Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi David,

Awhile ago I remember that you had an interview with an artist who used the harp in beat boxing; is this still online? I can't seem to find it.

Thanks!

I have two new Harmonicas  in C and G

The lessons call for the key of A

are there any lessons with G ?

I'm on day 3 of my harp journey. 

In the Blues Fundamentals, we learn single notes 4+ to 6+.  My quality of single notes is getting a lot better every day, but I've noticed that I tend to puff my cheeks a bit.  I heard your advice NOT to breath (blow) too hard, and I don't think I am. There seems to be a good bit of resistance when blowing a single note (through my Hohner Crossover in A). It makes sense to me, trying to breath through ONE reed.  As opposed to Ex.2 - Playing Chords, breathing through 3 holes is much easier.

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I'm pretty new to the harmonica and now practing the tongue brochure and i almost getting hang of it but i am still having problems while inhaling, because i fill that my tongue changes shape a bit when inhaling i end up not hitting the not correctly or accidentally bend the note

what tips can you give to make the a bit more stable?

Thank you very much in advance

In your intro to Minor Mambo, you mention that it's one of the Top 10 modern harmonica instrumentals. What else would you put in that list? (I don't expect you have a formal list, but what instrumentals spring to mind?)

My timing is awful, just the worst.

To get better at it, I've been going back through your Solo Harmonica studies. I spend about 10 minutes a day with a metronome, doing different solo harmonica patterns from the studies, going at different tempos. 

I have also been doing some work with scales, doing scale patterns in eighths, triplets and sixteenths at different tempos. 

What else should I do to improve my time?

Im beginnig the tongue blocking exercise and noticed that i need an A harmonica for the lesson. I only have C major, can i proceed with the lesson or do you have a different plan for beginners that start out with C harmonicas? thanks for your help. 

Hello David

This is a small point but one I want to check out.

C Major Scale, Second scale degree triad is D F A.  The D scale has two sharps F# C#.  I dont see how the second of that C chord is Dm.  As I understand it Diminshed means that both the 3rd and the 5th would be flattened a half step.  I only see the F as flattened a half step in hte key of D.  

Thanks

gary

Hi Dave,

Is there a jam track you can suggest for Gary Smith's Minor Mambo (not the rhumba, but the minor one)?

Thank you.

Sorry, but I can`t find the artist studies site, even if I search for www.bluesharmnica.com/artist-studies .

Thanx for help