Tip of the Day

Let's take a look at what we have so far...

1) 1st Position: A Harp - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+ = Pitches: E E D C# A A = 5 blows and 1 draw

2) 2nd Position: D Harp - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2 = Pitches: E E D C# A A = 5 draws and 1 blow

3) 3rd Position: G Harp - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4 = Pitches: E E D C A A = 5 draws and 1 blow continue reading...

And deeper...

1) 1st Position: A Harp - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+ = Pitches: E E D C# A A

2) 2nd Position: D Harp - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2 = Pitches: E E D C# A A

3) 3rd Position: G Harp - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4 = Pitches: E E D C A A

Let's look a little deeper into these licks...

1) 1st Position: A Harp - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+ = 5 blows and 1 draw

2) 2nd Position: D Harp - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2 = 5 draws and 1 blow

3) 3rd Position: G Harp - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4 = 5 draws and 1 blow

Again, play them and ponder on the pattern...

Joe Filisko is one of the greatest blues harmonica educators of our time. As you watch each of his 18 Harmonica Insights write the main ideas down... making an outline for yourself to save, print out, and review on a regular basis.

Grab your G, A and D harmonicas and play the following lick on each harp.

1) A Harp - 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4+ 4+

2) D Harp - 4 4 4+ 3 2 2

3) G Harp - 6 6 6+ 5 4 4

Play these a couple of times on each harp and think about the possibilities for each.

How many Tips of the Day have we had on bending... I lost count!... there's tons! Why? It's one of our most challenging techniques on the harmonica. If you had the mistaken impression that the harmonica is easy to play this technique will set your straight. Use the knowledge you've gained from the understanding of the physics of bending to where the tongue is located in your mouth and what part of the tongue humps up for each pitch found in each hole. Add to this the patience and tenacity that it takes to master the harmonica and you're on your way!

Now how about bending on the harmonica!... well, as you might have guessed, it's the same! Grab your harmonica of choice and work the "sh" on the 6 draw... "kee" on the 4 draw... and "ku" on the 2 draw... now use all of those in order on the 3 draw... if you have issues with controlling the 3 draw bend, this is the key to controlling it. TAKE YOUR TIME and give this a try.

Let's now review...

1) Whistling a high note you'll notice your tongue forward in your mouth, with the pitch being created near the front of the tongue. Note that the rest of the tongue is high and large in the mouth, filling up the mouth cavity so that the air volume (space, not loudness) is small... this is what's needed to sound that high pitch.

2) Whistling a medium-pitched note (like 4 draw) you'll notice your tongue in the middle of your mouth, with the pitch being created near the middle-front of the tongue. Note that the tip and back of the tongue is not humped up. continue reading...

Whistling a low-pitched note (like 3 draw and below) you'll notice your tongue in the back of your mouth, with the pitch being created near the back of the tongue... it can also help to drop the jaw. Note that the tip and middle of the tongue is not humped up... it's down so that you can have a resonant chamber... always thing "big tone" by getting parts of the tongue down that don't need to be humped for the whistling/bending process. Experiment with this...

Whistling a medium-pitched note (like 4 draw) you'll notice your tongue in the middle of your mouth, with the pitch being created near the middle-front of the tongue. Note that the tip and back of the tongue is not humped up. Experiment with this...