Tip of the Day

Simply put... use it. It, and dynamics, are the most powerful tools in regards to conveying emotion to the listener.

In my 12-hour teaching block yesterday I found myself reminding students an awful lot to use vibrato. Long notes are a no-brainer, but also use them on shorter notes, commonly a quarter note in length (one beat), or sometimes downbeat eighth notes (the eight note on the downbeat, worth 2/3 of a beat in a shuffle or swing). Vibrato is so important that I have special notation for it to remind students commonly in the first three levels of study on the site. continue reading...

A cool lick that goes to the top (on top of the rhythm section... the soloist) is turned into a HEAD by repeating the lick within the first 12 bars (one chorus) using one of the Chorus Forms. The rhythm section is playing a generic groove in support. continue reading...

There are two elements in blues songwriting... the HOOK and HEAD... both of which have one element at their core... a cool lick.

A cool lick that goes to the bottom (the rhythm section) is turned into a HOOK by repeating and sequencing (transposing to match chord change) throughout the twelve-bar progression, and continuing throughout the entire song. So, in this case, the lick BECOMES the groove. "I'm Ready" and "Tramp" are great examples of this and "I Ain't Superstitious" is a good example of a modified version of this.

Tomorrow we'll dig into the Head.

"The listener wants more repetition than the player is usually willing to give" is one of my favorite statements to make in response to a student's query, "what did you think" after the commonly too active solo. I don't care how much technique you have, if you don't use repetition at the core of your song writing and improvising, by not repeating anything you're telling the listener there's nothing worth remembering. As Joe Filisko stated at a Harmonica Masterclass Workshop on this same discussion point, "If you're not playing something memorable, then you're playing something forgettable." continue reading...

The listener wants more space (rest between phrases) than the player is usually willing to give.

The listener wants more repetition than the player is usually willing to give.

If you commonly listen to music on your desktop computer speakers or through your laptop’s built-in speakers, you’re missing out on the lower frequencies. This is not much of an issue unless you’re having difficulty hearing the chord changes. The bass player outlines the chords, so if you can’t hear it well, you’ll have challenges staying within the form. continue reading...

It can be difficult to know if what you’re playing is correct when experimenting with variable splits. The most common variable split is the split-4, where you place your lips over four holes and block the two in the middle for what’s commonly an octave. But… the 2/5 (playing the 2 draw and 5 draw at the same time, with the tongue blocking holes 3 and 4) is not an octave and can be hard to hear if you’re playing it correctly due to its dissonant nature. How about when you’re playing an octave on the high draws, such s the 3/7 (split-5). continue reading...

Silent footage. Max Moore, owner of Interstate Grocery in Helena, Arkansas, was the sponsor for radio station KFFA's "King Biscuit Time" program. We believe he shot this home movie circa 1942. In it, renowned blues musicians Robert 'Junior' Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson perform on the front porch of a small-town Arkansas grocery store. This is likely the earliest footage of these musicians performing together. The second portion of the clip is a 1952 tour featuring Williamson and his band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6v-hz3ER0c

Like to save a $. Joe Filisko shares in the Spring 1998 Harmonica Happenings how to make your own Tongue Block Trainer using a 2 gallon milk container.

Tongue Blocking by Joe Filisko - Harmonica Happenings (Spring 1998, pg 12)
http://www.filiskostore.com/files/1900363/uploaded/Tongue%20Block%20Trai...