Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi,

In Temperature, Chorus 3 Bar 9;  3D slap, 3D slap, 2D, 1D. Do you switch tongue or just slide off? Same with Bar 10?

Thnx

Geoffrey 

I am a beginner harmonica player, who might have taken on a challenge to big for me. In about a months time I am going to preforme the Beatles song "Love me Do" an a C harmonica, and I was just wondering if you have some tips and tricks for me. Mabye you know what I should focus on in the short time I have. 

Thank You :)

David,

One of the great things about harmonica is that we only have to learn a song in one key to be able to play it in all keys.  Yet when if comes to bendng on harps in different keys, there are some subtle changes of embouchure required to be in tune. Is any of this fine tuing supposed to be done by using our ears, or should it be our goal to practice every song in multiple keys so we can mechanically hit each bend accurately?  

Thanks,

Dan

Look, I understand that in hole 5 you got an E blow and an F draw and there is no note in between. I just don't get why you can't physically draw bend hole 5 to an E. What makes it physically impossible? I don't even inderstand why all holes don't bend the same amount. Just because hole 2 has 2 notes between the blow and draw reeds, what is alllowing the reed to bend more than most other holes? I don't get the physics behind it. How does the reed know that we don't need to bend up to the blow hole? It's really strange to me.

Dear teacher

After I ascending a pattern, I can reverse the sequence or just move back for descending.

Which one is the best?

Dave in the Accompaniment Playing, study 3 - Chords section you explain how one builds the 1,4, and 5  chords which is clear. Why do we ignore the potential of  2(A/C/E) and 3 (B,D,F#) chords. Are they simply just not good as it relates to the blues? continue reading...

I have signed up to the free months tutorial that I got for Christmas, I only have a C harmonica and all the tutorials are saying to use a harmonica in a different key and don't know where to go from here. I need guidance for C harmonica 

thanks

Paul

before I saw this site I used to use "lips corrugation technique" (don't know its name, I'm not English) and after I tried whit tongue blocking. Now it's easier for me use the first technique, even if the second one is cleaner (but slower for me for take notes). should I restart with tongue blocking? I'm not a musician anche I wanna learn to play armonica in blues-rock and rock songs. what if I continue with my tecnique? and how can I gain more breath to play and exercite for more time?

Enjoying the progress I'm making follwing your program...got a general question though...

I see that for LOA Level 1 test for movement exercises you only ask us to do the major scale. And for the solo harmonica study only examples 1.2, 1.4, and 1.7

However when I look at solo harmonica study 1 it has exercises 1.1 - 2.8

and there are 8 movement exercises even though you are only testing us for 1 exercise...

  continue reading...

I have a key of "C" harmonica and am not interested in buying another harmonica. Are there any sites you recommend for me?