Ask Instructor David Barrett

Breathing is challenging in Gary's Blues. I have followed your lessons about breathing, but often those techniques are not enough to make me confortably breath (I will post another question about that). When I have filled all my lower "stomach" space, I need to finish with some breast ("upper") inhaling. Then everything becomes tense, shoulders and throat...

Can breast-breathing be used as a last-chance "reserve"? and in that case, should I learn to stay relaxed even when doing it (seems hard)? continue reading...

Hello Dave,

Here I am with another musical dilema.

I am curently trying to learn the 'mean old world' piece by little walter.

The recording where he does a lot of 3 4 trills.

On the solo he goes into a 'bent trill' and then releases.

Thats pretty common in other pieces as well in a couple of songs i have studdied here.

So my question: how deep can I afford to bend that trill before it nolonger sounds musical? 

can it be 3''' 4' or i should aim for 3" 4' or even 3' 4' ?

Hello, David! I've been of BluesHarmonica.com for a bit, just after I achieved LoA4, but I never stopped playing. Although I was drawn to this site becuase of the LoA structure, I felt I had reached a point where I needed something a bit more free-flowing and less structured, especially since this is my only experience as a musician. I started my own journey and feel I have grown quite a bit in my improvisational ability during the last year. continue reading...

While working on The Strut and doing the 1 4 draw octave I'm noticing that it's possible (though difficult) to bend both draws, as well as get a crazy psychedelic intonation related beating if you bend one slightly out of tune with the other. Obviously, working on level four, there are tons of things I could prioritize practicing, but it was a fun distraction. Are these useful techniques moving forward that I might revisit and keep in my back pocket? 

While working on The Strut and doing the 1 4 draw octave I'm noticing that it's possible (though difficult) to bend both draws, as well as get a crazy psychedelic intonation related beating if you bend one slightly out of tune with the other. Obviously, working on level four, there are tons of things I could prioritize practicing, but it was a fun distraction. Are these useful techniques moving forward that I might revisit and keep in my back pocket? 

bonjour David est se que tu aurais des bon backing blues chicago  et rein d'autre a me passer ou sur youtube  ou que toi tu as pour improviser dessus ?? merci 

Hi David, 

I'm a total novice of less than a week with a harp.

I have some experience playing brass instruments in my youth, tenor horn & trombone, both of which rely on blowing only.

I am beginning to get used to the idea of drawing as well as blowing, but I am finding the speed of transition between the two (playing a triplet - blow, draw, draw - for example) quite difficult with any pace.

Transitioning from blow to draw feels very unnatural at the moment. 

Any tips or exercises you can suggest?

Thanks continue reading...

David, i am on i want you with me, i can play all the notes, but i cannot get through the song without the harmonica clogging up with spittle, which means i cannot complete the song in one go. i have tried to tip the harmonica backwards but i still get the same problem. Is there anything i can do, because it is really holding me back. have other students found this problem or is it that i produce too much splttle. if i can solve this problem my studies would take off. many thanks

David,  I watched the video on brainstruments with great interest.  Was wondering if you play to a mental model and what it is?  Do you think anyone can devleop a model or is it an innate ability of some musicians?

Hello Dave,

I found in my drawers an old marine band harp that a friend of mine had gifted me some 20 years back.

It is marked as Dm on the cober plate.

I sounds like a different tunning. I would guess the m is for minor.

What I fail to get though if it is supposed to be a 1st position or a second position minor.

Can you please give me a hint of how I could find that out.

I am still not that far in my studdies to be able to figure it out by myself.

Thanks in advance!