Chorus Form he's using in the opening chorus.
Posted Thu, 12/04/2014 - 08:43 by David Barrett Admin
Margie Goldsmith for Harmonica Happenings (SPAH, Fall 2014, Vol. 48 No. 4): "What advice do you have for advanced players? What's the most important thing to for them to learn?"
Paul Oscher: "Don't try to play better than your peers just try to play better that yourself"
Posted Thu, 10/09/2014 - 07:33 by David Barrett Admin
Released this past week, featuring Sting and noted jazz improviser David Werner...
The Source Of Creativity
We want to be creative but channeling our creative impulses is no small feat. Is creativity something we are born with or can we learn it? In this hour, TED speakers examine the mystery of creativity. http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/
Posted Mon, 10/06/2014 - 07:49 by David Barrett Admin
The faster the tempo of the backing (swing for example), the more repetitive Chorus Forms you'll use, AAA and AAB for example (listen to William Clarke's "Blowin' the Family Jewels," it's all AAA and AAB). The slower the backing, the more active Chorus Forms you'll use (listen to Little Walter's "Blue Midnight," the A B/A C Chorus Form is king in slow blues). So, the general guideline you can give yourself is that if the backing is active, you don't need to be. If the backing is slow and sparse, up your activity. As you can infer, it's about balance.
Posted Fri, 09/19/2014 - 08:11 by David Barrett Admin
The use of tremolo/vibrato is greatly emphasized in your lessons and submission critiques. It's used so much that it can be a dramatic effects to not use it. Listen to the opening of "Blue Midnight" by Little Walter and notice how hounting it sounds to not use it in the opening lines.
I'm off to camp through Sunday afternoon and then come in to do a lesson with Ryan Walker and record the last of the Masco Chronicles with Mark Overman. Have a great weekend everyone!
Posted Thu, 09/18/2014 - 06:55 by David Barrett Admin
Focus Notes and Texture go hand-in-hand. As each chorus passes, you're keeping track of what you've played. You're not trying to remember every lick, it's more of a simple scorecard of what focus notes and the textures you've used.
For example...
Let's say you've played three choruses so far. Chorus 1 focused on the 1 draw and you used single notes. Chorus 2 focused on the 2 draw and you threw in some dips, slaps and pulls. Chorus 3 you focused on the 3 draw, mostly emphasizing the bluesy sound of the 3' and didn't use any new textures. continue reading...
Posted Wed, 09/17/2014 - 07:07 by David Barrett Admin
I stated yesterday that once you play a focus note for a chorus that it should be mentally crossed off... not to be started on again for the rest of the song. BUT, you can use it again after a number of choruses if you present it differently. For example, if you played the 4 draw earlier using the standard slap, you can present it later with a flutter, shake, octave or powerful two-note combination. So, presenting notes with different "textures" (combining a focus note with other notes) you expand your ability to keep your solo fresh and interesting. More on textures tomorrow.
Posted Tue, 09/16/2014 - 07:48 by David Barrett Admin
To sum up the concept and importance of focus notes...
1) Focus notes are the notes of your I7 Chord, G B D F if you're in 2nd Position on a C Harmonica. This gives you the hole numbers 1 2" 2 3 4 5 6+ 7 8 9 9+ continue reading...
Posted Mon, 09/15/2014 - 16:15 by David Barrett Admin
Not only does the use of a focus note answer the "what do I play next" question, it helps us to move around the range of the harmonica. A common trap new improvisers get into is overplaying their comfortable note range, commonly holes 2, 3 and 4. If you play a 2 draw focus note one chorus, then cross it off in your mind and don't start on that 2 draw again for the rest of the song. If the next chorus you play a 4 draw focus note, then it too is no longer an option in subsequent choruses. continue reading...