Ask Instructor David Barrett

in the Steve Guyger interview about 1st position, about half way through, Steve talks about sometimes thinking in "positions" when he is on the IV chord (like playing 1st position) or the V chord (3rd position) and you mention that there is some discussion on that on the website. can you direct me? That statement sort of blew my mind--and light bulb began to flicker.....

Hi
I found this study to be very informative but confusing on one level. You mention at the end of the first video to pick up an A harp. then in the next video, while we are looking at the downloaded PDF, we see that the arpeggio example is with a C harp. so the 1 blow on the A harp was a A instead of a C.

I really appreciate you showing how the tongue works when you bend by showing it to the side view. I finally got it. I have been bending but I have not gotten a good mental image. Little things like that add up.

On to the Strut with a new D Harmonica. Too much fun!

Will

This is not a question, I just wanted to express how excited I am to start the soon to be released lesson plan. The package you describe in "Latest News" sounds phenomenal.

Al Taylor

I am trying to understand the note progressions in the blues scales. When the notes in the different octaves don't match - for example in the C blues scale when the 3rd is not flated in the lower octave, but is flated in the upper octave - is it just a mattter of availability. If a person had the overblows mastered would you in fact use the exact same progression in all of the blues scales in different octaves? continue reading...

Looking at the features of the FInale products I noted in the description for PrintMusic:

"Play a brass or woodwind instrument into a microphone using our exclusive MicNotator"

Does this mean you could play the harp into a microphone and it would notate the music? It says it will record an acoustic single line instrument. This would be spectacular!

David,

How do you approach Stormy Monday? It gets called a lot at jam sessions, especially Monday night sessions. A really good R&B singer in town heard me play and suggested I sit with him on that tune next time I see him. I think
he figured hey it's a bluesy tune so a harp would sound good. But it's a tough chord progression to navigate without overblows or a chromatic. continue reading...

David, when I started playing (several years ago) i learned the major scale 1st postion and used it for pracitce a lot. As time went on I did the same for 2nd and then 3rd , using various keys and going from one scale to another. During all this time I always started on the root. Is it important for me to try to break that habit - I see in theory you don't approach 2nd and 3rd this way.

David, can you advise me on more songs that I can work with that would have a backing track and the .pdf or sheet music for the blues harmonica?

I am working on 3 of the songs on the website but I would like to have other ones to work on and jam too. I am finding out that when I buy the jam tracks it does not come with the .pdf or score sheet. I am getting into the bends and I am using the A, G and C harmonicas.

Much appreciated!!

Will

Howszit Dave , I've been studying Gary Smiths blues for mr b song , i think I got a ok handle on it for the most part except the head . Is the head +2. 2 3'3" 3'3" 2----. With the 3draws a little dirty w/the 4draw, One more question, the last submission with Ryan were you we're playing the breaks as a theme, is that on your album and is it on I tunes? I hope to be packing the Smith&Barrett tone one day! Lol. Awright!