Tip of the Day

A student asked about the V-IV-I area (Bars 9-11) part of the 12 Bar Blues in regards to accompaniment. It's commonly an active area and he was wondering how to approach this area without grabbing too much attention (interfering with the vocals). Here are some general guidelines for everyone. Remember... no rule book exists, but here is what I have personally observed in my studies...

1) Playing Chord Tones is best

2) Repetition is better than activity continue reading...

Harmonica customizer and tool maker Richard Sleigh just completed his website redesign. If you're into harmonica technology and the tools used for customization, I suggest you check his page out, paying specific attention to the Archives at right.

http://hotrodharmonicas.com

Here's a little known fact...

If you play 2 draw and 5 draw at the same time (blocking holes 3 and 4 with your tongue... a standard octave embouchure size) you get G on the bottom (2 draw) and F on the top (5 draw). This creates a great bluesy dissonance that's used often by players.

You probably already knew this, BUT, did you know you can bend the 2 draw G down to F, without affecting the 5 draw F, creating an F octave? continue reading...

You of course have the "Share" portion of BluesHarmonica.com to share your recordings with fellow students, but here's another avenue to interact with harmonica enthusiasts... continue reading...

I didn't know our accordion brother (also a reed instrument, commonly made in the same factory as the harmonica) can bend notes as well. Take a listen to this interesting NPR interview... the portion on note bending is at 5:52.

Accordionist Interprets French Waltz Tradition In 'Musette Explosion'
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/10/363051645/accordionist-interprets-french-w...

Thanks to Charlie Musselwhite for sharing this...

BLUES STORY: A Documentary
The Story of the Blues told through the eyes of the artists who lived it.
http://youtu.be/5qq_qnLHf74?list=PLqCjLhOxHNnLzDFIHOc0F4E5oT-R-HR1c

A student asked how I would structure an 8 hour a day practice routine. I thought you would appreciate seeing this...

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Assuming I was where you're at right now, this is how I would structure my practice day...

1) 15m - Warm up playing scales: Major Pentatonic and Blues Scale for each chord of the three positions (C, G, D, A) across the entire range of the harmonica.

2) 15m - Arpeggios: Major, Minor and 7th Chords from of all the chords based on the home scale in three positions (C, G and D scales) continue reading...

I had a couple of students ask where on the site they can study bass lines. Here they are...

Solo Harmonica Study 1 - Section 2
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/solo_study_1

Solo Harmonica Study 2 - Section 2
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/solo_harmonica_study_2

Solo Harmonica Study 3 - Section 2
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/solo_harmonica_study_3

Accompaniment Study 7 - Bass Lines
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/accompaniment_study_7

Accompaniment Study 8 - Hooks (which are also commonly played by the bass) continue reading...

Only stories and pictures from the Harmonica Masters Workshops this year so far... here's the first footage to release. Thanks to Mason Dabbag for filming and sharing.

Harmonica Masters 2014 Grande Finale Trossingen Germany
http://youtu.be/pD0Fyl3jGPk

Comb material does not affect the the sound of your harmonica (assuming the comb is flat, making an even mating surface for the reed plate to the comb), but it does affect the feel. Choices are commonly plastic/resin, wood and metal. The issue of wood combs swelling is less of an issue these days. The most notorious in the past being the Hohner Marine Band, but they're now triple-sealed. What you'll notice the most is the hole spacing, beveling of the edge and every now and again the height (thickness). The new Hohner Rocket has noticeably larger holes than the Hohner Special 20. continue reading...