Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hello David,

In Verse 1 of " I Want You With mMe " after the 5/4 shake the second 4 draw denotes a fall. As we slide down to the 2 draw do we leave our tongue on the harmonica. Or do we lift the tongue off and slap the first 2 hole draw. In the " Cool Blue" video you say the tongue gradually come off is that the case for all falls?

Sanshinboi

So, I finished Level 1 Theory which proved to be more difficult than anticipated and makes me dread Level 2. I'm confused why memorizing the C harmonica is so important and how that will help me with the other keys, other than being able to determine which holes to play?

How do you know the key a piece is written in if you don't remember which sharps and flats are in each key?

If all this will become more clear as I progress to future Theory levels please feel free to just tell me to be patient!

Hello David,

In the cupping section you talk about cupping the right side vent of the harmonica.

I am still fighting with it but what I have bigger troubles with is the left side vent.

In order for me to have the playing surface of the upper plate available to me I cant help but expose this vent, so I have been wondering.

Is scotch tape a possibility? :)

Or should I look for another approach?

Thanks in advance!

Angel

Hi David,

Is the program that you use to generate your sheet music publicly available? If so, what is it called?

I've got some ideas that I'd like to transcribe.

Many thanks,

G~

Hi David,

I have a question about the use of the terms chorus and verse.From my limited music knowledge I was of the understanding that a Chorus was the part of a song that repeated between verses. Are these terms used differently with reference to 12 bar chord structures?I've noticed most study songs are broken up into Choruses whereas the Accompaniment study songs (eg Blues Creepin' Over Me) are broken up into Verses.Are these different for a reason? Is there a general rule for when either term should be used?CheersGlenn

Hello, David, hope all is well. Mpman24 asked a question in another thread and you answered:

"2) Correct... only full speed. Slower versions are not necessary... you'll want to be able to play the song at full speed with me before attempting to play to a backing track. You can use a program like the Amazing Slow Downer to do this if you wish (there is a lesson in the Equipment > Software section of the site on this)." continue reading...

Hello David,

This question pribably has it's answer on the higher levels but I am still at the beginner stage so I decided to ask for guidance.

I am curently listening to a piece performed by you called "easy" by big walter horton and i can hear clearly the blow notes which are obviously articulated but not all of them with slaps. Is it by "k" or smth else?

The bigger question I would like to ask is: what other ways are there to articulate single blow notes, besides slaps and "ha"?

Thanks in advance!

Angel

Hello David and all,

From the Music Theory Study 2, I understood that the difference between 1st and snd positions is that 1st position has F and 2nd position has F#. If we have the song that does not use F or F#, does it mean that we can say that we are plying in the first or second position and it would not matter as the final melody will be the same? Thank you.

Anton

Hello David,

In Excercise 3.1 for F# harp, my mode is C#, D#, F, F#,G# but in the solutions is C#, D#, E#, F#, G#. Is E# possible?

In Exercise 6.1, the song description says that it is in Eb Alto, but when I look in the solutions, the notes for the degrees that you list are for the key of F. Could you please clarify how does Eb relates to the F scale because to me, the first notes are 6th degree but in the solutions, it is 5th degree... that is how I assumed it is key of F. Thank you.

Best regards,

Anton continue reading...

Hello David,I have 2 questions:Is there a method to easily determine the key and notes of a song? For example: a video on youtube by a harmonica player who plays a nice solo, but of which there are no notes/tabs/key available. continue reading...