Ask Instructor David Barrett

 In the accompaniment song LOA 3 there's a song called blues creepin' over me. If you look at the actual notes for the chord on the first measure, it is D,G,B on the G clef scale. but if you reference the Diatonic Harmonica note layout for an A harmonica, the draw holes are 3,2,and 1, which is B,E, and G#. From what I have studied in the past, a G note starts in the ring of the G clef. I am just using the 3 note chord as an example, but all of the notes in the song follow suit. continue reading...

Yes the day after LOAL 9,now:

I decided to spend 1 month in reharsaling the repertoire, here is the tarcklist, explaining the choises:

1) One 2nd position 16th bars chorus form song ballad: I like the song and its light feel.

2) One 2nd position medium tempo shuffle 12 bars chorus form song that contains some fast runnings.

3) My blues, basic slow blues in 2nd position. continue reading...

I saw a you tube video from a 'Jake knows Harmonica.com '

He speaks  about the Honher Bad-to-the-bone-harmonica ....ever heard

of this...if so do you have an opinion on it ?

                      Thank you for your time

Hi David,

  Is your preferred harmonica the Crossover ? if so why ?

                     Thank you for your time

                                  Steve

Hi, David:

When purchasing a stage amp, is it relevant to keep in mind that I may someday start singing on stage? Do vocalists use amps at all, or do they generally go through the house sound system? I mean: should I buy an amp that can fulfill multiple usages, or do I just want the best harp amp possible?

Hi David! on a different note (big pun intended *laughs*) than my previous post, you often refer to the approach of a player towards a minor blues in your interviews, but for my understanding, what would be the chords typically used in a mior blues (in terms of roman numerals)? I tried to figure it out myself, but didn't quite succeeded. Thanks!

Hi David! I've got a hard time bending my 1st hole on my A and G harp (tongue blocking, that is, with puckering it works fine).  It just won't bend enough to be on the right pitch, no matter how much I drop the jaw or back my tongue. Must be something I do wrong. Anything I should focus on for these particular bend? By the way, I'm able to bend it on a C harp for exemple. Thank you.

Hi David,

I love the screaming sound of F harp. I find quite difficult to bend it on 3'' whole step, tounghe blocking:

The problem is that I get the pitch but I can't sustain the sound, often it comes out dull and after a couple of seconds the reed stops. I'm orienting myself to focus on less air usage but I suppose the embouchure should be changed. I can perfectly bend all the holes puckering. Any suggestion?

Thanks,

Luciano.

To get the full bend on the 2 draw can you tongue block or must you pucker?

Hi David,

I've just heard Butter Strut and thought that it absolutely brilliant. Have you any more rock harmonica recordings/lessons which I can purchase so that I may learn. Being into classic rock, Blues Rock and Country Rock, this is the direction that I eventually want to concentrate on with my Harmonica playing.

Many Thanks,

Paul