Ask Instructor David Barrett

David, my inhale vibrato SUCKS. It's very uneven and I run quickly out of breath. What is the best way to practice this to get better at it?

How do you manage the breathing after the shake in the 2nd chorus of Gary's Blues? I sometimes run out of air and there's not enough time to get more to continue.

Hi David,

Do you lean your cheek into the harp when you are playing and when you go above 6 do you find you lean your opposite cheek into the harp.
When I play the low end I find my right cheek is against the harp. When I go to the higher end I find I get better volume and easy to play if I lean the harp against my left cheek.
Is this bad to do and should I be keeping the harp more straight all the time?
PS> The cheek seems to help cover the unused holes.

Thanks 528hemi

As I get started on Blues for Big Nate. you comment on the 1-2-3 draw chord in the opening lick and about dropping the tongue and opening the throat (and I have heard you say this before). That is the first time I have actually heard the difference - WOW!!!!

OK with an open mouth but as soon as I put my tongue back on the harp and try to get that same difference I just can't seem to drop the back of my tongue while the front is on the harp - ????? Another just keep at it and it will eventually come??? Or is it more subtle and just work on keeping the throat open or ..........???

David,

Do you ever play a 2-6 split draw? Draw 3-7 is an octave I undestand the 2-5 draw is not an octave and is used.

Thanks 528hemi

Not sure where to ask this one but.......

Combining the volume controls on the mic and the amp (and I have watched the amp videos re: feedback), I'm not sure about the difference between keeping the amp volume high and turning the mic volume down as opposed to keeping the mic volume high and turning down the amp. Some say the crunch comes from the high (gain?) mic volume and others' say crank the amp for crunch and turn the mic volume down. This is more for home practice or low volume gigs. continue reading...

Hi Dave, I'm a new member and am enjoying exploring the site. I joined up to get deep into the tongue block techniques, after starting off as a lip purser. continue reading...

David, I'm really spending a lot of time trying to drag these bends out. On the bright side - I got my first overblow today! Wow! It was quick, but it was there, and I had a beer to celebrate.

When I'm dragging the 2 and 3 draw low - really low - the back of my tongue is pretty much humped on the roof of my mouth, making crunchy k-k-k-k sound (for want of a better way to put it). How do I pull these bends really low and not have to have my airway constricted to the point of the air scraping it's way through the obstruction?

I'm working on Cool Blue and (maybe overkill on detail) had the same question come up in my mind as when I was on No Sweat. Do you go with a tongue slap on each note -even in triplets (3-4-5)?? Or do you use the TS for emphasis only on certain notes? When a song is this tempo and the notes are quarter or triplet, it's slow enough to use them almost everywhere but is that overkill and ends up detracting from the emphasis that TS can give you. Is there some formula or just "what feels right". (As I ask, I realize just how "rookie" this sounds)

David,

I've been going through the Jason Ricci interview and I'm intrigued with his discussion on scales. In other music study I've done on other instruments in the past, scales represented a good part of that education. Many of the classical masters of composing based their entire works on the variations of scales. Understanding that Jason comes from a more rock background than blues, do you agree with him that incorporating scale study when learning harmonica is an important method of developing an improvising mindset? If so, do you have plans to put up scale study on this site? continue reading...