Tip of the Day

It's much more fun to practice scales while playing to a jam track. If you're practicing the Blues Scale, then choose a Bluesy jam track, or even better, a Minor Jam track, this way if you accidentally step outside of the Blues Scale, or play a bent note out of tune (like the 3'), you'll know it right away. For the Major Pentatonic Scale use a jam track with a Light feel, like a Rhumba or Swing.

P.S., before doing this, play each scale slowly while playing the same notes on a piano, pitch generator or tuner, to make sure your bends are in tune.

Are some of your octaves slightly out of tune?... specifically on some holes of some keys of harmonica... even when they're new... out of the box or customized?

If so, try to find one right now and reproduce it... the newer the harp the better. continue reading...

Here they are, from holes 2 through 6+, referencing a C Harmonica again in 2nd Position...

C Major: 2 3" 3 4+ 4 5+ 5 6+ (G A B C D E F G)

G Major Pentatonic: 2 3" 3 4 5+ 6+ (G A B D E G)

G Blues: 2 3' 4+ 4' 4 5 6+ (G B-flat C D-flat D F G)

Referencing a C Harmonica... C Major, G Major Pentatonic and G Blues.

Many students through the years have found this visual software to be helpful in mastering their bends http://harmonicagame.com/index.html

The piano IS the standard reference instrument in the music word... for all instrumentalist. As a music major in college everyone is required to have a basic proficiency on the piano. Due to its very visual nature and the fact that it can play both single note melodies and chords, it's a wonderful reference for whatever you may study or play. If you don't own a piano, keep your eyes open for an inexpensive electronic keyboard, it's a valuable reference to have in your practice room, especially if you're studying bending or the music theory lessons on the site.

When referencing a pitch for bending practice (such as a piano or a pitch generator like the Wittner MT60 that Kinya used in Harp Tech Study 7), if you're in tune, you won't hear the reference pitch (it will be very difficult to hear).

If you can't hear the click of the metronome, it means you're dead-center in time.

For those of you interested in the improvising and songwriting process, and enjoyed the Leonard Bernstein footage on the subject I recommended a while back (http://www.bluesharmonica.com/leonard_bernstein_importance_repetition_vi...), then you may like this article by Gunther Schuller, the same author of the composition “Journey Into Jazz” we explored a month ago (http://www.bluesharmonica.com/blues_harmonica_players_journey). continue reading...

My School of the Blues students in San Jose, California have now gone through their rehearsals for the summer student concert and are getting ready to perform. The ones that chose songs with non-12 Bar Blues chord changes or fancy openings, endings or breaks, have found how much a of a challenge they can be to rehearse and play with the band. These types of songs can be fantastic, but require extra attention and practice from all involved. Generally speaking... the success level goes down and the anxiety level goes up (for all those involved) the fancier the tune is. continue reading...