Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi. Sorry if this question is answered somewhere in your instruction material, but if so I've missed it. In Walk With Me, Chorus 4 for instance, at the very beginning you've got a little squiggle between the first two eighth-notes. What is this? A short tremolo?

Thank you

Hi. I too am a pucker player trying to learn TB. I appreciate your Special Note to Pucker Players, but still, I want to TB all your lessons, because puckering the first three holes on, for instance, Walk With Me, is just too easy and I wouldn't learn anything. The only real problem I still have is airtightness. No matter how much I try, I always hear air escaping on the 2 and 3 blows on my A harmonica, whereas when I pucker them, they're airtight. If I change the angle of my harmonica or try to blow softer there's some progress, but never enough. Do you have any tips? Thanks!

Hi. In Solo Harmonica Study 1, examples 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, after pulling on the upbeats, do you mark a tiny silence before slapping the next note, or is it all done in the same chord, i.e., is the chord you get from pulling the upbeats the same one you use for slapping the next note, in which case the only silences would be the brief ones between the down and upbeats? I hope my question is clear. Thanks.

Hi David,

At the 7th place, it seems that you mistook "Walter's Boogie" on the album "Can't Keep Lovin' You" for "Walter's Swing" on the album "Fine Cuts".

Have a nice weekend.

Eddy

A few weeks back, I went to a harmonica workshop with Adam Gussow where he passed out a list of his "Essential Blues Repertoire for Harmonica." I'd like to start playing out at blues jams, but I've only learned "Walk with Me" and "Temperature" so far. I want to learn a couple of the standards (for example, "Kansas City" or "Baby Please Don't Go") . Will they come up in the course of the Levels of Achievement, or is there someplace you would recommend (maybe one of the Mel Bay books you've written)? I imagine there might be some legal hurdles to put something like that on this site.

I'm working on the Solo section of the "Levels of Achievement" level 1 study 1and my question is ....

with hole 1 and 2 .... Do I tongue block (with my tongue towards the right) ?
Do I pucker hole 1 and 2?
Do I put the harmonica down and cry?

Thanks

Jake

Hi David

I lost my low key harps Low F Low D special 20's I want to get new one's . Does the Crossover come in low keys? Not sure witch one's to get. the Special 20's or the Thunder Birds . I liked my Low Special 20's

Thanks Thanks Harplayer

p.s. I was praciticing Sonny Bird and Big Walter Horton in Artist studies ( just a little here and there while going through the regular studies . is there any way to get back to the Artist studies beside sending L.O.A.

Hello Mr. Barrett-

Can you tell me how is bar 9 of Ex. 1.7 in Solo Study #2 supposed to be played?

Is the following method correct?

Thanks!

1st beat:

Play 1 draw by tongue blocking 2, 3 & 4 hole; lift the tongue to get the chord

2nd, 3rd, 4th beat:

Play 4 draw by switching the tongue to block 1, 2 & 3 hole; lift the tongue to get the chord

I'm not sure that it was covered in any of the lessons about this but I'm finding (at this point anyway) that I can only go between holes 1 and 2 by covering hole 1 with the right side of my mouth (not TB'd) and then slapping hole 2 when there is a 1, 2-i.e. Solo Study 2 Ex 1.7. Should I be tongue switching these two holes? If so, I would like to continue my practice switching, instead of the way I've been doing it. I don't want to have to work on changing and correcting bad technique later on down the road. continue reading...

Do you have any experience / thoughts about the BlueX lab mics / volume control?