Tip of the Day

Your speech...
1) Key of "E"
2) "Swing" ...with ii-V-I if they ask...
3) "From the I" (One Chord)

Make sure to listen to the song in your head for a moment before counting the band in... otherwise you'll most likely count in too fast. continue reading...

As you start to go into the 8th Chorus and to the end of the song, there’s not much to bring up that you haven’t already encountered earlier in the song, but a couple of notes are in order. The shakes used in the 9th Chorus are fast. Practice playing 3 draw/4 draw shakes in a quarter note rhythm. Place a dip on the start of each shake, which should start with the 4 draw. In almost all cases when performing a shake you’ll start with the bottom note (4 draw). The slight bend in the shake over the IV chord will take some time to play at proper pitch. continue reading...

His use of dynamics in this chorus is really great. Note the punctuated 2 draws at the end of the first line. The rhythm after the ii7 chord (going into the 10th measure) can be tricky. Also note that most of the 3 draws use dips… a technique often overlooked.

Transcription: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/rocker_-_li...

The last line of this chorus foretells the first four measures of the following chorus. As with previous choruses, which used rhythmic breathing, make sure your exhale chords are soft and fall directly on the beat. Though the result is soft, the technique is not. Use a “ts” articulation for the blow chords, having your lips placed very softly on the face of the harmonica, with the sides of your lips off the harmonica to allow air to escape (very similar to the steam train imitation on the harmonica… the steam portion). continue reading...

Note the nice variation each four measures bring. Look at bar two, “and of” 1 and downbeat of 2, again he’s using rhythmic breathing/chording in place of standard notes for rhythmic affect and to make each line more interesting.

The rhythmic breathing used between the three draws here will have a large part to do with your success of learning this line. Rhythmic breathing helps to keep your playing in time and promotes good placement of syncopated notes (notes on the upbeat). Note that all blow notes are on the downbeat… this is key. This is an excellent example of Little Walter’s rhythmic playing on the low end of the harmonica.

Transcription: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/rocker_-_li...

The biggest challenge in this chorus will be the rhythm. Note that the first lick starts on the second beat (David Waldman speaks of this in his interview)… resist the urge to start on the downbeat. Note the rhythmic breathing between the main licks, play these softly. Generally speaking, slap the notes found on the 4th hole and above (minus the 16th notes… listen to the recording and use your ears to tell you where he slaps). The sixteenth notes used in these first two licks are similar to glissandos, so play them fast, focusing on where each start and end point is. continue reading...

Rocker, Chorus 2 (A A1 B Chorus Form) by Little Walter
The time you spent working on pulls for the first chorus (or pucker-pulls) will pay off here as well. Note the jumping from note to note… the disjunct nature of this chorus is killer and thus very challenging. Look at the notation carefully and make note of the use of pulls, rhythmic breathing, shakes and glissandos. Using a program like the Amazing Slow Downer or Transcribe to slow the music down will be extremely helpful here.

Transcription: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/rocker_-_li...

Each day I’ll talk about one chorus of Rocker. This opening chorus (head) is what really brings the listener into the instrumental. Using an AAA Chorus Form helps to solidify the theme in the listener’s mind. The upbeat pulls (many fail to notice them at this speed) and 2 draw bends will take some time to play at this tempo. Though Little Walter tongue blocked this chorus, if you’re a pucker player you can play this passage using the “pucker-pull” for the upbeat chords. continue reading...

Now that you've had some time to dig into the multiple versions of "Rocker," here's the transcription of the original by Little Walter for you. Enjoy your time studying this, it's a fantastic example of his rhythmic work on the lower holes of the harmonica. File: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/rocker_-_li...