Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi David,

I really love this study! Before I signed in to BHM.com I playes along with "don't let your rigtht hand know" and "the sky is crying". The blow-draw pattern of sonny's bird drove me mad the forst three days when I was practicing becaus I always had the wellknown patterns in my head. just for interest: which of sonny's tracks can I listen to to get the sonny's bird pattern memorized? 

regards :-)

kai

Hi David,

I really love this study! Before I signed in to BHM.com I playes along with "don't let your rigtht hand know" and "the sky is crying". The blow-draw pattern of sonny's bird drove me mad the forst three days when I was practicing becaus I always had the wellknown patterns in my head. just for interest: which of sonny's tracks can I listen to to get the sonny's bird pattern memorized? 

regards :-)

kai

Hi David,

Loving the web site although struggling with tonuge blocking. I've been playing or learning to play for about a year. I have started with JP Allen technique the deep relaxed embrochure not really a pucker and I'm finding it differcult to switch to the tonuge block. Do you have any further tips, trick or techniques that could help me further?

Thanks for the lessons really enjoying them :-) Garry

In the Contributors area the videos of Joe T and Ryan are fairly obvious in how they relate to the study material and much of it correlates to the LOA methodology. The videos of Aki Kumar, Mark Hummel and Gary Smith are a bit less obvious. They're labelled as Submissions. But these great players are also in the Interview area but with what appears to be different material. Can you clarify what the intent of Contributors was to help me sort through how to approach the huge amount of material you've made available to us?

The 7th degree for the F# major scale is shown as E#????   Shouldn't it be F?

On your History of the Blues you perform Walter's Boogie. On the 3 CD set Walter Horton Blues Harmonica Giant the song is titled Little Walter's Boogie.

Two questions. 1) Do you have that CD and is your version patterned after take 2 or take 3 or is there another version elsewhere? 2) Any idea why the reference to Little Walter? Was he using the name as a selling point possibly renaming himself like Sonny Boy? Or was it a tip of the hat to his competitor?

Thanks!

David:
I have been focusing now on working my 2" and 3" whole step bends. Songs I am starting work on have these in abundance. Harp-Ninja has been helpful to allow me to work on matching the pitch. While I have been able to usually match pitch, subjectively my playing of those bends sound a little sour and not as smooth. Besides obviously practicing them every day, are there any tips on improving my tone on these whole step bends (i.e. embrouchure, tongue position, bend control)?

Thanks

Brian

There are pulls on the V chord but just starting LOA 3 I don't believe I've encountered pulls before other than hearing they're coming later. Lifts were covered though. Looking throught the site I've found pulls in Joe T lessons and will go there now but is there a lesson I've missed and could go to as well? Thanks!

Heard this reference in a Joe T bending lesson as being applicable to the 3 draw whole step bend. Would you happen to have one for the 2 draw bend(s)?

Interesting hearing Joe Filisko talk about bending as it makes my struggles feel more universal so I'm now taking my lack of progress a bit less personally.

One of the things I'm working on is a Born In Chicago riff at the low end so my version is 5th 7b 7 Root. At the low end that means 1 2" 2' and 2 or D F F# and G. Very challenging to get solid clean notes that match the guitar perfectly. To help with the bends I'm using Kuuuhh for the whole step bend and Keee for the half step. For the 2 root note I tend to use eeee without the K as that might initiate a bend. continue reading...