Ask Instructor David Barrett

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. 

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. 

Say you have an "AAA" chorus form, but you tweak the second line to make it sound better (for example, playing Bb instead of B, but everything else the same).  Would this be clasified as "AAA" still, or "A A1 A", or "ABA", or something else?

I just started and i have a c..the very first lesson say i need an A....can i do it with my c ...i am not ready to buy another one ...

Hi David:

i have been researching for other backing tracks on Utube. I came across a lot like Aminor or Bflat minor. i am on LOA 5 and we have only dealt with the major scales. Do you instruct on the minor scales in music theory later on in the LOA lessons 6-10?

thanks

Jim

David,

    I know you've written much about the 2 draw but mine was working fine for the first 5 days with my Key of A Hohner MS Blues Harp until yesterday when it just stopped. Nothing. I've tried dropping my jaw more but still nothing. Would you recommend exchanging it? If not, then what? I haven't been able to continue with the 1, 2, 3 hole excercises (which were going fairly well) and I'd like to get back to it!

Thank you,

Alan

Hello,

   In 1.3, 1.8, and 1.11 are you usung a tongue block to the R or a pucker.

Same question on 1.5 when in the first measure you switch from the 3 note

chordw to the 1,2 eigth note draws into the +2, +3, +2 triplet.

Thank you very much,

Alan