Ask Instructor David Barrett

Blowin' the Blues - 4th chorus. The notation says "normal pitch". I'm not sure what this means. If its covered somewhere else, my apologies but the video doesn't mention anything and it sounds just like its "normal" - or is that the point? I just don't get it. Thanks.

Hi David,
Before subscribing to this site i was primarily using a puckered embouchure. i did some tongue blocking, generally on melody pieces which didn't require bending. i found it awkward changing between puckering and TB, so decided to just learn to play TB.

Now i tongue-block almost 100%, and am quite happy with it. continue reading...

David,
Solo 1...
Ex. 2.6 Rhumba.....are the notes after the rythmic breaths always slapped?
should I be trying to slap everything (except 1)..all the time in my blues studies?

Ex. 2.8 Slow Blues....is it OK to hit 3" instead of 3'.....before going natural?
is it preferred?

Ex. 2.3 Shuffle ... you mention the 5 draw is the FLATTED 7TH which sounds most bluesy.
Is that why my JUST TUNED harp has a 5 Draw tuned FLAT?

Thank you!
I am really enjoying Solo 1......your instruction as always is superb.

ok im having difficulty not sounding like others nd making it original i wanted to do a fox chase stlye rythem with some train stuff as well but the stuff i have studied mainly through youtube and deford of course makes it sound as them with some of my own twist i guess its a combo between joe filisko, richard sleigh, deford bailey, palmer mcabee and some shorty medlocke train stuff but im afraid it wont be looked at as original so do i scrap it or submitt it anyway and just let others listen and yall scrap it. HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Hi David - just finished a 3 week "break" from the harp playing not much time up at my bro in law's winery where I help out each year during harvest. Yes you did enjoy the glass(es) of wine I had for you ;-) continue reading...

Seems like I can slap a hole, after breathing air through the whole chord, but without giving enough time for the reeds to start vibrating. Or, I can give the whole chord time to sound fully, then slap to the single hole. But, this can be difficult with quick notes. Should I still work on getting the full chord to sound, on every slap?

David,
For as much time as I have spent on 3 Hole draw bends .... it seems to me that my time has not been very productive. I thought I was getting somewhere but when I listen to what it is suppossed to sound like...Wow...not even close. 3 half and whole steps are elusive and to just got to that note from somewhere else takes too long for me. I can start on 3 natural and draw in down to a whole step but not just go there and hit it. Especially when it has to be done in all the different Keys.
Where can I got to escape for awhile? I have been at it for a year at least. continue reading...

in your last tip you mentioned a lee oskar lick. Since it´s only tab, I don´t know how to play the lick in rythm.
Is it done with triplets? thanks!

Just got a low D harp, which I'm really liking. I've noticed listening to various players that some play softly to avoid the lower reeds clinking against the cover plates, but others seem to play with a normal volume, especially on more intense passages, and let the reeds clink away. Does it matter either way? The sound doesn't really bother me and I can play play softly enough to avoid the noise (as long as I focus on it), but I don't want to get into bad habits!

David, when I'm trying to play several different bends on the 3 draw (which I've been trying to do on the 3rd chorus of 'Off the Wall'), I struggle to make them sound like distinct notes. Rather than hitting them as different notes, I tend to slur between them, so you can hear the bend in between. When I try to articulate them separately, I often lose the bend or accidentally bend the reed down too much. Any tips that would help fix this?