Ask Instructor David Barrett

If you know Steve Guyger's 'Blues from the Darkside' off his Last Train to Dover album (and I bet it's filed on your Mac somewhere!), I wonder if you could answer a couple of questions about it. Firstly, is it a 16 hole chromatic he's playing? Secondly, he often ends the main lick (a great example of dynamics and repetition) with either tremolo or a flutter, but I can't figure out which - I hear it at 0.36 -0.40 ... been trying to match the sound but I'm not convinced I've got it. continue reading...

I am able to get a good tight grip and seal on the mic with my diatonic and I am happy with my tone. However, once I have to play above the 5 hole I loose the tight seal and my tone gets very thin and airy. It becomes especially hard if I am working a run up from the 2 to the 6 or higher and then quickly bring it back down. Any advice on keeping it all tight and buried into my check? continue reading...

Hi David getting into this chromatic playing,so do I slap any notes in the No Sweat song .
Thanks Ron

Dear David

Blowing hole 1+ and 4+ gives the C-octaves.
Drawing hole 1 and 4 gives the D-octaves.....and so on.

We also play two other dissonant chords, 2-5 draw and 3-6 draw.

How is drawing 2(G) and 5(F) called ?
How is drawing 3 and 6 called ?

Thank you.

Paolo

Hi David. I have been tongue blocking for years, but I just started TB bending and tongue switching on the 1 hole when I discovered this site a few months back. I am having a hard time with the one draw half step bend. All my other bends are developing nicely, but something about that tongue switch and low hole haven't quite come together. Feels like the size and shape of the chamber in my mouth is just not the same with the tongue switch. Feel like I don't have anywhere to pull the bend and hard to arch my tongue. continue reading...

David, I have a chance to pick up a 1960 Fender Princeton (5F2-A circuit). The amp is in good condition, and has only had some minor cap work (signal caps). I was watching the new interview you posted with Dennis Oellig and I thought he said something about the Princetons being crap for harp.

Is this true? continue reading...

could you help me with a problem?

If I play a tongue slap on hole 1 to get a powerfull and stong hole 2 I can hear the reed's hit the coverplate.
If i play the chord on the pull of hole 1,2,3 I hear the same sound.
Its sounds like a tap. ( i think its only the first reed) the sound of metal against metal.
Also if bend hole 1 with alot of force ( to get a big tone/sound) I hear this sound.
I got a marineband deluxe and a hohner crossover harmonica and i got the same problem with both harmonica's

Its very annoying and it forces me to play with less volume. continue reading...

dave, was wondering if you could suggest a jam track for highway 59 from the cd we are the blues. thanks

I'm trying to figure out how to play Evan's Shuffle at the moment (much harder than I thought! I've given up trying to transcribe it - instead, I've slowed it down and chopped it into a series of mp3 files, a phrase-chain at a time). What I'd like to know is how do you figure out when someone's playing the 2 draw or the 3 blow? I can sometimes figure out when it would be too awkward to play the 2 draw in a particular lick, but I can't tell from sound alone. Second, do you have a transcript of the tune in any of your books - I want to check I'm not inventing my own incorrect version!

Just came across these on a forum and watched a video of Richard Sleigh playing one. Very cool sound. As much as I could gather gives me these impressions: 40 reeds, octaves in Richter tuning (double holes for all of the 10 standard holes), all reeds valved, available in all keys.

Questions that come up in my mind (once I find it): still can play all bends? Blow and draw? Useful in blues? If not, what genre would these be useful in?

Just haven't heard about these before. Thanks for any response if someone has one or has played one.