Tip of the Day

Most harmonica players play too loud. A great way to practice playing softer, as well as increase your bending skill (it’s harder to play bends well softly), is to practice playing to jam tracks with the volume low. If you can’t hear the backing, you can’t play in time—this forces you to play softer.

2 draw and 3+ are the same note. The 2 draw is preferred if you’re: doing a run of draws (the more you stay in one breathing direction the faster you can play); playing a 2 bend afterwards; or performing a vibrato. The 3+ is preferred if: you need to get rid of air; want the bigger sound for slaps and pulls (three holes will sound instead of two); or you’re doing a run of blows. Each hole does have a different tone, so sometimes we’ll toggle between the two for a fun way to play the same note in a phrase. Finally, sometimes players don’t have a reason—it’s just fun to switch it up.

Be aware that when a passage contains a repetitive lick, i.e., a string of notes that are rhythmically the same (such as a triplet passage for more than two beats), most players will have the tendency to rush. Knowing that this is common, when you approach such a passage, make sure to feel the pulse of the music and hold yourself back from rushing.

As a randomized sample of our ratio of draw to blow notes played (rests were not counted), I analyzed the first four choruses of these songs played in 2nd Position (our most common position):
1) “Bonus Boogie” by Kim Wilson – 8 beats of blow and 147 beats of draw = 95% draws
2) “Blue Midnight” by Little Walter – 25 beats of blow and 143 beats of draw = 85% draws
3) “Baby Scratch My Back” by Slim Harpo – 12 beats of blow and 122 beats of draw = 91% draws continue reading...

It’s crucial to use an extremely light touch with your tongue and lips on the face of the harmonica. This not only improves your tone, but it also reduces friction on the face of the harmonica and tension in your tongue. A light touch and relaxed tongue equals greater speed.

The default way to play the 3 draw is with a dip (bend and quick release). If you’re passing by the 3 draw very quickly, then skip the dip.

A slap is the default way a blues harmonica player presents a single note. Are you slapping enough?

Start your shakes with the bottom note first. If it’s a draw shake, start it with a dip.

The band will never play with exactly the same feel as your song. This is often a big surprise to new performers and it throws them off enough to make them not be able to play the full tune as practiced. Bulletproof yourself by practicing to differing jam tracks that are in the same key. Keep your groove/feel similar (don’t pair your shuffle with a slow blues or rumba jam track for example).

No matter how careful you are with hearing the tempo of your song in your head before counting a band in, there’s going to be some degree of error. In preparation for performance, practice playing your song up to 10% faster and slower (use a program like the Amazing Slow Downer to do this). This will prepare you for any possible fluctuation in tempo in performance.