Tip of the Day

What are you doing with the songs, licks and concepts you're learning?

A dialog on absolutes today. Not that anybody does this, but it's a good thought process...

The two main techniques used (and thus the two main technique areas of study) on the harmonica are bending and tongue blocking.

Someone who uses tongue blocking, but no bending, is focused on textural and rhythmic elements, at the detriment to bluesy pitch content. continue reading...

Play that jam track again and improvise over the first ten bars without playing the 2 draw or 6+. At the end of your V-IV-I Transition lick allow it to resolve to the 2 draw or 6+.

What you're doing is building musical tension... tension that gets released on the downbeat of bar 10. Think of it as musical foreplay. continue reading...

We're most familiar with Post War Chicago Blues... essentially the 1950 to 1955 time range (before Rock really took a foothold). Most players are unaware of the mastery our early country blues harmonica players possessed... and in a much different way than players of today. Our friend Joe Filisko really hits it out of the park in this History of the Blues Harmonica 2xCD.

http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/historyconcert.htm

The 2 draw is overused. The 6 blow is underused. The 6 blow is the same note, one octave higher as the 2 draw. Improvise, focusing resolving your phrases on the 6 blow in place of the 2 draw.

I'm sure you found this challenging to do. The 2 draw is the most common hole used on the harmonica (4 draw being a close second). The 2 is the root note (we're speaking of 2nd Position here), so it's obvious that we'll be playing it a lot. This is true, but we DO NOT have to resolve every phrase we play... in fact it's boring to resolve every phrase we play.

So, what to do. There are some tools. Try this lick.

4 4+ 3 2 2 (hold last note)

Now, instead of resolving the phrase with the last 2 draw, kick into another note like in the examples below...

1) 4 4+ 3 2 1
2) 4 4+ 3 2 3 continue reading...

If you've been playing long enough to feel comfortable soloing, then go ahead and do some soloing to a jam track of your choosing. One change though, you can't play 2 draw. If you have a hard time knowing what hole you're on when jamming, then take your bottom cover plate off and place a piece of tape over the 2 draw reed (painters tape is good at not leaving residue). Give it a try... more tomorrow.

Though this is demonstrated on the chromatic harmonica, the principles are also the same for the diatonic harmonica. As Steve Baker states in the video lesson, learning how to gap is essential. It's common for a harmonica to have one or two reeds not responding the way you desire, and this is the quickest way to adjust it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12cdfpp2Sg0

Gotta love the modern harmonica world!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Dc3ssh_bM

You'll be learning numerous songs in your studies, of which you'll forget if you don't review. As you complete each song, place its original (with harp) and jam track (without harp... if it's a study song and a jam track exists) in a playlist. Once a week, or at the very least once a month, start your playlist and play along as if you're on the stage, performing these songs in a gig. As time goes on you'll dial each song in well enough to play with the jam track version only, truly like a gig. continue reading...