General site questions from newbie

Hi Dave,

  I'm wondering if its possible to get a pdf of IN MEMORY. Such a sweet tune...I really want to learn it, perhaps make someone cry like you did. Also When I took lessons fron you directly I used to get sheet music for classic blues artists tunes eg. Little Walter, George Smith, etc. Are these available to us to purchase or download? I'm especially interested in Blues Chromatic like BLUES IN THE DARK, but also Walters stuff and Sonnyboy.

                                                                                                            Thanks

                                                                                                            Kevin Jean

Is it necessary to start with an A harmonica? I have a c and g diatonic....

Lynn (and David):

I see questions such as yours, re using the A diatonic for David's lessons, pop up frequently on the Forum. There are a couple of things you'll come to figure out, especially if you pay attention to the music theory lessons, and to some blues history. A lot of classic blues tunes are played in the key of E, in large part because standard guitar tuning is set up so both the lowest and the highest strings on the guitar are tuned to E, two octaves apart. (What the earliest blues artists such as the young McKinley "Muddy Waters" Morgenfield described as "Spanish" tuning, referring to the traditional tuning of a classical guitar.)  With that tuning, one could easily play on guitar the E, A and B7 chords typical of blues in the key of E. As you are probably already learning, the diatonic harmonica tuning that went (and still does) go well with blues in E is the A harmonica, played in what's known as Second Position, because when you draw on the first four holes you're playing an E7 chord, and when you blow on the lower holes, you're playing an A chord, i.e., the four-chord (described as Roman numeral IV).  Also, the bending that is the signature of blues harmonica is for some notes a tad easier on an A harmonica than the higher-pitched C harmonica.  (E.g., even after 5-1/2 years of playing harmonica, I'm still challenged by the 6-draw bend (no fault of David's), but that bend seems easier to hit on an A harmonica than a C harmonica.)

That may be part of why David's lessons usually call for an A harp. And whatever you're doing, you'll want to be playing the same key harmonica as David is in the lessons, so that, for ease of following the lesson, your blows, draws and bends are the same as his.  (The jazz artist Howard Levy is famous for being able to play any type of tune in any key on any key of harmonica, but that's because he's able to hit each and every note in every scale with bends, overblows and overbends that he's learned over 20,000 hours of practice. You and I have a lot of other things to do with the limited number of hours the good Lord allots to us, so that's why harmonica manufacturers make harps in all the different keys.)  There are also lessons (primarily solo harmonica) where David uses a G diantonic harp, most likely because G is the lowest-pitched traditional harmonica tuning (tho' now nearly every harmonica model comes in a low-F key, and manufacturers are now making harps tuned even lower, to as low as the G an octave below the traditional G harp), and makes for a nice sound when one is "chugging" chords.

I also see new students who are concerned about over-investing in more than one or two keys. And some of those new students also make the mistake of purchasing lower-quality harps so that they can have a number of keys, but at a low price. As with a lot of other things in life, you get what you pay for. You're off to a good start with a C and a G (the former good for blues in the key of G, minor blues in the key of D-minor, and folk tunes in the key of C, and the latter good for blues in D, folksongs in G, and minor blues in A-minor). I strongly suggest picking up an A harmonica to get the most out of David's lessons. The Lee Oskar, Hohner Special 20, Big River and Blues Harp, EastTop Blues Pro, Suzuki Harpmaster, and Seydel Blues Session (brass reed models) are all good values, and worth giving up a few weeks worth of lattes to buy rather than some of the under-$20 deals you see on Amazon or at Guitar Center. 

If you find you enjoy all sorts of music, and end up performing with groups, in church, with jazz bands, and lots of other stuff, you may end up with a closet full of chromatics, alternative-tuned, tremolos, octave harps, etc., but until then, there's nothing better than learning from the blues.  And when it comes ot the blues, an A and a G diatonic harp is all you need for David's lessons. As time goes by you might want to add a Bb, D, and F (regular or low-F) and keep your C, so that you can play along with 90% of the blues musicians out there (or on records). But even for a beginner, having the six most-used blues keys will pay dividends, even if you're just sitting at home having fun trying to play along with some Junior Wells CDs.

As you progress through David's lessons, you may agree with me that the most important thing to understand is tone. I.e., using your entire body (and especially your breath and your mouth, throat, lungs, and then even your heart, mind, and the rest of your body) to make sounds that express real emotions. Second-most is understanding what's going on musically, whether you come to understand a lot of blues music theory in an academic way, or just hear and feel it.  Everything else comes in a Number 3 and beyond.

Enjoy! You've come to the greatest site for lessons, with the most fun group of people.

Actually, the bluesmen's "Spanish" tuning is open G: D, G, D, G, B, D

They say there is no such thing a s a stupid question  - but I fear that I am about to challenge that premise. It seems as though David told Hob to be prepared to play Walk With Me, chorus one for his test.  The test itself requests the entire song.  Which is it?  And, for reasons I can't completely justify, I am also confused about the Solo Harmonica requirement.  Is 1.2, 1.4, AND 1.7 required?  

I get it: Level One and Lesson One are different.  Duh.  Thank you, David