Ask Instructor David Barrett

Mr. Barrett:

Thank you for your time. 

I'd like to write notes on blank staff paper to help me practice some licks.

Do you know of any web sites that are free to use and allow me to write notes on blank staff paper?

Thank you.

Britt  

Hi David,

I'M getting always error codes while uploading my files.

Kindly advise on how to continue.

Thank you 

Erhard

• Hi David , shot you a message a while back about how I feel my improv is progressing or lack of . You suggested I spend a lot of my practice time on taking riffs from study songs and doing that as a good portion of my practice .

Dave, I am comfortable with all bends on all harmonicas, except 1' on G and A.

It feels like it requires more space in the throat than I have. I can hit it accurately occasionally, if I almost swallow my tongue, stretching all muscles in attempt to keep embochure as wide as possible, and choking poing as further from teeth as possible. It requres a lot of muscle work, very open mouth, it feel awkward and tone is gurgling.

Do you have any tips? continue reading...

Hey, David. Hope all is well. I'm a bit perplexed by LOA3.

Given the lessons, it seems that the primary thrust of LOA3 is bending. There are bending exercises and bending is included in the study song. There's also the accompaniment and metronome submissions as well, but it seems the thrust is bending. continue reading...

Good afternoon David,  I am working on my improvising song and I am listening to all the songs I have studied to find licks I like.  I found a few in "Take it easy now".   I am going to use the jam track from Buffet Line for my song.  Does it work out to use licks from a slow blues in a faster song or would it be a waste of effort?  

Thanks 

David Saccucci

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...