Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi Dave

I am a bit confused as usual. Hope you can help.

I have recently watched one of the student study videos (can't remember which one) in which you where explaining that you recommend sliding between adjacent holes if two or more notes in a run are either blow or draw. I think you said that this is more or less a standard rule. So for example in the 4th chorus of Feelin' for the Blues is it best to dip the 3 draw and slide into the 4 draw, similarly with the triplets and the 3,4,5+,6+,5+,4.4',3,2 sequence?

Thanks.

Best wishes

  continue reading...

Dave, is it just me? or why am i naver able to get anything on Ryan Walker...page is white....always.....no content...seems only to be him...everything else is good..

Thank you...

steve

I am new to your web site, and understand one needs to walk before one can run, however I am under some time constraints as I wanted to take a shot at playing Chava Nagila with the rented band at my Sons wedding scheduled for May 2016. I did find some introductory tabs on line that really dont sound accurate enough, and are very limited. I tried looking at some sheet music, that I am new to reading, but have not really captured it. continue reading...

Due to some travels in the past few months I am still working on Walk With Me.  Improved, but there is one part I can not get.  In the areas where we need to slur between draws I can not get it. I hear you play it perfectly but I am unable to get between 3 draw and 4 draw with a dissonant leak between the holes.  I can play it a bit staccato but not a slur. 

I am attempting to play this from the right side of my month initially covering 1 and 2 the sliding right to cover three and draw 4.  continue reading...

Hi David

I am starting to look over the LOA 3 materials and have a question regarding the test / recording portion of Solo Harmonica Study 2. When you say " ex. 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.3 or 2.4" you are looking for ONE of those four examples, correct?

Best,

Andrew

hello !

I send you a material for loa 1 but i think that i sended empty pdf (writen) material. What can I do now ?

Thanks

Hello Dave

I m learning to blow and draw clean single notes using HarpNinja

as the visual aid. 

I know that 3B = 2D = G note on a C harp.

But I can get 2 hole draw light to come on HarpNinja regardless 

if I am doing 2D or 3B. Why? 

Am i doing something wrong with tongue blocking?

Thanks

Alan Tay

Hi David,

ok, so now I'm feeling like an absolute beginner again like I did for I don't know how many years when I first picked up a harp and puckered away. But I still haven't given up on this magical thing called tongue-blocking. Good for me I guess but my ego is hating it :-) continue reading...

Dave, what Backup Trax CD of yours should i be using for studying 3rd position G harp?

key of D? correct?

Thank you!

Good evening David,

I am hoping that you would not mind sharing with us some if not all of the common bad habits/incorrect technique that you encounter students forming during the learning process and how to correct them. I think i might be forming some.

Thanks in advance!

Mark