Ask Instructor David Barrett

Hi David. I'am Berry from Holland.

i have 2 questions: In the beginning of your explaining you prepare us to blow Walk with me. 

I have to play 3 draw and then 4+ 4 and so on. Must i put my tonque on hole 1+2 and then 1+2+3? And leave the tonque all the song on the harmonica? Is it always the intention to put the tonque on the harmonica when i play a single note?

second: i 'am curious to bend and i practice every day. I study as you explain it. But do I also have to put the tongue on, for example ,hole 1 + 2 + 3 + to play the 4 draw bending  continue reading...

David,

I’ve looked ahead in the LOA and made a list of need keys.  I’ve been buying the Hohner Crossover, but the Crossover does not come in Low F.  Is the Marine Band Thunderbird a good choice for Blues in Low F or do you have another recommendation?  The Thunderbird in Low F is twice the price of the Crossovers, so I want to make sure I’m getting the right thing.

Thank you,

Brian in Tennessee

David - After a few weeks of not being on the site I come back to continue my LOA studies and in reading the forums I run across Ear Training Study 2. It sounds like something I could benefit from but diving into that lesson would keep me away from my Level 6 studies for a few weeks. The question is - Should I focus primarily on my harmonica goal which would be to study/practice each day on some portion of my current LOA lesson or is it OK to venture off the beaten path and look at some other area of harmonica playing. continue reading...

My hermonica is in the key of C. I read on the first lesson to have a key of A. Will I still be able to utilize your lesson plan?  

The "Music Theory Study 1" lesson in level 2 is very interesting, especially section 4.But I have a very important question to ask: in exercise 4.7 you say that the key is often written in chords (for example chord of "F") but studying the first two songs we learned, Walk With Me and Temperature, I find the chords of "I" and "I7" written, and I don't understand how I can find the key? continue reading...

Hello David. I am confused about which key of harp to use in these examples. Initially it appears to be a G harp, but by example 1.5 my A harp seems to be the one that matches what you are playing. In example 6 you talk about the C harp, but to my ear you are playing an A harp still. Could you please clarify?

Thanks,

Geoff

Hello David,

I have been having this dilema for a while.

So far while practicing the blues scale on 2nd posiiton (and as of late on 1st posiiton) I have been aiming to hit that flat third somewhat sharper, all because...well perhaps a missconception of some material I have seen online.

Also when practicing my -3 bending control I practice all of those bends together with that -3 quarter step bend (aiming at about 50C sharper than the -3') so that my tongue and my ears learn to make the difference between both. continue reading...

Hi David,

I like to go back and practice your previous study material in my studies, but the thought occcurred to me while doing this. Take for example the 2 blues songs, "Walk With Me" and "Feelin for the Blues", both are 8 bar blues in the key of "E" and both have 7 choruses and EACH song has 56 licks made up of the 1,4,5. chord changes.  Could you just mix and match these different licks (56 from each song) and come up with completely a different blues song or perhaps songs?? Thx for input. John 

Hi David,

I have a couple of questions: continue reading...

Dear David, I'm thoroughly enjoying your lessons, thank-you so much. I've gone down to my local Music store to buy a Hohner Marine Band Harp in A, and the back of the box lists 4 varieties of Marine Band. Being a raw beginner, I chose the Crossover, as Hohner lists that model as suitable for all genres of music. However, the salesman, who claimed to have 15 years of Harp experience advised me not to choose that model, as it is has a chromatic scale and would be very difficult to learn on, and it isn't set-up for chords, only single notes. continue reading...