Tip of the Day

A student just asked a very specific question about accompaniment playing. In Blues Harmonica Accompaniment Playing... the chapter on Hooks... he asked why I stated that a lick on the I7 Chord that contains a flat-3rd (B-flat, which is 3') does not sequence (transpose) to the IV7 well. He was also curious why we would want to use B-flat at all, since B is the 3rd of the chord, not Bb. Here's my answer...

There are three levels of dissonance, or how well notes we play match... continue reading...

I had a new beginning student last night and she asked how much a harmonica was. I said $65 (I sell the Hohner Crossover), and they're the best pro-level harps on the market. She was impressed that you could get a professional quality instrument for that cheap. I agreed! continue reading...

You've learned that there are many options for articulation. Which one is correct? This is an answer only history or you can answer. As your instructor at BluesHarmonica.com I share which articulations work best for a given passage when it's appropriate (I feel it performs the job at hand best or is what a given artist commonly used for an Artist Study for example), otherwise, when I say, "articulate this or that note," I'm leaving it up to you on what articulation feels and sounds best for YOU... just get the job done.

Here are the common ways to articulate a chord. Keep in mind that this is not embouchure-specific. In other words, these are articulations that pucker and tongue block players can use equally when playing a chord, such as draw or blow holes 1 2 3 (as seen in Ex. 1.2 of Solo Harmonica Study 1).

1) HA - Not actually an articulation (you have to close off the airstream momentarily to be a true articulation), but is one way of creating differentiation between a stream of similar pitches (think Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha.... continue reading...

When playing multiple holes, such as holes 1 2 3 in common chording/chugging passages, you have many articulation options. Let's start with an awareness of what you commonly use (not everyone is aware of what they use to articulate). Open the PDF for Solo Harmonica Study 1 and play Ex. 1.2. What are you using to separate the chords? In other words... you're playing two chords, of the same notes, of the same inhale... what are you using to separate those two chords?... otherwise you just get one long-sounding chord.

Here's how I'd change the lick...

D Harmonica (2nd Position): 3' 3" 2 2" 2 = Even more bluesy now (2" is the flat-7th... a bluesy note)

G Harmonica (3rd Position): 5 5+ 4 4+ 4 = More bluesy and WAY easier to play

A Harmonica (1st Position): messes this lick up... sorry 1st Position, you're out of contention for this lick

Let's now talk about your new lick in each position...

D Harmonica (2nd Position): 3' 3" 2 1 2 = This is very doable... standard bluesy bends on the harmonica... all draw notes to achieve maximum bluesy potential with bending... your skill level in bending needs to be high though

G Harmonica (3rd Position): 5 5+ 4 3" 4 = This is a very cool sounding lick in 3rd Position. The 5 replacing the 3' in 2nd and 5+ the 3" in 2nd makes this a much more easy lick to play. The 3" is problematic... that's a tough bend to hit between 4 draws. continue reading...

Let's now try your new lick in each position...

D Harmonica (2nd Position): 3' 3" 2 1 2

G Harmonica (3rd Position): 5 5+ 4 3" 4

A Harmonica (1st Position): 8'+ 8 7+ 6+ 7+

Which one is easier for you to play and which version sounds best to you?

Let's now try a new lick. Play the following common blues lick on the D Harmonica...

D Harmonica (2nd Position): 3' 3" 2 1 2

Work out where this lick will happen on the G Harmonica (3rd Position) and A Harmonica (1st Position). Which one is easier for you to play and which version sounds best to you?

Let's talk about the first note for each position...

1) 1st Position: A Harp - 6+
A) Single note
B) Slap
C) Flutter
D) Octave (3+/6+)

2) 2nd Position: D Harp - 4
A) Single note
B) Dip (start bent and release quickly)
C) Addition of 5 (bluesy/dirty)
D) Shake (4/5)
E) Slap
F) Flutter
G) Octave

3) 3rd Position: G Harp - 6
A) Single note
B) Dip
C) Addition of 7 (VERY dirty)
D) Shake (6/7 VERY dissonant, but we do use it now and again)
E) Slap
F) Flutter