Ask Instructor David Barrett

6th chorus So Blue For You, bar 8 - mouth dry, chrom covers sticking to my lips so its hard to get the shake. I tried a lighter contact on the harp to see if that would help but then the tongue cover doesn't give me a true octave shake. When I try it on its own (out of context) and lick my lips first, it seems to work OK but back in context and by the time I get to that bar, I'm dry. (come to think of it, that's why we go into bars;-))

So is there any 'tip' or is this another case of "keep at it and it will come eventually"??

Dave,

Is there an easy way to transcribe the notes from an MP3 to paper? Or are there any shortcuts you can give me for doing so?

i have a mac.
i get them onto my desktop and can slide them into itunes but cannot synch them to my ipod.
i had the same issue for the first ones i did at the beginning of the year.
can somebody remind me?
hank? are you there? again?!?!

Hi David
I would like to say thanks for a great site,only been playing for 6 months found your site in May and have moved on so much.
My problem is what and how much to practice,I leave myself about 2 hours a day but find it hard to fit it all in.
Got through' Walk with me' have started 'Temperature'working on bending,Third position study 1,Solo harmonica study 2,had a look at Blues for Big Nate as well my tremolo needs a lot of work to.
Thanks again Ron

Do I read your charts right about which notes are in the I, IV, and V chords and which notes are blue notes: it seems that A-flat is a blue note but it's not among the notes in the I7, IV7, and V7 chords. So when do you play it? How does it fit in?

A question about R.J. Mischo's playins starts in the closing section of your interview: the lick he plays starts with a bent 4 draw, but he's doing something to take the rough edge off it. The bent 4 draw sounds pretty harsh when I try to copy the lick (in fact, it sounds like a squealing brake on a bicycle) - is he glissing into it? I can tell there's another sound before the note, but I can't work out what it is - it definitely sounds more polished than the bent 4 draw by itself.

Just been reading the liner notes for IC Special - Filisko mentions something called the 'exhale push' on the track Jaybird Moan. Is that a harmonica technique or just a fancy term for breathing out? If it's breathing out, then that's great: it means finally I can do something that Joe Filisko can do!

Am I wrong or do you play the turnaround in this chorus different from the notation?

Just a shout out that I am really enjoying the tip of the day section. Very practical and immediately useful.

Now I just question your motives............are you trying to get us permanently addicted to this site? :)

Hi David,
What is your recommendation for practicing songs you already know to have a repertoire ready for jams etc... while also working on new songs and technique. How do you fit it into a practice routine?

Al