Ask Instructor David Barrett

My experience with the study songs up to the end of LOA 3 is that I found I was focusing so much on the notes and the techniques that chorus forms were an afterthought even though they were also being studied at an introductory level. But then I really paid attention to the written music and noted that you've labelled each verse with its chorus form. So reviewing each verse and comparing it to the chorus form has begun to make the songs easier to understand. continue reading...

Hey David... I can hit the blow bends fairly well while puckering but can't seem to get much of any bend at all while tongue blocking. Yes I can draw bend quite well while tongue blocking the low notes. Is this a common conundrum? I would like to be able to tongue block them to ward off those squeaky unwanted notes that puckering accidentily hits. Suggestions? Fran

Hi David,

Thanks for your great website. It's an inspiring environment for me.

My name is Tim Crins. I play in a Dutch blues/rock 'n roll coverband (www.route66band.nl)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W2LXPy8nxA

On this youtube video you can hear and see my playing (a piece of) Gary Smith's 'Don't Let Go'. I'm using the green bullet.

Can you please give me some feedback?

Thank you in advance.

Best wishes,

Tim

Hi David,

I'm working on the second bending study and my bends are coming along. I had to take a week off due to a painful cut in my mouth and now that I've started practicing again. Ever since I've been back, I am finding that I am having a lot of trouble with the 6 draw on my A harmonica (MB special 20). continue reading...

In a recent tip of the day you mentioned playing softly, 40% of maximum volume, as normal volume in order to provide lots of dynamic range. So I've taken that to heart and am trying to do all my practicing at 40%. I'm guessing you chose 40% somewhat arbitrarily but it clearly indicates play really softly. It's all a bit easier said than done. Would you recommend acoustic practicing at as low a volume level as is needed to hear myself and not trying to project into the room? Thanks!

Hi David,

I had thought that I saw a playing with a neck rack equipment video a while back on the website.  Did I imagine it?

-Taylor

Hi Dave. Are there particular places/ lessons that discuss technique for playing acoustic harp using the vocal mic?

LOA 4 includes one tongue blocking song and one bending song. In other LOA work I've done everything concurrently so I'm getting a wide variety of new material every week. I was wondering about these two songs. This is the first time I've had two songs in the same LOA right off the top. Would you recommend doing one before the other or is concurrent still a good approach? Thanks!

I was rollin' along pretty good with chorus forms until I got to Rollin' Rhumba. Went through the video for Ex 5.1 quite nicely but when looking at my PDF copy I noticed 5.1 has a chord symbol above it and that the IV chord is indicated. Of course the video used 5.1 as A in the various chorus forms over all the chords. So my question is can most bluesy licks be used over any of the three chords but are there some licks that are just more suitable for the IV chord? I'll leave the V chord out of this question for now as that seems like another issue. Thanks!

Hello David, I´m running out of air so easely wen trying to play the Solo harmonica studyes, especially on number 3. What could be possibly happening?

Thank you