Tip of the Day

Fellow BluesHarmonica.com student, John Stranack, just shared with me an app that he uses to check the key of a song (he first does it by ear, and then double-checks it with the app). The app is called AUTO-KEY (by Antares Audio Solutions) and it works quite well. Thanks John!

Here's the lesson on how to do it yourself (use the app for checking your findings, not as your primary way of figuring keys out... we need that skill). continue reading...

A quick tip for those new to transcribing. Most of us use laptops, desktops, or earbuds to listen to our music. The audio quality for all of these are not that great (though Apple AirPods are pretty good).

A good pair of headphones are fantastic. An industry standard, and what I use for transcribing and studio harmonica work, are the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (80 ohm) Headphones. They are very comfortable, have a long, flexible cable, and do not mute too much surrounding sound, making them great for the studio and general practice. continue reading...

Nashville To Name Street After ‘Harmonica Wizard’ DeFord Bailey | HuffPost Entertainment
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bc-us-music-deford-bailey_n_64665e52e4b0b...

Thanks to fellow student mmarquez for this tip. His post quoted below...

Transpose ▲▼ pitch ▹ speed ▹ loop for videos
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/transpose-▲▼-pitch-▹-spee/ioimlbgefgadofblnajllknopjboejda?hl=en

This free Chrome browser extension allows you to change the pitch and speed of video/audio and loop within a video, and it (currently) works with the videos on bluesharmonica.com. Think of it as what the Amazing Slowdowner does, but in a browser. continue reading...

Most players have the tendency to rush (playing faster than the tempo and then commonly adjusting back into time where there is rest or long holds). Where is the most common cause of this?... pickups. Players tend to start their pickups slightly too early and play them too fast. In most cases rushing can be fixed by giving attention to slowing down when you start a pickup and keeping the rhythm of the pickup itself in check.

For any of you that have thought you may be interested in learning how to notate their music, Finale, the software I use to write your music at BuesHarmonica.com, is on sale today at 66% off. This is an expensive program, so this is a great savings.

Direct Link
https://www.finalemusic.com/?_ga=2.134069262.1492492481.1669399277-19573...

General Site Link
https://www.finalemusic.com

Promo Code: CYBER22

Listen (Entire Track)
- What makes it cool? Some students like to follow along with the sheet music after listening to it a couple of times to see the arc of the song.

Chunk (Loop each lick at slow tempo)
- Listen
- Pause music and learn lick from notation for: notes, technique, and basic rhythm (as you remember it)
- Play music and "Listen Once, Play Once" until you get the lick (don’t always play on top of the music, you’ll miss details and ingrain mistakes)

Chain Phrases continue reading...

Fellow student Bill Blatner and I were discussing how to deal with frustration and the perspective of problem solving. Bill is a long-time math educator and works with his students often to help them put into perspective the challenges that we run across in our journey.

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First, what is a problem? I think of it as a dilemma for which the path to a solution is not initially known. If the steps to solve the problem are entirely clear from the start, it’s not really a problem but more of an exercise. continue reading...

I know that you worked very hard to achieve a big sound with tight cupping while playing amplified, but there’s more to tone than just fat. Relax your grip so that your sound is a little less muted and bassy—your goal is a warm, round tone. Now experiment with opening your hands for dynamic effect (commonly opening more for the louder, more dramatic passages), and since your cup is not so tight anymore, you can tighten it for special effect.

Crank your amp up to as loud as it will go, and then play at 40% of your capable volume as your normal volume. It will take time to get used to playing softly, but your dynamic range will benefit greatly from this. When it comes time to solo, go into 60% playing volume and people will have no problem hearing you. Jump into 80% volume every now and again for an exciting passage, but make sure to drop down again soon, it’s only to be used for dynamic effect. If you have a sound check, when they ask for you to play, play at that 40% volume. continue reading...