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David's Tip of the Day: HarpNinja

Posted Fri, 10/19/2012 - 05:26 by David Barrett Admin
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Thanks to fellow student Hank Stefaniak for the following review...

"Disclaimer: I was asked to review this app and to pass on my comments regarding its features and usefulness. If I felt it was not worthwhile, I would not bother commenting at all. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Tubes

Posted Thu, 10/18/2012 - 07:44 by David Barrett Admin
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TubeDepot.com is a great resource of the tubes we commonly use.

David's Tip of the Day: Bullet Mic Ballance

Posted Wed, 10/17/2012 - 06:54 by David Barrett Admin
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If you find your hands getting tired from holding the bullet mic, you're focusing too much on gripping the mic and not enough on just allowing it to sit, balanced between the palms of both of your hands. When your right hand leaves the mic, the left will grip the mic, but otherwise, both hands are relaxed when cradling the mic.

David's Tip of the Day: Performance Issues - Tunnel Vision, Part 4

Posted Tue, 10/16/2012 - 07:13 by David Barrett Admin
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If Ryan did hear something was wrong, how could he of figure out where they were in the form? How should he have fixed this situation?

This is where the tunnel vision comes in... Ryan learned the song from beginning to end, and most likely worked on individual pieces, but when playing his song he was so focused on remembering all of his parts and what he was doing, he wasn't tracking with the band. continue reading...

What's New: Gary Smith Submission #34 - Movement Exercises: Patterns, Part 2

Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 20:33 by David Barrett Admin
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In this submission Gary and I continue our discussion on patters and play some examples for you.

Submission #34 - Movement Exercises, Part 2: Intro & Junior Wells Lick
Submission #34 - Movement Exercises, Part 2: Junior Wells Lick, Part 2
Submission #34 - Movement Exercises, Part 2: Gary Smith Lick
Submission #34 - Movement Exercises, Part 2: Bass Lick
Submission #34 - Movement Exercises, Part 2: Bo Diddley Lick & Closing

David's Tip of the Day: Performance Issues - Tunnel Vision, Part 3

Posted Mon, 10/15/2012 - 06:53 by David Barrett Admin
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Why didn't Ryan hear what was going on?
For new players, the band is thought of as "The Band," an entity that just happens and the thought process that they may be off is a distant one. Up to this point most players have commonly only played to jam tracks, which are infallible. It's important to listen to the form to make sure you're hearing what you expected/requested. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Performance Issues - Tunnel Vision, Part 2

Posted Fri, 10/12/2012 - 08:29 by David Barrett Admin
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Let me first state that Ryan played the hell out of "Take It Easy Now"... his technique, dynamics and tone were stellar!... very proud of him. With that said... here's what happened...

He instructed the band to start from the V7, which is correct. After counting the band in the guitarists are on the V7 (bar 9), as requested, but the bass player started on the I7 (beginning of the form) and then the guitarists quickly changed to the I7 to match the bass player.

So... the band is playing from the I7... continue reading...

What's New: Movement Exercises Study 4 - Summed Practice

Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 12:07 by David Barrett Admin
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In this study I sum the most important movements, scales and arpeggios into one daily exercise. The recording is played to a metronome to help you keep in time with me and runs from the first example through the last without stopping, creating a 5-minute warmup for you in your daily practice. Grab your A Harmonica and let's go!

David's Tip of the Day: Performance Issues - Tunnel Vision, Part 1

Posted Thu, 10/11/2012 - 07:26 by David Barrett Admin
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Now that Ryan Walker's performance is up, go to Bending Study 2.5 (Repertoire Builder) and listen to the study song "Take It Easy Now." After doing that, listen to Ryan's performance of "Take It Easy Now" and see if you can recognize what went wrong.

David's Tip of the Day: Joe Filisko & Eric Noden's New Release "Missed Train Blues"

Posted Wed, 10/10/2012 - 10:25 by David Barrett Admin
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Joe Filisko and Eric Noden just released their new CD "Missed Train Blues" and it's a must have. CD is now available at my favorite reseller, BlueBeatMusic.com http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=19717