Ask Instructor David Barrett

Do I need to get all the Solo Study 1 exercises in reasonable shape before moving into Level 2 material? I'm having trouble with 1.12 and the pulls on the bass lines. I notice there you mention the Level 4 song Gary's Blues, so I'm wondering if this isn't more of a cyclic thing, where some of this will work better as I acquire technique down the road. 

Thanks,

Kirsty

Hi David,

I'm going throug that study and at the end of the pdf there is the 2.5 exercise.

I didn't find anything from you in level 2 and 3 videos. when this will be studied ?

Thanks.

  continue reading...

Hi, David:

I'm currently working on Bending Study Song 2.5, "Take it Easy Now." In Chorus 5, bars five and six, there is a series of slapped triplets. I've struggled playing this, and I found it sounds much better and much smoother when I omit some of the slaps. Playing with all those slaps makes it almost too percussive; the notes sound better when I slide into them. Are all of those slaps required? Specifically, I am omitting the slaps on the 5-4-5 combination, but retaining the slap on the 6+.

Is it a matter of further refinement of my slapping technique and speed?

Should the 1 and 2 hole notes in the Solo Study exercises 1.1 and 1.3 be played tongue blocked or lip pursed?  And if tongue blocked, how? Left or right? I'm new to tongue blocking (!), so I'm not sure how things work down at that end.

You must have been asked this before, so apologies for any repetition; I did search the forum for an answer, but couldn't find anything.

Thanks,

Kirsty

David,

What would you tell a pickup band if you were doing Juke?  Just say "shuffle in E", count it off and go?  That's what I did at a jam last night.  It went really well and was a lot of fun.  But I got a zz-top rock shuffle feel from the band when I was hoping for something ligther and jazzier.   continue reading...

I'm interviewing Magic Dick this weekend for BluesHarmonica.com. If you would like me to ask him a question, please do so by responding to this thread. My time will be limited to ask these questions, but I'll do my best to get as many in as possible.

Hi David. I'm literally eating this song. Playing amped with a bullet mic. The sound looks good and I'm almost done with everything. Only one thing I can't catch yet: At the end of the chorus 6 there are two wha wha, on 2 and 3+ Those sounds good acustically playing but how I can get to that wha sound holding the bullet mic ? Opening only the right hand doesn't get me to the sound like when I do it whithout mic. I suppose this relais to the sealing of the mic with the hands, I know that I should start very closed on the mic whit the palms.

Hi Dave

I would like to know if you should articulate the Wa sound in combination hand movements. I have noticed that I can get some sort of Wa sound with out using hand movements. So I was wondering if combining the two is a good idea.

Thanks in advance. Also thanks for all of your previous prompt and useful replies.

Best wishes

Hi david,

I'm working on exercises 1.1 to 1.3. My question is:

When I pull and I've to switch from a blow to a draw note, like from 3+ to 3, How I've to deal with the slap?

I start with the tongue off the armonica. I start breating as I move the tongue toward the harmonica and I finish with my tongue blocking single note 3+

After that, I find myself starting draving air when my tongue is still on the face of the harp. As I move it from the armonica It sounds like a small slap before I go to pull on 3+ continue reading...

Hi David,

I'm looking at purchasing the Tascam DR 05 of which two of the features are recording yourself and slowing down music whilst keeping the same pitch. Have you any comments either good or bad re this product and ultimately would it be a worthwhile buy.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Best Regards,

Paul