Tip of the Day

Go in front of that mirror again. Open your mouth (eyes open this time ;-)... drop your tongue... slowly bring the harmonica into your mouth and play a 2 draw. Why a 2 draw?... it's the hardest hole on the harmonica to play with good tone (in fact 80% of new students can't play it without bending it down). Be careful that you don't move the back or middle of your tongue upwards as you start to play. continue reading...

Do you want big tone?

Your tongue position is the #1 element in tone. Go in front of a mirror... close your eyes... open your mouth... drop your entire tongue to the floor of your mouth... confirm that it feels like it's there... open your eyes. Most players realize that their tongue was NOT lowered to the floor, but humped up in the middle-back.

This is the first part of your training, to learn how to consistently get that tongue down.

When playing a low draw note on a low-tuned harp... 1 draw on a Low D Harmonica for example... do you sometimes get a rattle? This is caused by playing to loudly... the reed is swinging too far and hitting the cover plate.

Answer?

1) Play softer... of course! ;-)

2) Placing a piece of tape (electrical tape is awesome, but it's very thick) inside the cover plate (yes, you have to take the cover plate off) where the offending reed is hitting. This will stop the metal-to-metal contact that creates the buzz.

The V Chord?... don't even think about it. ;-)

Blow bending can also work on the I Chord (one chord) as well. The challenge is that you need to be reserved. As I brought up yesterday, as you spend time on blow notes, and especially blow bends, you send the message "C Chord," and if you're on the I Chord, you're playing a G Chord (G B D F). So, throw a 9+ in there (G), the classic (classic to "Whammer Jammer") 10"+ (Bb... flat-3rd), and maybe even the 8+ (E... which is an honorary chord tone... the 6th) but don't go nuts. continue reading...

Yesterday I stated that the IV Chord in 2nd Position is the best place to use your blow bends. Not only does it sound good, but it makes sense too (why things work doesn't always make sense ;-)... the IV Chord is a C Chord and the Blow Notes on the harmonica are a C Chord. Though the chord lasts for two bars (8 beats), you only have about one bar (4 beats) to play like that. Why you may ask? By spending time blowing on the C Chord and hitting nice blow bends you're sending a strong message of C (this is called tonicizing)... continue reading...

When playing in 2nd Position, blow bends are most appropriate on the IV7 Chord (C E G Bb on the C Harmonica). Blow bend 8+ is E-flat (flat-3rd), blow bend 9+ is G-flat (flat-5th) and blow bend 10+ (all the way down) is B-flat (flat-7th). These are all very blues notes... in fact these ARE the three, and only three, bluesy notes for the IV7 Chord Blues Scale. Give this a try with a jam track... play some blow bends for the IV7 Chord on measures 5 and 6 (you'll want to use an A Harmonica or lower... blow bends get challenging to control on higher harmonicas). continue reading...

Do your neck and shoulders get tired when practicing or performing? Are they sore the next day after a long playing session? If so, then...

1) Sit/stand more upright (don't let your body or shoulders slump forward).

2) Keep your elbows in... slightly in front of your body... and as close to your body as possible.

There's two ways to approach this...

1) Place the right thumb right next to your cheek, still allowing the upper few holes to be open. The bull-horn affect of directing the sound tends to work well, especially if your amp is already very distorted. continue reading...

Have you noticed that most pro players hold the harmonica with their left hand and use their right to overlap their left, and specifically the thumb of the right hand to cover 2-3 holes on the high-end? The thumb is an important element of a tight cup to perform the Wa Wa and playing through a bullet mic. Yesterday I stated that sound escapes all around the harmonica, and the upper holes of the harmonica are a big leakage area. Hold the harmonica the way you normally do in front of a mirror... look at how the upper holes are open... continue reading...