Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hello David,

i was checking out and listening to the mp3 file for the blues and found that the mp3 doesn't sound the same as the tab is written.

as i checked your video it was the same.

in the mp3 its using the speedlick in chorus 4  from the song "walk with me" while in the song "feeling for the blues" its a different speedlick.

just wanted to let you know its not corresponding with eachother so you can adjust that small difference if you like.

also, i have 1 month free subscription from my hohner bluesharp. continue reading...

Dave I understand the slap technique/concept for blowing, but for drawing, does the the chord come first, and then the tongue block for a single note, or do you single note block first and then lift off to produce the chord, in a drawing maneuver.

Also for the lift it appears the sequence you are looking for is to start with a blow or draw chord chord, then slap the single note, then lift off the harmonica ending always in a draw chord for the lift. Is that correct?

Greetings!

I'd like to purchase a tongue block trainer, but I can't find it anywhere. 

Could you tell me, please, where can I buy it? I seached on eBay and on Amazon - but no one sells it.

I live in Israel.

Thank you!

Denis.

When cutting notes, how deep should I cut? I'm looking at "Walter's Mood", Chorus 2 (bar 5). Of course, when doing a 4 or 5 cut, I'll just drop to the floor. In this case, it's a 3' cut. It makes sense to me to cut down from 3' to 3".

Is there a rule for this? Cutting a half step down seems like a good overall policy.

Hy David. 

One question:

Is there a place in the website where students can find each other. 

For instance, I wold like to now if there are other Portuguese, or Spanish students on Bluesharmonica.com

Thank you. 

Good day David, continue reading...

In a lot of your study song (and in other places) you talk about how to play a song with a band.  Often you'll say, from the V, or all in on the I.  I've come to understand that this refers to the cord section of the 12 bar blues (or really whatever progression the song is in).   continue reading...

Good Day David

i finally found 2 local harp players interested in performing this song with me. I can't locate the lessons on the site anymore but I'm sure you had the PDF and scratch tracks somewhere. Can you help me find that on the site?

John

 Dave.. Where do I go on the site to access jam tracks for beginners..I was looking for 12 Bar Blues tracks in particular. Is there a master page that lists all of them. Thanks.

In Performance Training 1, you go through some of the common ways to start a song. The examples used are very cliched approaches, harmonica lines that are so familiar that the band should be able to easily feel the rhythm and changes.

If I am playing a song that may be unfamiliar to the band, should I avoid that type of opening altogether? Should I just call for "All In from the I" and count it in? continue reading...