Tip of the Day

Let's now take some familiar licks and move them up an octave. This is by far the easiest, and most enjoyable, way of getting to know the high end of the harmonica.

First lick of "Juke" by Little Walter (minus pulls and such, just the basic pitches)
3+ 3 4 5+ 6+ 6+ = 6+ 7 8 8+ 9+ 9+

First chorus of "Easy" Big Walter Horton
3 4+ 4, 4 5+ 4 4+ 3
5+ 5 6+, 6+ 6+ 5 5+ 4
4 5+ 4 5 5+ 4 4+, 6+ 5 5+ 4 3' 3" 2 2, 3 4 5+ 6+ slide-to-2 2 1 1

=

7 7+ 8, 8 8+ 8 7+ 7
8+ 9 9+, 9+ 9+ 9 8+ 8 continue reading...

Interesting analysis of Over the Rainbow. Thanks to fellow student Steve for sharing
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/rainbow-takes-us-magical-musical-place/

http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-9-41-October-8-2015/

As blues harmonica players we prefer the tone of the lower keyed harmonicas and the lower six holes of the harmonica. When venturing above hole 6, the tone thins and we start to move off access of our cupped hands and away from our mic.

Players commonly use slaps as their default way to present the high notes for a more powerful sound. Using octaves (4 hole for blow and 5 hole for draw) is also a great approach for a bigger sound. continue reading...

In the BB's radio show The Science Hour on 10/2 (the episode tilted "Flowing Water on Mars") they spoke of timbre, the overtone series, temperament (our harmonica models come in different temperaments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_temperament) and how active the mind is in the production of music. The explanations are bit shallow, but still a fun listen. Go here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p033n9rm and start it at 23:46.

The most apparent change on the high end for someone studying the note layout of the harmonica or playing scales is that at hole 7 the blow notes are higher than the draw notes. This is easily seen in the C Major Scale below. Note the change in breathing between holes 6 and 7.

4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+

If you play two octaves of scale you get...

4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 10+ (10'+ B is also available if you want to throw it in there, but it's rarely used)

Now the entire range...

1+ 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ 6 7 7+ 8 8+ 9 9+ 10 10+ continue reading...

Jot down some notes this weekend on what you think are the challenges of learning to play above hole 6 in 2nd Position and why you may think it's not used as much as it could be. I'll share my observations starting Monday. Have a great weekend everyone!

While I'm on a reference kick, "All Music Guide to the Blues" has a very cool section in the back that details the history and evolution (through its innovators) of each instrument in the blues.
http://www.amazon.com/All-Music-Guide-Blues-Definitive/dp/0879307366

Cool story from Paul's quest for unique tone
https://www.facebook.com/PaulOscherMusic/posts/1710559882505468:0

School of the Blues students rehearsed for their Fall student concert Sunday and one of the areas they could have benefited from doing beforehand was to listen carefully to what the band was doing in their song. They did work out what the groove was, the key, the opening, ending and if there were breaks, but what they missed was what the instruments were doing within the groove of their song. In many cases this level of detail was not needed, but in some it was essential. continue reading...