Tip of the Day

Grab a harmonica... hold it... play it... now pull the harp away from your mouth and look at the index finger of your holding hand. The farther back you place that index finger, the more room your mouth/lips have to place the harmonica deep in your mouth. The deeper the harmonica is in your mouth (within reason of course) the bigger the tone.

For more detailed information watch the Lesson "Blues Harmonica Fundamentals" and go to "Getting Started - Blues Harmonica Fundamentals" and watch the video "Holding the Harmonica" @ 1:15

Follow these three steps to becoming a great Blues harmonica player. Times are based on an hour a day practice routine.

1) 10m Technique - Use the exercises outlined on the site for each of the lessons or create your own repetitive, technique-focused exercises.

2) Song 30m - Work on a song that challenges you as a player and that embodies the technique, movement and vocabulary you wish to have in your playing. continue reading...

What's the first weakness in your playing that comes to mind?...

Write it down...

Make a multilevel plan of attack and work a little bit each day on this weakness until it becomes an asset.

Find it... fix it!

P.S., this term comes from KJN Clampit of United Academy of Martial Arts in Morgan Hill, CA

The scale we've been focusing on is the Major Scale. Let's change our though process a little bit and think of it as a movement pattern, representing the next higher or lower note available to us on our instrument without bending (a technique unknown to the designer). With that said, let's go ahead and access the missing notes of the lower octave with bending. continue reading...

I hope this focus on the major scale has helped to open up the entire range of the harmonica for you. I recommend you take a folk song, or a blues song that doesn't use a lot of bending, and move from octave to octave to practice this. The more you do this in the practice room the higher the probability octave substitution will happen spontaneously in your improvising.

Major Scale
Low Octave: 1+ 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3 4+
Mid Octave: 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+
High Octave: 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 10' 10+

Here's "When the Saints Go Marching In" in the lower octave. Now play the melody in all octaves. If you know how to play the tongue block technique of octaves, give that a try as well... it works for the mid and high octave versions.

When the Saints Go Marching In (Low Octave)
1+ 2+ 2" 2, 1+ 2+ 2" 2, 1+ 2+ 2" 2 2+ 1+ 2+ 1, 2+ 2+ 1 1+, 1+ 2+ 2 2 2", 2" 2+ 2" 2 2+ 1+ 1 1+

When the Saints Go Marching In (Mid Octave)
4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 4, 5+ 5+ 4 4+, 4+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 5, 5 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 4 4+

When the Saints Go Marching In (High Octave) continue reading...

With your increasing knowledge of the major scale, move "When the Saints Go Marching In" to the lower octave now...

When the Saints Go Marching In (Low Octave)

When the Saints Go Marching In (Mid Octave)
4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 4, 5+ 5+ 4 4+, 4+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 5, 5 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 4 4+

When the Saints Go Marching In (High Octave)
7+ 8+ 9 9+, 7+ 8+ 9 9+, 7+ 8+ 9 9+ 8+ 7+ 8+ 8, 8+ 8+ 8 7+, 7+ 8+ 9+ 9+ 9, 9 8+ 9 9+ 8+ 7+ 8 7+

Major Scale
Low Octave: 1+ 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3 4+
Mid Octave: 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+
High Octave: 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 10' 10+

I was recording my George "Harmonica" Smith Artist Study this morning and came across this cool discography on him: http://www.wirz.de/music/smitgfrm.htm

If you would like to see him blow, check these out:

George Harmonica Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=DE&hl=de&v=b_D-56WY57s
He's playing a 16-Hole C Chromatic Harmonica in 3rd Position (Key of D)

Muddy Waters & George Harmonica Smith - Walking thru the park, 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BShwmWviC5Q
He's playing a D Diatonic Harmonica here in 2nd Position (Key of A)

GEORGE "HARMONICA" SMITH - LEAVING CHICAGO continue reading...

Note that blows are still blows and draws are still draws (5+ = E, 8+ = E / 5 = F, 9 = F)... this is a great piece of knowledge to have... it makes the high-end a bit more approachable.

Do note that your movement is different though...

In the original line of "When the Saints Go Marching In" you played 4+ 5+ 5 6+ and in the upper octave you played 7+ 8+ 9 9+... for the F (referencing a C Harmonica here) you stayed on the same hole (5+ E) and drew (5 F) to get the next note... for the high end you played the 8+ (E) and had to move up for the 9 (F) to get the next note. continue reading...

Transposing "When the Saints Go Marching In" up an octave we get...

High Octave
7+ 8+ 9 9+, 7+ 8+ 9 9+, 7+ 8+ 9 9+ 8+ 7+ 8+ 8, 8+ 8+ 8 7+, 7+ 8+ 9+ 9+ 9, 9 8+ 9 9+ 8+ 7+ 8 7+

Mid Octave
4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+, 4+ 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 4, 5+ 5+ 4 4+, 4+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 5, 5 5+ 5 6+ 5+ 4+ 4 4+

Analyze what changed from the mid octave to the high octave and we'll discuss this more tomorrow.