Ask Instructor David Barrett

This is my first time playing the harmonica. I dont know what the notes are or anything else about harmonicas. What do i do?

hi, may i please ask a help?

i was trying to play the ex 1.1, solo harmonica study 3, but i cant make the third note ( 4') sounds like it should.

do i need to slap it? 

do i start in the bend position or start in a normal 4 draw and then bend to 4'?

do i play it with the same breath of the previous note or i start a new breath?

i have tryed for a few days and i just cant make thar third note ( 4' ) as good as the video/files.

thanks!

bests regards,

ivan

David, I've noticed I play more precise when I hold harmonica with two hands.

Should I challenge myself to one-hand occasionally, or maybe it does not matter?

Been really trying to dig in and get my scales down in different positions.  Just curious why you include the minor and major 2nd's in the high end of the 2nd position blues scale.  Sounds good, I guess because you are borrowing from the V chord blues scale.  But they are available on the low end, and some are available in 1st and 3rd position scales, but aren't included there. continue reading...

Hello David;

 I am working on my L2 Study Song, specifcally the fisrt 2 choruses, and it occured to me that i might have missed in level 1, where you may have addressed the ideal approach to learning a study song. Would you recommend learning the entire song at 30%, then at 15%, then full speed, or learning each chorus at 30%, then 15%, then full speed, before moving on to the next chorus? And if the latter approach, THEN learning the entire song at 30%,15%, full speed? I realize either approach would work, but which would you consider ideal?

Thanks,

Greg

Sir , for single notes , do we always need to tongue block or can we deviate to puckering method , keeping our mouth and body relaxed ?

I know it would sound stupid because you have been stressing on togue blocking from first intro lesson itself , still bringing up this topic . Would really like what you recommend , because I am totally new to tongue blocking and it is really hard for me to get good tone and tremolo while trying to do the tongue block.

Please reply.

Sir , I am able to bend notes on 4th and 1st hole right from the beginning itself , but which should we try while doing it? The tongue block technique makes it pretty hard to bend notes as the tongue gives a large space for only the single original clean note. Please reply .

Hi David

I wonder if there is a place at the internet where I could find 'original' jam tracks for harmonica; with this I mean; the original full sound track of a harmonica song where only the harmonica sound is left out while all other instruments and possibly the voices are still in? If so, to my opinion this would provide an ideal way of learning songs from great players

Or would you know if there may exist a tool or app (free or payable) by means of which I could take a full sound track of a song and delete the harmonica sound from it....? continue reading...

Hi David, continue reading...

Hi 

With all this tons of material and other great stuff on Bluesharmonica is there a search function? I have been loking around and havent found any

Regards

Michael