Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi David, Everything up to this chart was a breeze. Now feeling totally lost that I should know how to fill in this chart.  What can I review to get a handle on it and make my head stop hurting?  thanks.

Hey! Love the site! 

I‘m pretty new to the harmonica and I’m starting to learn how to bend on the draw holes 1-6. I can do it but I feel like I really have to suck in a ton of air in order to achieve the bend, to the point where often it kind of sounds ugly and not very clean. 

Is this common? Is there anything you think I should be doing differently to achieve less taxing bends with cleaner sound?

Thanks! 

Andrew Kern

David,

Hope all is well. 

I've started on Feelin' for the Blues but have a question. In LOA2 you indicated that slaps would be presumed in all future songs even when not indicated. Is this the case with Feelin' for the Blues? If it is, I'm not sure I can detect it in the performance track. 

Thanks in advance.

RV

Hi David,  The last four weeks I was practicing the tongue slap technique, and I want to record this with "temperature" to listen to the combination of background and my effords. continue reading...

I am startin to play the holes as per the Walk with Me song, but I find that my sound is 'airy' when trying to blow hole 3. (using tongue blocking)... as if air is escaping around the harmonica.

How do I stop this or is that normal?

Thanks!

Toby

Hi David,

I am very happy to join your lessons and glad about your tests to give me reasons to practice and make progress. While working with the level 4 test I am not quit sure how to translate the task for the accompaniment study. You are asking for a 'couple' of chorusses. Do you expect 2 chorusses or some of them or all 12 chorusses. It's a big challenge to notate tabs for 12 chorusses without tools and to memorize the rhythm patterns. Do you have some tips to do so?

Hello David,

So I've been going through your lessons and there's two things that are bothering me( not about the lessons but about my playing, your lessons are fantastic). continue reading...

Hi David,

First, I would like to thank you for the quality and quantity of learning material on bluesharmonica.com. Clear instructions and learning path, excellent videos, I really have the impression of having a real and dedicated instructor to help me. An a tech team behind ! This is amazing, and I have been making progress since I started in the end of December. I came here after finding a free month in my Hohner harmonica, but I am here to stay ! continue reading...

Hi, Dave.  I had to take a few weeks off to focus on work, and now I'm continuing my LOA 1, which I've been on since November.  I am working on the LOA Program PDF, Level 1, and right now I'm doing Movement Exercises Study 2.  I feel like I am missing out by not knowing how to bend.  Every blues riff I see involves bending, and every Movement Exercise in Essential Scales involves bending.  Now I know we don't HAVE TO be bending at this stage, but it would make practice a lot more fun.  Would you recommend a sdie trip to a bending lesson, or should I just stick continue reading...

My 2 hole whole step bend is much better in a pucker that with tongue block.  I use less effort and have better consistancy.  I've been trying to do this bend with a tongue block for a year. 

From watcing inverviews on yorr site I know many players pucker bend the lower holes.  I'm wondering if I should forget about bending the 2 hole with a tongue block and just stick the the pucker bend on holes one and two.  

Thanks