Tip of the Day

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. Experiment with this...

Let's spend some time looking at the similarities between whistling and bending. Whistle some low, mid and high notes... note the position of your tongue and which part of the tongue you're using for each.

Why?

1) Listen - No playing... no humming... just listen.

Why: Just appreciate the lick for what it has to offer... what is its essence.

2) Hum - This personalizes/internalizes the lick... learning the rhythm and contour of the lick before you pick up your machine (the harmonica).

Why: If you play ON TOP of the music right away it will take longer and be less accurate... it's like the saying, "How can you listen if you're talking?" continue reading...

Here's some more insight into yesterday's Tip of the Day...

1) Listen - No playing... no humming... just listen.

2) Hum - This personalizes/internalizes the lick... learning the rhythm and contour of the lick before you pick up your machine (the harmonica).

3) Practice - Stop the loop and practice. Using your provided music work on the blows, draws, bends, movement... everything related to performing that lick on your machine. Do this until you can get close to the rhythm of the lick in your memory. continue reading...

BluesHarmonica.com's lesson plans are based on studying songs. Each song I write works very specific skill sets, each chorus designed to take on average two weeks to learn. Within each chorus are individual licks. To study these licks you loop the lick (with a program such as the Amazing Slow Downer) so you can listen, pause and copy until you can play it in time to the slower play-along track (commonly 30% slow). Here's the most effective way to learn a lick. Set your loop and...

1) Listen
2) Hum
3) Practice
4) Listen Once, Play Once

More on this tomorrow...

Many harmonicas have sharp corners left over from the manufacturing process that can be uncomfortable and possibly cut you up. Get a standard file, fingernail file, fingernail boards (sand paper), anything that's meant to take material off... they all can do the job. File away until that sharp corner feels butter smooth. If you're afraid of messin' up your harp, try it on an old model first.

Every now and again we get tape goo on our equipment from either labeling it (gear) or taping it to the floor (cables). Goof Off is a great product to remove sticky substances.

I'm off for a family camping trip... see you guys on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Moving the lick up an octave we get...

I7 = 6+ 6+
IV7 = 4+ 4+
V7 = 4 4

and another octave we get...

I7 = 9+ 9+
IV7 = 7+ 7+
V7 = 8 8

Do you have your C Harmonica memorized? If not, why?

Let's now take a lick that uses only root notes... an accompaniment lick. Play the following lick to a jam track in the Charleston rhythm (fist note on beat 1 and the second note on the & of 2). The lick below represents one measure of that chord change.

I7 = 2 2
IV7 = 1+ 1+
V7 = 1 1

Here's an example based on what you did yesterday...

Lower Octave: 2 2+ 1

Middle Octave: 6+ 5+ 4

Upper Octave: 9+ 8+ 8

Experiment with this... try to make your own licks and move them up an octave.