harmonica

John Németh is featured in this month's Blues Blast Magazine: http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/issue-9-17-april-23-2015/ You can see John's video interview here: http://www.bluesharmonica.com/john_nemeth

An alternative to the Flutter Tongue is the Side Flutter, where your tongue moves side to side. I commonly see three ways this is approached...

1) The tongue moves side to side on the face of the harmonica. When the tongue is to the right, the low note sounds (D for example on the C Harmonica when performing a 1 draw/4 draw side flutter). When the tongue moves to the left, the high note sounds (4 draw in this case). With a light touch on the face of the harmonica and a relaxed tongue, the tongue moves side to side quickly, jumping between the two octave D's. continue reading...

Start with a slap and continue to make the slapping motion with a fully supported airstream (not individual pumps of air like that of individual slaps).

TIPS:

Most importantly...
1) Keep your tongue to the left. The most common error is to allow the tongue to drift to the center, essentially causing the technique to turn into multiple pulls. continue reading...

Howard Levy and I were having a discussion a while back about teaching and the challenges students deal with. He recounted a story of a specific student that couldn't play a song... his rhythm was off and he would commonly be on the wrong hole of the harmonica and not recognize it. He asked the student to put down the harmonica and sing it, and the student couldn't sing it. continue reading...

Here's the second and final broadcast just released from Joe Filisko and the NHL (National Harmonica League) on Recordings by Singers and Sidemen: https://www.mixcloud.com/PodKast/rare-early-harmonica-recordings-by-voca...

Here are some key benefits of using a light touch with your tongue on the face of the harmonica...

1) Holes to the right or left (depending on which tongue block technique you're performing) will not unintentionally be blocked by your tongue squishing into the holes. continue reading...

I'm home rehabbing my knee and doing a lot of transcription work and I thought you would be interested in being a fly on the wall and see the transcription process. This is the last chorus of Gary Smith's “Alviso Rock,” a song from "It Takes Three." I turned on the screen capture and here it is: https://youtu.be/gOhmazFjP4U (make sure to click on the YouTube link below and watch it in full-screen mode). continue reading...

When studying Little Walter's legendary blues harmonica instrumental "Roller Coaster," the key moment of discovery in being able to perform the song successfully was is using the lightest touch possible on the face of the harmonica (both the tongue and lips, but most importantly the tongue). This was key in being able to play at his speed and level of dexterity. Here are the negatives of pushing too hard when tongue blocking... continue reading...

Yesterday I stated that your lips should be surrounding four holes. The purpose of this is as follows, with the more important reasons listed first...

1) You can play an octave very quickly with slight adjustment of the tongue (to the center, blocking two holes).

2) Your slaps, pulls, flutters and other techniques where the tongue is off of the harmonica have a much bigger sound, due to there being four holes sounding when the tongue is off instead of three. continue reading...

In this video you hear us rehearse and record a new arrangement of Gary Smith's "Rocket Ride."