Intermediate Study Plan
In this lesson track we'll dive deeper into the hugely important technique of tongue blocking (adding pulls and octaves to your repertoire) as well as start to really hone your bending skills (deeper and faster bends). In this track I continue to challenge you with more advanced movement, phrases, licks and rhythms, as well as introducing you to different types of grooves to study and improvise within.
To start at this level you should have completed the lesson track for beginning players or: feel comfortable moving around playing single notes and slaps with the tongue block embouchure; have a basic ability to bend holes 1 through 6 draw (tongue block or pucker embouchures); are comfortable playing within the twelve bar blues structure and have developed good study habits.
Intermediate Section 1
"Take It Easy Now" [Tongue Blocking & Bending Studies 2.5] is your next study song. This Repertoire Builder song does not teach any new techniques, but places into context what you've worked hard to learn in the Beginning Study Plan. This song will continue to work these techniques along with giving you a fun song to play that contains valuable lick vocabulary for your improvising later in this Study Plan. You'll need a C Harmonica for this study.
Revisit the tremolo technique in the lesson Tremolo & Vibrato, it's used a lot in this study song. Remember to watch Intermediate Student Ryan Walker to see how he's doing with the same material. He starts "Take It Easy Now" in Lesson 1
Intermediate Section 2
"Gary's Blues" [Tongue Blocking Study 3] is your next tongue block study song, working pulls, flutters and syncopated rhythms. You'll need a G Harmonica for this study. You're now going to work on two songs at a time, one tongue blocking song and one bending song. Your new bending study song is "The Strut" [Bending Study 3], which will work the bending technique of stopping at the bottom. You'll need a D Harmonica for this study.
These are both very challenging songs... give yourself a couple weeks on each chorus.
These are both challenging study songs and will take some time (commonly 3 to 6 months to finish both). Have some fun with Section 2 of Solo Harmonica Study 1 and Solo Harmonica Study 2. You'll need a G Harmonica for these studies.
Intermediate Section 3
You've been working hard to develop good technique and lick vocabulary on the harmonica, it's now time to learn how to improvise with Improvising Study 1 - Chorus Forms
As you're having fun learning how to improvise take some time to understanding the different grooves used in the blues (shuffles, swings, slow blues, etc.) with Performance Training: Groove.
You've been working hard on the diatonic harmonica and the skills you've developed will help you to play the chromatic harmonica. If you're interested in the chromatic harmonica (you like the way it sounds) then now is a great time to get started and learn it along with the diatonic harmonica. Start your studies with "No Sweat" [Blues Chromatic Study 1]. You'll need a standard solo-tuned C Chromatic Harmonica for this study. I recommend the Hohner Super Chromonica 270 Deluxe (12-hole). If you already own a solo-tuned chromatic that's 10, 12 or 16-hole in size, these will also work just fine.
Intermediate Section 4
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 2 – Focus Notes, Textures & Rhythm
You've been working on how to apply licks that you've learned in our study songs to improvisation via the Chorus Form process. Most likely you're playing, or want to soon play, with other musicians. To play with other musicians you need to be familiar with all of the ways in which to open and end songs... Performance Training does just this.
Let's now dig into "Cool Blue" [Blues Chromatic Study 2] where you'll use many of the techniques you've developed in "Gary's Blues," specifically the pull. You'll also learn how to use the slide.
Intermediate Section 5
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 3 - Dynamics
"The Split" [Tongue Blocking Study 4] is your next tongue block study song; working octaves, low-end pulls and playing to a faster swing rhythm. You'll need a B-flat Harmonica for this study.
Your second of two study songs is "My Blues" [Bending Study 4], which works: starting in the fully bent position; playing the bluesy 3 draw quartertone bend; selecting the most bluesy sounding notes and integrating super bluesy sounding tongue block textures. This is also your first time playing a slow blues. You'll need an A Harmonica for this study.
Intermediate Section 6
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 4 - V-IV-I Transitions
Now that you've been working hard to learn your study songs you've developed enough in your skills to try an Artist Study. Take a look at "Blues for Big Nate" by Jerry Portnoy. This is not a study song where you'll record it and send it in to me for review; it's for your own fun and satisfaction of playing a great blues harmonica instrumental. You'll need an A Harmonica for this song.
This is a good time to dig into the Blues Scale... the most important scale to be learned by blues harmonica players. We'll do this while learning Minor Playing on the diatonic harmonica (you've been playing in major up to this point). You'll need three harmonicas for this study: G, A and C.
Intermediate Section 7
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 5 - Turnarounds
It's time to develop your blow bending skills with Bending Study 6 - Blow Bending. The context of this technique will come later with the song "Blowin' the Blues" in your advanced studies of 1st Position. Right now your main focus is to develop the skill of blow bending and we'll later place it into a musical context.
Let's now dig into "Easy Baby" [Blues Chromatic Study 3] where you'll learn fake octaves, dips and more work with the slide.
Intermediate Section 8
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 6 - Endings
Intermediate Section 9
Continue to develop your improvising skills with Improvising Study 7 - Heads, Hooks, Bridges, Arrangement & Tribute Writing and Soloing Themes
