Tip of the Day

Let's work the C Major Scale to get used to this shift...

Low: 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+

High: 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 (10'+) 10+

Here's a nice Lee Oskar style lick that takes advantage of how the high end is constructed...

9+ 9 8, 8+ 8 7, 7+ 7 6, 6+

So we've noticed that blows and draws are still the same when moving up an octave, but movement changes. On the low end we play 4 draw to get D and then we move up one hole to play E on 5+. On the high end we 8 draw to get D and then we blow, no movement, to get E on 8+.

Think about this. Try moving some licks from the low end to the high end.

Lick: 3+ 3 4 5+ 6+ -to- 6+ 7 8 8+ 9+

Here's one thing we find...

1) Draw notes are still draw notes
2) Blow notes are still blow notes

Think about this. Try moving some licks from the low end to the high end. There's one more important aspect to notice... more on this tomorrow...

Lick: 3+ 3 4 5+ 6+ -to- 6+ 7 8 8+ 9+

Play this lick and notice the similarities and differences...

3+ 3 4 5+ 6+ -to- 6+ 7 8 8+ 9+

Try playing a note starting as softly as you possibly can play the note and slowly increase in volume to as loud as you can play (stopping before possible damage of the instrument ;-) and then slowly decrease the volume until the note disappears. Play your blow notes, draw notes and bends this way to develop both control and the sense of what it takes to play the entire dynamic range of each hole/note on the harmonica. When playing louder do your best to not bend downward in pitch.

Time for another example. Listen to Kim Wilson's "Hunch Rhythm" on the Tiger Man CD. He starts off with a couple of Chorus Forms and then he's off to ABC's throughout the instrumental. For a lesser player we would get bored due to the lack of Chorus Forms, but Kim is such a masterful user of texture and dynamics that it's still exciting.

When listening to a good player you'll notice that each note they play has dynamic shape. Try this lick in a shuffle rhythm...

2 2 3 3 4 4 5+ 6+

Play each downbeat note with a "HA" and play each upbeat softly, except the last 6+. The HA ramps up in volume quickly and lowers in volume slower... giving each note a dynamic shape. Give this a try.

With all the dynamics tips in mind so far, take the study song you just completed and make each lick you play have the dynamic shape we spoke of yesterday (loud-soft-loud or soft-loud-soft), or make it louder or softer than the preceding lick. Think about your playing as having a heated argument with someone you love. One moment it's loud and obnoxious!... the other it's soft and consoling... then mean and powerful!... then neutral... this is what makes a solo passionate!

Now think of one lick instead of an entire section. Try this lick...

2 3 4 5+ 6+ 5+ 4 3 2

Don't worry about the rhythm.

Start soft with 2 and then progress to loud by the time you hit 6+. It's key that you don't just jump up in volume all of a sudden, but you make each note as you travel to the 6+ incrementally louder. Do the reverse on the way back down to the 2, ending with the same volume you started with.

Now try the reverse (start loud on 2...).

This type of dynamics is very emotional sounding. Music is supposed to be emotional, right?

Listening to Little Walter's "Off The Wall," did you hear how the volume of each chorus changes? Pretty cool. This is something you can start doing now to add more dynamics to your solos.

Homework #2 - Improvise to a jam track or play one of the study songs you're working on in the site and change your volume at each chord change.

For example...

I7 = Soft
IV7 = Loud
I7 - Back to soft
V7-IV7-I7 = Medium in volume
I7-V7 (Turnaround) Soft or loud

Give this a try and you'll be amazed at how much more emotional your playing will sound.