Tip of the Day

Adam Gussow just released his new CD today... it should fit nicely in the stocking! P.S., I'm editing his interview right now... it's damn good and will be up before the end of the month.

"Dear Blues Harmonica Player:

I’m pleased to announce the release of Southbound, my second solo album. Southbound isn’t just the album’s title: it’s the opening track—an Allman Brothers remake—and the story of this particular harp player’s life over the past decade. continue reading...

They're askin' "what can I get you for Christmas?" Here we go... a series of fun gift items for harmonica players. Our first gift will bling out the tree of the gear nut: http://www.harpmicman.com/Ornament/Xmas.html

Are you a loud player? Most likely you're compensating for your lack of technique by playing loudly. Take a study song you know well and each day strive to play it softer and softer, until you can play it at a whisper-quiet volume. You'll find your bending to improve from this exercise as well as of course your dynamic control (we ALL can use work on that one).

P.S., volume is the #1 killer of harmonicas. Are you guilty of harpslaughter?

One of the challenging bending combinations found in 2nd Position is in playing the notes of the V Chord (known as an arpeggio when you play them in order). As you've learned in Improvising Study 4, the more experienced a player is, the more notes of the chord they use on the V (bar 9 and the last half of bar 12).

For the C Harmonica in 2nd Position they're the notes D F# A. This is 1 2' 3" on the lower octave. continue reading...

Many of you will be using jam tracks for your backing for the King of Swing. Jimi Lee's GrooveTrax - Every Groove a Bluesman Needs To Know 2xCD Set is a good example of what can be used. This can be purchased in the US at: http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/groove_trax.htm and outside of the US at http://jimileeband.com/

For more detailed information on years, models and circuits visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Bassman
For a much deeper look at the circuit design visit: http://www.ampbooks.com/home/classic-circuits/bassman-summary/

Jimmy, a student on the site, needed some clarification on the V-IV-I. Here it is for you as well. Let's start from the top so that there's no confusion.

When we speak of theory on the site we use a C Major Diatonic Harmonica. This harmonica produces the notes: C D E F G A B C. For blues we commonly play in 2nd Position, so we play in the Key of G. The key of G uses the following notes for its construction: G A B C D E F# (F-sharp) G.

If playing by ourselves, we can play those G A B C D E F# G notes in any order, in any rhythm, we wish, to create what we feel sounds good. continue reading...

Shoji Naito has been providing harmonica-specific jam tracks of famous harmonica songs for years and has just added more to his available list for purchase. Here's just a sampling of the titles available: Baby Scratch My Back, Big Boss Man, Don't Have to Hurt No More, Please Throw This Poor Dog A Bone, Bye Bye Byrd, Key to the Highway, I've Got Love If You Want It, Good Morning School Girl, Evening Sun, Ends & Odds, Juicy Harmonica, Honest I Do, Boogie, Juke, Just your Fool, Keep It To Yourself, Last Night, Ludella, My Babe, and many more. continue reading...

I had my buddy Mark Overman over last night to play with our Bassmans. He helped me to acquire an early Bassman reissue for our Bassman Diaries series. We spent a number of hours filming, changing tubes, etc. After he left I had to get my practice in for the night, so I turned the Bassman to a whisper-quiet volume and practiced (it was late). continue reading...

The epic movie "Roll like a pro" is on our Facebook channel: http://www.facebook.com/bluesharmonica