Tip of the Day

Play a lick that starts on 2 draw... your root note of the I7 Chord. Play it a couple times until you feel comfortable with it. Now write the lick down. Reference this chart http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/private/Harmonica%20Chart%20[All%20Keys]_1.pdf and move the lick up one octave... note for note. Experiment with the new lick and learn how to play it as well as you did the lower octave version. You just did a basic theory concept called octave substitution.

Your tip today comes from student Eddy, "Far be it from me to contradict you but my viewpoint is that the software program with the same title is more pleasant to use. I bought both and the content is exactly the same. You haven't to choose between Mac and Windows, the cd-rom works for both. There are two ISBN on the box. Here are they: ISBN-10 : 0-7390-6861-X and ISBN-13 : 978-0-7390-6861-8. Hope that can help." Thanks Eddy!

Those interested in learning more about general music theory I highly recommend you work through the bookx2cd set Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory Complete.

The most important theory you can know on the harmonica is where the root notes of each of the common chords (I7, IV7 and V7) are on your harmonica. For a harmonica played 2nd Position they are...

I7 Chord = 2, 6+, 9+
IV7 Chord = 1+, 4+, 7+, 10+
V7 Chord = 1, 4, 8

Play to a jam track of choice and give this a try.

My Second Degree Black Belt Test was a goal I've been working on for six months. Our studio has a six-month countdown process... extra exercise classes... extra martial arts classes... not to include all of the practices the candidates called on weekends and weeknights and of course my own personal practice... easily 300 hours worth.

In the end though, it wasn't a six-month process... it was a six-year process... this is when I started studying martial arts training. continue reading...

“Struggle is not optional, it’s neurologically required. In order to get your skill circuit to fire optimally, you must by definition fire the circuit sub optimally. You must make mistakes, and pay attention to those mistakes… you must slowly teach your circuit.”

“Nerve firings grow myelin, myelin controls impulse speed and impulse speed is skill.”

“…it’s slow. Each one of these [myelin] wraps can go around the nerve fiber forty or fifty times, and that can take days or weeks. Imagine doing that to an entire neuron… then an entire circuit with thousands of nerves.” continue reading...

BluesHarmonica.com now has over 1,700 individual videos, ranging from beginning to very high level material. You're hungry to learn, but be careful to not let this buffet overwhelm you. Feel free to jump around and watch videos of any subject that's of interest, but follow the lesson plans to get the most out of your training. continue reading...

Coming soon to the site is Improvising Study 9. In this lesson I'll teach you how to approach Speed Playing. Take one chorus of a songs you know how to play well and speed it up 10% using a program like the Amazing Slowdowner. Work on that until you can play it well at that speed. Keep doing this until the passage is played at lightning speed.

A TIP: Playing with a relaxed embouchure (tongue, lips, jaw as well as any other muscles that might tense up... like neck, shoulders and back). Muscle tension inhibits speed.

Coming soon to the site is Improvising Study 9. In this lesson I'll teach you how to approach Modal Blues. I recommend that you watch the lesson "Performance Training: Groove." Though not a prerequisite for the improvising lesson, it will help you a bit on understanding my comments about how the band affects what we do.

Coming soon to the site is Improvising Study 9. In this lesson I'll teach you how to approach different feels (light, bluesy and mixtures). I recommend that you watch the lesson "Performance Training: Groove." Though not a prerequisite for the improvising lesson, it will help you a bit on understanding my comments about how the band affects what we do.