Tip of the Day

Now that we've looked at the standard tuning systems on the harmonica, let's start exploring some others. Below is the pitch set of the standard C Major Diatonic Harmonica.

C E G C E G C E G C = BLOW
D G B D F A B D F A = DRAW

Here is the C Major Diatonic Scale: C D E F G A B C D

When playing in 2nd Position (our most common position for Blues), we play the C Harmonica in the Key of G.

Here is the G Major Diatonic Scale: G A B C D E F# G

Think about the F#... more tomorrow...

If you haven't already been doing so, make sure to follow my lessons with Joe Tartaglia... they offer an insight into the lessons on the site that you can't get in any other way. If you're walking through the improvising/songwriting studies and are going to participate in the Shuffle King contest then you'll want to follow Joe's journey as well.

Let's now look at the V7 Chord in 3rd Position...

V7 Chord
- A C# E G

V7 Chord Blues Scale
- A C D Eb E G A

First Octave: 1+ 1 2+ 2 3"

Second Octave: 3" 4+ 4 5+ 6+ 6

Third Octave: 6 7+ 8 8'+ 8+ 9+ 10

Most 3rd Position players are not experienced with the V7 Chord... it's worth working on if you're a serious player.

If you're on Facebook go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/BluesHarmonicacom/146303078766628 and click on "Like" if you would like to keep up with updates to the site. Thanks!

I was working with a band the other day. I harp player came up that didn't have a lot of experience on the bandstand and their cup on the mic was a bit weak and they played quietly. I asked the band, "what do you think I should do to help the player play louder... better cupping technique?... help with confidence?... work with the harp equipment to get more volume before feedback?" My answer to them was simple... the harp player can either try to play louder via those methods I spoke of or you can simply play softer and fix the issue immediately. They got it ;-)

In my opinion the scale I showed you yesterday is not helpful. By mixing light and bluesy together in your studies you lose the focus that each scale is inherently different.

Here's how it really works... a song is dark... you choose to use the blues scale as your main note choice... a lick burps out of you from your lick vocabulary that is of a lighter feel and then you wrangle it back into notes of the blues scale... you just had a nice change of color in your solo.

The same works for the other way around... continue reading...

Grab your jam track CD's and start playing from the first track. Is it really bluesy?... or is really light?... or is it somewhere in between? Think of the Major Pentatonic Scale as being 100% light and the Blues Scale on the other side as 100% bluesy. If you have a song in between, then the right answer is to us a little bit of both. Below is a mixture of the two scales... experiment with it.

1+ 1' 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3' 3 4+ 4' 4 5+ 5 6+ 6' 6 7 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10

Let's put it all together...

Step 1 - Memorize the scale of focus, ascending and descending

Step 2 - Get to know each range of the scale very well (this is more affective than trying to apply the entire scale across the range of the instrument)

Step 3 - Get to know how each note in the scale relates to the chord you're playing over (use a jam track) continue reading...

You just saw in the "What's New Forum" that I cover Little Water's "Off the Wall." The study songs I write for you on the site are the fastest path to developing your technique, but it's also important to study our great soloists from the past for lick vocabulary, movement and technique. So, get to work! :-)

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The March newsletter is out! The transcription for this issue is Little Walter's "Off the Wall." To download the newsletter go to http://www.bluesharmonica.com/home and download the PDF at the bottom of the page.

Step 3 - Get to know how each note in the scale relates to the chord you're playing over

If we do this for the first three holes we get...

Scale: 1 2+ 2 3" 3

I Chord = 1 (5th), 2 (root) and 3 (3rd)

IV Chord = 2+ (3rd) and 2 (5th)

V Chord = 1 (root) and 3" (5th)

Try to play only the notes that match the given chord you're playing over as practice to different light jam tracks.