Ask Instructor David Barrett

David, if I was there with you and I had the Harp Ninja running on my Ipad and I was playing a study song in the key of C, what areas of the Harp Ninja would you be telling me to watch as I play the tune?

You always use the C scale as a baseline, and I was going to find a song in C and go thru some drills with this great software.

Can you simulate what you would do with one of your students that would be using this tool while playing a song.

My bends are not that bad, but I need the background with scales, circle of fiths, keys etc.

Thank you David. continue reading...

Hi David,

I am having real trouble dending draw one.  Can you please help.

Kind Regards,

Paul (St Helens England)

David,

In your intro video to Level 3, you suggest having fun with a song called (I think) Roll and Rhumba. Where can I find that on the site? I could use some light relief between sessions of trying to bend tongue blocked!

Thanks!

Hi David, continue reading...

hi david,

my way of praticing the study songs is to listen to them about 20 to 50 times before practicing. then i go through each chorus with the videos and parallell i play to the mp3 track (including your harmonica) just as far as I got with the videos. It really would be great to have a video of you playing the whole study song. just because it's much more fun to play along with you than to play along with a white triangled button or with the itunesscreen .-) so - no critique but just a wish powered by emotions - isn't it all about that? :-) 

hi david,

my way of praticing the study songs is to listen to them about 20 to 50 times before practicing. then i go through each chorus with the videos and parallell i play to the mp3 track (including your harmonica) just as far as I got with the videos. It really would be great to have a video of you playing the whole study song. just because it's much more fun to play along with you than to play along with a white triangled button or with the itunesscreen .-) so - no critique but just a wish powered by emotions - isn't it all about that? :-) 

Hi David,

I have to choose one jam track to perform accompainement on single notes. Can I use one of my own jam tracks or you prefer one of yours ?. I would mantein same key but I would like to use a littler more pushing jam trak in terms of speed.

Thanks.

Hi, David! I'm at step 1 of Level 1, never hold a harp in my hand before and I am so glad to be here.

I'd like to make some request to You. Could You make a video lesson demonstrating all single notes of all keys of harps You use in this course. Not a big deal for You but it will be very helpfull for beginners like me. I do have a tuner but some time not sure about fullness and  quality of sound I make. Please excuse my English, I'm from outside of US.

Thank You! Eugene.

Hi David...I have a question about Solo Harmonica, Study 3, example 2.5.  The second note(s) are three notes played together like a chord, with an X underneath.  How should one play these notes?  It's not the usual way to notate a pull, but, it sounds like a very subtle pull in the recording.  It is repeated several times throughout, only this example, that I can tell.  Looks and sounds like a pull, but is it a pull?

Thanks in advance.

Homer.

Hi David. I play my marine band crossover with satisfaction. Now I'm working on draw bending. My A harp seems very hard to bend on 4 draw. I own the same harmonica in Bb and in G, there that bend is easier, the same happens with 5 draw. I know that 5 draw is a little bend but what about the 4 ? It could be that this particular harp is hard on that 4 ? Or is that related to the tuning of tha A harp ? On my golden melody always in A the bend comes very easy.