Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi Dave just a quick thank you for much of my harmonica teaching have bought and still working through your harmonica master class series viewed many sites and play your trainings daily , am working on more tongue blocking than lip pursing have purchased Joe's tongue block trainer have a bunch of harps love my cross over and looking to expand my collection and get at least all in the crossover my question is this the right direction and where would you recommend buying them I buy mostly online because I live remote queensland in Australia anyway thx again 

This is a question hoping to get insight into my technique (or lack thereof). I am a player who learned in the 60's, playing (competently) on and off my entire life. I am (not unexpectantly given my vintage) an avid pucker player. I have used tongue blocking for incorporating chords and rhythms but now I am making a serious run at tongue blocking more extensively. My progress is slow.  continue reading...

I just found this yesterday: 

http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/private/Har... continue reading...

Hi,

I've loving the music theory lessons because my husband was a music minor in college and I played music in high school but never understood how to create chords naturally using the whole-whole-half method. I've been filling out harp charts in my free time and hope to have each note on each harp memorized eventually, but sometimes I do just enjoy playing free-form. continue reading...

Hi David!

I'm not sure you'll be able to answer just with the explanation, but I'll try to describe as precisely as possible. If required, i could send you a recording.

Doing the octave exercise (note to octave to note on other side), it works well for the 1-4, although better on the blow than on the draw, but when I move to 2-5, the volume on the 2 draw get weaker than usual and compared to the 1 draw. It's sometimes airy, but even when I get a good seal, it remains kinda low. continue reading...

Hi David,

I am a PC user,  I just watched under equipment lesson, "How to do Quick PC Recording for

Song Submission."  All this is so new to me...do I just go on the inter-net and purchase the

Music Creator V?   or is this done here in Blues Harmonica.com ...I don't know where to go to get Music Creator V.

Thanks for reading my question, - I'll be glad someday when I know these things.

Patricia Frizzell

Hi David,

  Working my way through LOA 1.  Regarding the Movement Exercises Stufy 1 Patterns,

Section 3 - Movement and Breathing Patterns Examples 3 and 4.  Going through the exersize ...

Tongue Blocking and then attempting to Bend any note while tongue blocking......how do you bend

a note if your tongue over the comb blocking ?  You need your tongue to bend a note, yet the tongue is continue reading...

Hi David!

Coming back to your site and playing after a certain hiatus, I decided to review the first three levels. Now regarding improvisation skills, in Level 1, Walk with me, should I dedicate time to the licks application section and chorus forms that are part of that lesson or leave that aside until Level 4, where you address Improvisation lessons? This seems to me very similar in content, and since you now locate that from level 4 on, I suppose, at beginner level you suggest we concentrate on other stuff.

Hi David!

Approaching this exercise, I've a dubt about the notation that should be used:

Let's assume I'm analyzing a song in key of F and I want to play it in 2nd position on a Bb flat.

I found for example the first chord is F7, my chord tones are F, A, C

1) On my pentagram I will put a Bb like key alteration and design the normal notes F, A, C

2) When it comes to write down the hole numbers for the various notes, using a Bb harp I will write for example:

for the F : 2, 3+, 6+, 9+

for the A : 3, 7, 10'+

for the C : 1, 4, 8 continue reading...

Hi David,

  Am working my way through LOA 1.  You talk about the 'tongue slap '.

Where is the video of this technique?

Thank you for your time

                     Steve