Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hey Dave--Can you tell me which Weber Signature 10 inch speaker you were sent for the Lone Wolf Harp Train review. Alnico or Ceramic? Thanks.

David Hi,  I am making good progress with my LOA5 with the study song and solo sections well on track and enjoying it. With that I have moved to the Improvisation section. Following your suggestion I have harvested licks and V IV I turnarounds from study songs and selected my backing track. So I have a plan of attack. The challenge that I am having is when I hear or try to play the selected licks in a different key and tempo from the way I studied it I get a total blank. continue reading...

David, what is the quickest way to navigate to the .pdf that has the layout of natural notes, bends, overdraws, of all 12 keys with represtations of the harps?

Thanks

You have mentioned that harmonicas will begin to fail over time.  The documentation that came with my Special-20 says that when the pitch starts to go flat, it is time to think about a new one (it also mentions a reed can break off and in worse cases "finding its way into the respiratory tract" - oh my). continue reading...

Hello David,

In the accompaniment studies 2 and 3 you focus on chords I, IV, and V. Why do you skip the II, III, VI, and VII? 

In the accomapaniment study 2, you have a plot with sqares where each chord is repeated for several bars. Is there a rule how many times each chord has to be repeated, when chord change must happen, or a "form/sequence" that 12 bars should contain?  continue reading...

Hello David,

In the accompaniment studyies 2 and 3 you focus on chords I, IV, and V. Why do you skip the II, III, VI, and VII? 

In the accomapniment study 2, you have a plot with sqares where each chord is repeated for several bars. Is there a rule how many times each chord has to be repeated, when chord change must happen, or a "form/sequence" that 12 bars should contain?  continue reading...

I am working on Gary's Blues and for whatever reason I have trouble with quick slaps on adjacent notes. On many measures such as measure 8 the quick 4 draw slap followed by 4+ slap is difficult for me to do those notes slapped and quickly. Unfortunately I have been glossing over the slap part and just playing the notes. Today I decided to stop the backing track and practice -4  4+ slapped and man do I have to go slow and careful. So slow that in order to play the song it would have to be at a very very slow tempo. The other problem spot with the same problem is 5th chorus 6th measure. continue reading...

Hi David; continue reading...

Hi!

To begin my course I need an harmonica in key of A, but I've just bought an harmonica in key of G. 

SO? 

I ordered a Matrix MR600 metronome from Amazon for $38 that appears to have all the features of the Wittner model that you illustrated, that seems to have been discontinued. It is very similar in all respects as far as I can tell. 

I'm very happy with the MR600.

Amazon did have what appears to be a similar Wittner for $58, but I went with the less expensive Matrix. It had quite a few positive reviews.