Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hello!Potentially, stupid and emabrassing question. I am a musician who just started a musical and I'm gonna play harmonica in it. Never played one. Always wanted to and happy to be here. But to be honest, I don't even know if I bought the right key of harmoncia. The song, in the link below, is in G. So, I bought one in G. Did I buy the wrong one, and if so, which key would you recommend.

If you would like a recording i can attach that as well.

Thanks, Mitch

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ha6ikkj1xd58s7s/Eyesight%20%28dragged%29.pdf?dl=0

Hi, Dave.  I'm studying "Cupping & Hand Effects" as part of LOA2, and wonder. even though I'm only playing/prracticing in my own room, with no expectation of playing in a place where I need to be amplified, should I buy and practice with a microphone?  And how would I decide which microphone to purchase?  David.

Hello David. I am really enjoying my studies so far.  I tried to follow the instructions on the site to import the jam track MP3 from lesson one "Walk with Me" into Garage Band on my iMac.  Unfortunately Garage band is a bit more complicated now than shown in the lesson.  continue reading...

Hi David:

Are you using all tongue block bending in bars 11 and 12 for the 1 2" 1 2" 1 1' 1 and 1 2" 1 1' 1+ 1 2"?

and are you using tongue switch?

i am having trouble getting these to sound like yours. mine do not sound like individual clear notes like yours. and not as fast as yours. they seem to found together like sliding as i try to get to the bent position in my apperture of the mouth. Plus i am trying to do tongue blocking and tongue switching and my tongue is not moving fast enough.

Any guidance please

Hi David, 

I have been studying "solo harmonica" and "movement patterns" in Level 1, and I think I am ready to work on a jam track to submit to you. It says that I should play "to the provided jam track," but I do not see that jam track listed in the support materials. Please tell me where to find it. 

Thanks,

Harold Floyd

Where can I find "Understanding Position Playing"?

David, 

I'm rather stuck in bending purgatory (LOL). Using an iPhone app called Bendometer to guage my bending on an A harp, I experience following:

1': This is an issue for me as I do not tongue block the 1 but lip purse instead. I first learned (and I use this term loosely) to lip purse and have had a very tough time tongue switching. How can I bend by lip pursing the 1 draw?

2': At will but very airy

2": Not at all

3': At will but not stable and a bit airy continue reading...

Hi David, I`m primarily interested in learning to accompany myself on the banjo playing bluegrass, oldtime, swing, folk etc. Is this a good place for me to start? Do you have any specific lessons on banjo accompaniment or could you advise at all? I`m new to harmonica and fairly new to banjo. Thanks, Pete

Hi David, I`m primarily interested in learning to accompany myself on the banjo playing bluegrass, oldtime, swing, folk etc. Is this a good place for me to start? Do you have any specific lessons on banjo accompaniment or could you advise at all? I`m new to harmonica and fairly new to banjo. Thanks, Pete

Dave, In Level 2, Tongue BLock Study 2, the lesson on improvising, you state at the beginning that we should do Improvising Study Chorus Forms, which is in Level 4,  Do I jump ahead?  I'm playhing Termperature at increasing faster speeds, getting up to 100% over several weeks. 

Also, if it's not hard for the webmaster, I have two suggestions: (a) a search tab for the Forums, and (b) some way of recognizing what we've already done so we don't repear ourselves.  Thanks, David.