Tip of the Day

Fellow harmonica player Steve Webster found the case company My Case Builder at http://www.mycasebuilder.com where you can design your own foam insert to fit in their selection of case designs and sizes. Take a look at the pics I just posted at https://www.facebook.com/bluesharmonica of Steve's final design. Thanks for sharing Steve!

Just announced from HOHNER Harmonicas today...

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You and your harmonica in the most unusual location!

You and your harmonica – that’s all we want. Be it on a backpack trip through Asia, on your vacation in the Caribbean, or in the middle of a desert. In fact, the more unusual the location is, the better!

What do you get in return? How does 1.000 Euros sound to you? That’s right: We’re giving away 1.000 Euros for the best photo and for the best video.
What are you waiting for?

All you have to do is follow the three steps below: continue reading...

Before you can explore how to use the opening and closing of your nose to balance your breathing while playing the harmonica, you first need to learn how to close it. Here are some ways to explore closing your nose. Try all them, you may find one that works better than the other. If you're not sure if your nose is closed while trying one of these (in other words, if the technique is working or not), simply plug your nose to see if there's a marked difference. Another way to check is to place your finger under your nose. continue reading...

Let's take a quick break from learning about the nose and breathing and read this interview released today at Blues Blast Magazine on Bob Corritore http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-9-22-may-28-2015/

For most students, the slippery slope of opening the nose while playing the harmonica begins unconsciously. Their body learns that if the nose is opened, the issues of unintentional bending of holes 1 and 2 are fixed. When opened, the tuned size of the mouth cavity that was causing issues with that hole/note is combined with the nasal cavity, creating a cavity that's lower in pitch than those reeds can be bent to, which results in better tone and no possibility of unintentional bending. continue reading...

Your nose (nasal cavity, controlled by the raising [closed] and lowering [open] of the soft palate) should be closed while playing the harmonica. If you find yourself running out of breath quickly while playing the harmonica, an open nose may be the issue.

Let's test your nose. continue reading...

Yesterday I shared with you the important tip of using a yawn to create an embouchure conducive to creating big tone. Today I share the second element of how I create big tone on the harmonica... it's the word "radiant." This helps me to both play softly and direct warm/radiant air through the harmonica. Playing softly is at the core of controlled technique and the ability to play with dynamics (playing softly as your default provides a large dynamic range in performance). continue reading...

Use a slight yawn… this drops your jaw slightly (opens your mouth cavity), drops the middle/back part of your tongue (most important... this the #1 cause of poor tone, even if everything else is in alignment), raises your soft palate (so that no air goes through your nasal cavity) and opens your throat (gives you a larger tone... noticeably more bass).

Not that I agree with his generalized statements, but it's an interesting perspective.

Why Americans Don’t Like Jazz by Dyske Suematsu
http://dyske.com/paper/778

Just announced...

10th Harmonica Masters Workshops
Trossingen, November 4th - 8th 2015
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=16e053fd13650d3df590bb67c&id=203e64e...

The Harmonica Masters Workshops have been taking place in Trossingen since 2003. Initiated by musical director Steve Baker, with world-class instructors and a full supporting program of sessions and concerts, they are now regarded as the leading educational event for blues harmonica in Europe. continue reading...