Tip of the Day

I've had the pleasure of playing with Keith a couple of times. Keith is a very nice guy and has a cool approach to the harmonica that's both classic and open-minded at the same time. Here's his video interview...

Keith Dunn - HOHNER Masters of the Harmonica
http://youtu.be/Ytx29iz4OPE

Here's a list of killer instrumentals with strong heads.

“All Corned Up” Jim Liban, Hot Tongue and Cold Shoulder
“The Bounce” Rod Piazza, Alphabet Blues
“Hittin’ Heavy” William Clarke, William Clarke, the Early Years, Vol. 1
“Red Top” Gary Primich, Mr. Freeze
“South Bay Beatdown” Gary Smith, Blues for Mr. B
“Harp Shuffle” Mark Hummel, Harmonica Party
“Blues For Big Nate” Jerry Portnoy, Red Hot ‘n’ Blue
“Club Zanzibar” Kim Wilson, Kirk Fletcher, Shades of Blue
“El Gado Rumba Azul” Curtis Salgado, Hit It ‘n Quit It
“Ashburn Blues” Dennis Gruenling, Jump Time continue reading...

If you have a veracious apatite for learning songs (good for you!) and want more than what I've written for you on BluesHarmonica.com, Joe Filisko has some great study songs at http://www.filiskostore.com. He uses a different notation system than I, but it's common in the harmonica world to develop the skill to read multiple notation systems since there's no standard.

P.S., I really like "Rice Cool Blues," it uses chords, single notes and some bending that's fast, but used not too often.

In Friday's tip I spoke of the hook, which is a catchy lick that's played by the rhythm section and BECOMES the groove.

The other most common way to play a catchy lick is to use it as the main lick in a head. The head is the same structurally as any other chorus in a song, it's just the BEST one. The lick is repeated within that chorus, using one of the Chorus Form structures I teach in Improvising Study 1 (http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/improvising_study_1_chorus_forms) to make it memorable. continue reading...

For a groove to be special, it's generally based on a cool lick, played by the rhythm section and sequenced throughout the chord changes (this is where the lick is moved up or down to be played on the other chords)... this special lick is known as a Hook. Here is a list of cool hooks that lay very well on the harmonica. To learn how to play these on the harmonica visit: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/accompaniment_study_8

“Driving Wheel” Junior Parker
“Just to Be With You” Muddy Waters
“Deep Down in Florida [#2]” Muddy Waters
“Just A Dream” Kim WiIlson continue reading...

"Sad Hours" by Little Walter starts with the guitar playing a bass line hook to set the mood with the band. Walter then enters with a pickup and holds a ghostly 5 draw. Walter plays thematically and never overplays... a great example of building a mood and staying with it. continue reading...

Every song starts with a spark of an idea. Most of the time the spark is a cool lick that has a catchy rhythm and/or note combination that you match to a groove after its creation. Sometimes you sit down to write material for your band or a CD project and you think about exploring different grooves (shuffle, swing, two-beat, rock-beat, rumba, etc.) to add variety and spark some new directions. Sometimes you have a mood in mind.

Let's take some time and explore these different ideas this week. Listen to these three examples for their mood and let's discuss their ideas tomorrow. continue reading...

Here it is... drum roll please... tip 1,000! Copy and paste this into a document and print it out to keep in your practice binder to help keep you on track. Have a great week!

The Mind
1) Process, not product… you will be a great player, you just don’t know when
2) Corrections, not judgments
3) It's not commonly the most talented that become great players—It's the most tenacious!

The Time
1) Consistent
2) Non-flex

The Tools
1) Computer
a) Looping and speed-changing software (Amazing Slow Downer www.ronimusic.com)
b) Pitch reference (HarpNinja www.harpninja.com) continue reading...

The dip is a technique used often by harmonica players, but is a technique that sometimes draws confusion for new players. To define the dip... this is where we start a note bent and then release it quickly to the intended pitch. This is similar to a vocalist swooning into a note for dramatic effect. For example, a 4 draw can be presented by playing 4' D-flat and then quickly releasing up to its natural pitch 4 D. The dip is generally a fast technique, though it can be drawn out in a slow blues for a more dramatic, bluesy effect. continue reading...

Start your song and turn on your metronome. Adjust the metronome until it sounds like you're in the ballpark. Stop the metronome and start it again exactly on the first beat of a bar. If it seems fast, slow it down a smidgen, stop it again and start it on the downbeat of the next bar. Repeat this process until you find a tempo that matches the band for around two bars (these are live musicians, you won't get the metronome to stay with the band any longer than that).