What's New!

Join Gary and I for our latest series of videos covering the new accompaniment study songs... this time "Blues Creapin' Over Me," a slow blues with traditional blues guitar and vocals with breaks.

Submission #37 - Accompaniment Lessons: Blues Creapin' Over Me, Part 1
Submission #37 - Accompaniment Lessons: Blues Creapin' Over Me, Part 2
Submission #37 - Accompaniment Lessons: Blues Creapin' Over Me, Part 3

In this lesson you'll learn the basics of 12 Bar Blues and how to play the most important note of each chord... the root note. This lesson brings your first study song, "I Want You With Me," a shuffle in the key of E with vocals and guitar solos for you to play under as well as two solo sections where we apply choruses from your Tongue Blocking Study 2 study song, "Temperature." Make sure to use this opportunity to memorize your C Harmonica and the root notes of our three chords in 2nd Position. continue reading...

In this lesson I'll discuss the mindset required for accompaniment playing and demonstrate the common ways in which great blues harmonica players approach this art. No harmonica is needed for this study, though make sure to download the example songs for you to listen to and study in preparation for future lessons (if you would like to jam along to them after studying them, you'll need an A Harmonica).

Videos Include: continue reading...

Join me for Ryan Walker's latest lesson where we work on his chromatic study song "Easy Baby" and his instrumental.

Lesson 15 - Intro
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Is stealing licks okay?
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Easy Baby CH1 Critique & Cupping
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Easy Baby CH2 Critique & Tone
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Easy Baby CH3 Critique & Fake Octaves
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Easy Baby, CH4-5
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: Easy Baby, CH6
Lesson 15 - Chromatic: D Blues Scale
Lesson 15 - Improvising: Breaks Review, Part 1
Lesson 15 - Improvising: Breaks Review, Part 2 continue reading...

Join Gary Smith and I for our continued focus on accompaniment... in this case Slow Blues with vocals.

Videos Include
Submission #36 - Accompaniment Lessons: Can't Get Through to You, Part 1
Submission #36 - Accompaniment Lessons: Can't Get Through to You, Part 2
Submission #36 - Accompaniment Lessons: Can't Get Through to You, Part 3

Join me for a lesson where I present all of the common tongue block techniques in one place. Though these techniques are presented in a logical order in your Tongue Block Study Songs, this offers you the opportunity to reinforce your technique with further explanations, demonstrations and a progressive music example and accompanying MP3. I also use the new Filisko Tongue Block Trainer to help students see what the tongue is doing to produce these techniques.

Join me for the final release of interview material with Kim Wilson. Kim shares what equipment he uses on the stage and studio. He also talks how about mic technique and how he uses dynamics to engage the audience. In the studio he shares his mic placement and thoughts on mixing.

Videos include
Kim’s Equipment: Harps and Mics
Kim’s Equipment: Stage Amps, Part 1
Kim’s Equipment: Stage Amps, Part 2
Kim’s Equipment: Using the Bullet Mic & Dynamics
Kim’s Equipment: Using the Bullet Mic & Delivery
Kim’s Equipment: Studio Recording, Part 1
Kim’s Equipment: Studio Recording, Part 2 continue reading...

The second part of my interview (of three total) with Kim Wilson is now up. New videos include: Kim’s Approach to Tongue Blocking; Kim’s Approach to 3rd Position Playing & Dynamics; Kim’s Approach to 1st Position Playing; Kim on Position Playing over Chord Changes; Kim’s Approach to Playing the Chromatic and Discussion on Monitors and Kim’s Approach to Playing in Minor and Changing Position in a Song

Join me for the first of three releases of the Kim Wilson interview. Videos included in this first release are: Kim Wilson's Early Years, Part 1; Kim Wilson's Early Years, Part 2 - Technique and Conviction; Kim's Approach to Improvising; Kim's Approach to Accompaniment Playing, Part 1 and Kim's Approach to Accompaniment Playing, Part 2

Just a quick note to everyone that I'm almost done uploading the new video formats to the site. In the interim you'll notice the aspect ratios to be off a bit. As soon as they are all up we'll fix the aspect ratios to match the new format.