harmonica

Overbend instructor Ross Garren just released an interview with Mark Hummel here http://www.rossgarren.com/interviews

Three classes have just been opened to the public (my private students get first dibs). Info below...

5/15 - Rhythm Training & Dynamics (Class Size: 10 / Seats Left: 4 / Rate: $145) continue reading...

Today is the official release of "We do it out of Love," a tribute album to the 94 year old legend Toots Thielemans. Featured players are Franco Luciani, Antonio Serrano, Alex Rossi, Olivier Ker Ourio, Gabriel Grossi and Grégoire Maret. For those interested in jazz chromatic, you may find this to be your new favorite CD.

Available at iTunes, Amazon or wedoitoutoflove@gmail.com. Sample here: https://youtu.be/yTAugWXghHg

http://lifehacker.com/5939374/a-better-way-to-practice

A nice article shared to me by Jon Harl (thanks Jon) on how to improve the quality of your practice time. Under “How to Accelerate Skill Development” item 2, labeled “Timing is everything, too” I recommend you base what you’re practicing on your daily energy curve. continue reading...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b074x4tc

Grammy Award-Winning songwriter Amy Wadge fell in love with the harmonica after winning one in a fancy dress competition (she was dressed in a bin liner!). Now she investigates the history and potential of the diatonic instrument, a European the toy which in the hands of expert players became the the iconic sound of the Mississippi Delta and the Chicago Blues. Not bad for what was originally a child's toy produced then, as now, in Germany! continue reading...

You might already be familiar with Akarsha (Aki) Kumar from the recent CD "It Takes Three" with Aki, Gary Smith and myself (David Barrett), or the Contributor Videos Aki submitted in the early days of BluesHarmonica.com (2009). Aki was one of my students, and I'm proud to say one of my most dedicated and now accomplished students. He's been a professional player in the California Bay Area now for ten years, currently runs two of the most successful jam sessions in the area and has been featured on numerous CD's for the prestigious Greaseland Studios label. continue reading...

There's a tendency for new benders to push their tongue hard on the face of the harmonica, using it as a type of anchor for the humping of their tongue. Tension in the front of the tongue, or the pushing of the tongue forwards onto the face of the harmonica, commonly causes thin and airy tone while bending. continue reading...

Alfred Förtsch just contacted me in regards to his new website dedicated to the physics of how the harmonica works, specifically bending. His website is http://www.bluesharpscience.de and if you haven't already done so, take a look at my paper on the subject https://www.bluesharmonica.com/sites/bluesharmonica.com/files/mri_bendin... and the paper with Stanford University http://scitation.aip.org/content/asa/journal/poma/19/1/10.1121/1.4799443 Best wishes on your new site Alfred.

It’s challenging to perform a piece of music. There are techniques (precise bending, tongue blocking, articulation, etc.), movement (conjunct and disjunct), dynamics (volume and tonal), rhythm (individual licks and their chaining together into phrases) and everything else involved in playing a particular piece of music well. continue reading...

Cool video of a very good harmonica not often spoken about.

Mattie & Salty Holmes - The Harmonica Boogie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=224UBcuWZv8

P.S., starting next week Tip of the Day will move to once a week (I'll shoot for Wednesdays). I've enjoyed writing for you every weekday morning for the past 3+ years, but student submissions at BluesHarmonica.com have been increasing steadily and now my time needs to be focused on them.