What songs are you memorizing on the site?
What are some of your favorite songs on bluesharmonica that after you heard it you knew you had to memorize or just a song you memorized for another reason.
As for me Im only up to garys blues but thats defiantly a song i want to memorize. Besides that ive memorized temperature. I kind of like the way the song the strut sounds but i skipped it so maybe i go back and learn it. Besides that i might want to learn quiet world when i get up to it because i like the idea of a song i can play without a band. Outside the songs on the site im now really learning much else which im going to change that once i finish LOA4.
i will check out Blues for Paul deLay
David's various solo harp lessons and transcriptions are great. And if you add to your playing things like a vegetable-can mute (see the cans that Joe Filisko uses) and some sort of acoustic stomp board (and maybe one of those "footerines," i.e., tamborine jingles you can put on a shoe), you have an inexpensive one-person band. Suitable for use with a tip jar on a sidewalk somewhere if you ever need some cash.
Don't laugh. From time to time in nice weather I've sat on a bench in a nearby park to play stuff, and it seems nearly every other time, someone will stop, look around me, and then say something like, "Where's your tip jar?"
I wouldnt laugh because playing on the street is one of my goals for learning to play an instrument. To keep me motivated I set up some goals for myself
1) play at the river festival (a festival near my house where a bunch of people eat, drink, swim and play pipes)
2) play on the street for money (because why not)
and in the future possibly play a gig in a band but that might be #10 or something.
As for the stomp board my girlfriend plays drums so I have at least a percusion backing. but I always liked adam gusows crossroads blues and that raw nature of a harp and drum so In the future I would diffently try to incorperate that into my playing.
If you like solo harmonica stuff, definitely check out Rice Miller's artist study https://www.bluesharmonica.com/lessons/artist_study_rice_miller That's my favorite song so far, it's a really special one to me.
I have not memorized the first 2-3 study songs, only a few licks here and there. But I did memorize all the others. I like them all, still play them, they all have a very different vibe, I don't really have a favorite I think, depends on what I feel like playing.
good call. I didnt realize that artist study was unaccompanied. ill put it on my list of songs to learn. Thanks
Gamma:
Definitely "Blues for Paul deLay," Tongue Block Study 5. deLay was a powerful player (and great lyricist!), and in the study song David really captures the essence of deLay's octave playing.
Along with a lot of greats, deLay left us too darn early.
I've played the song from memory a few times on Zoom calls with a backing track, and live at a jam.
Your memorizaton favorite(s)?