harmonica

Excessive volume from the band is an extremely common problem for harmonica players. We have issues hearing ourselves (which causes feedback problems trying to raise above the volume of the band) and all ideas of musicality and dynamics are thrown out the window. Here are some tools you can use to help combat this... continue reading...

Blues Blast Magazine released this interview with Charlie Musselwhite today: http://www.bluesblastmagazine.com/featured-interview-charlie-musselwhite/

This is our quote of the week at United Academy of Martial arts. I thought I would share it with you as well, it's to the point and right on the mark.

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success." by Napoleon Hill

In a standard 12 Bar Blues, with our most common vocal AAB rhyme scheme, fills are found on the last two bars of each four-bar line (of which there are three). These fills happen on the I (one) chord. This makes fills generally easy to play due to there being no chord considerations to be made.

In a non-12 Bar Blues progression this may not be the case, and this is true for "Key to the Highway."

Play fills to Little Walter's recording in the following manner... continue reading...

A student came in last week asking about jaw movement after watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0fusOgxp_8. Here's what I told him...

"I tend not to focus on jaw movement anymore with students as a technique to study. In my experience, some techniques tend to show up in one's playing over time without having to focus on it, and this is one of them. To answer your question... when moving a hole to the right and coming back, you can use your jaw to make the quick motion away and back. The same applies for moving from one hole to the left and back. continue reading...

“Keen self-listening is central to musical excellence. Without it, performers heedlessly sing off pitch, play out of rhythm, or otherwise mangle their music. They sound good to no one but themselves. With high-quality recording devices, however, accurate self-assessment comes within the reach of all musicians.” Pg 16

“There is nothing more fatal for our musical sense than to allow ourselves—by the hour—to hear musical sounds without really listening to them.” Tobias Matthay, Pg 16

“Your creative capacity is determined by your musical and technical abilities, along with your available practice time. Your capacity will increase as your strength and skills grow. However, for you to make progress with basics such as on-stage confidence and ease of execution, your repertoire choices must be within your capacity. Musicians who pick unobtainable pieces foster destructive habits, such as anxiety and tension, and they miss out on learning how to present secure, poetic performances.” Pg 14

“As a general rule, rest 10 minutes of each hour that you spend in the practice room. Rest more if you’re working vigorously or adopting new techniques. A sensible practice-to-rest ratio, widely recommended by teachers and medical authorities, is to practice no more than 25-30 minutes before pausing for a 5-minute respite. Many musicians opt for more frequent breathers and rest 2-3 minutes every 15 minutes or so.” Pg 12

This week I'll share with you my favorite passages from Gerald Klickstein's book, "The Musician’s Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness" Oxford University Press, www.oup.com ISBN 978-0-19-534313-7

Artful Practice continue reading...