Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hello David, first post and brand new to the instrument, so apologies if this has been asked many times before!

When tongue blocking, should the tip of the tongue be against the back of the bottom teeth with the blade/top reaching up and over the teeth to meet the harmonica? 

Similar question for breathing through the harmonica - should the tongue be resting on the floor of the mouth with the tip against the back of the lower teeth or should the tip be resting on top of the lower teeth? continue reading...

 the 2 draw has always been a challenge for me.  I used to not get any sound at all.  Now I can get a good note, but it goes low, to the first bend (F# on C harmonica).  I can't seem to get my tongue to relax to get the G note. 

Do you have some strategies to help?  Also, it is OK to continue to substitute the 3 blow (G note) in the songs until I can reach that G on the 2 Draw?

Teresa

Hi David,

Is there anywhere on the site where you show how to do the throat tremolo? I want to take a crack at learning "Walk with Me" but I haven't learned the throat tremolo yet.

Thanks,

Jay

Hi David, I've just acquired an SJ2 (s/n 080) and was told you had some connection with this model amp in the past.

im interested in any advice you may be able to offer about it, as it comes with no documents and vendor has no insight about configuration, but I understand there are a number of possibilities re configuration of outputs.

any advice is appreciated,

thanks

Dave

Regarding playing the G minor Pentatonic scale, more specifically  - the low end ' G ' note...

Is there any advantage / disadavantage to playing the the low end ' G '

note on the 2 draw or the 3 blow  ?  Pros/cons of either choice ?

what do you prefer ?

                   Thank you for your itme continue reading...

David,

After my Western European holiday I begun to learn "The Split".

In the meantime I learned some important rules that is a good and great teacher, a talented and busy student and a very good instrument that are necessary for an enjoyable learning process.

  continue reading...

Hi David

Im having massive problems with the draw on the 7th and 8th holes on my harmonica. Im currently using the c harmonica, practicing the 5th chorus of the study song - walk with me.

Now each like i try to move from the 6th blow to the 7th draw, the note come out distorted and weak. At times, just trying to play the 8th draw (and sometimes even the blow) is an excersise in futility as the note come out tinny or refuses to sound at all. continue reading...

Hi David,

You had a post last year where you had said you have a list of Blues Standards on your facebook page and I can't seem to find it.  The link in the post I was looking at was to the general facebook page.  Any chance you can post it on this site or provide a more specific link?

Thanks,

Ryan St. Gelais

Greenville, SC

Hi,  

I think theres a mistake in practice 1.5 of the chording practice in lesson 2. Three bars from the end ( i hope thats how u say that), you play in the demo mi, re, mi ( like in the bar before the end) but in the practice pages it shows 4 notes, mi re' si re'. Hope im not mistaken. Lior

Dave, i'm very excited to get going in your course… I've been playing for  about six months, exclusively a lip purser…  i'm hitting the intermediate stage of my playing,  and can play several blues melodies and solos along with 12 bar blues improvs...I practice a couple of hours a day, as I am a 25 year keyboard player and want to add the Harmonica to my set… My first question is really very simple and maybe obvious… I am just starting to ton gus block and wanting to know: continue reading...