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What's New: Tad Robinson Interview

Posted Wed, 08/29/2012 - 09:24 by David Barrett Admin
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AllMusic.com states about Tad, "Tad Robinson would have fit in snugly with the blue-eyed soul singers of the 1960s. His vocals virtually reeking of soul, he's capable of delving into a straight-ahead Little Walter shuffle or delivering a vintage O.V. Wright R&B ballad. Add his songwriting skills and exceptional harp technique and you have quite the total package. Robinson grew up in New York City on a nutritious diet of Stax, Motown, and Top 40, digging everyone from Otis Redding and Arthur Alexander to Eric Burdon and Joe Cocker. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Grooves, Forms & Keys

Posted Wed, 08/29/2012 - 07:52 by David Barrett Admin
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Did you know your study songs at BluesHarmonica.com help to prepare you for the most common blues forms, grooves and keys out there?

Form continue reading...

What's New: Ryan Walker Lesson #10 (Intermediate Student)

Posted Mon, 08/27/2012 - 21:21 by David Barrett Admin
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Join Intermediate Student Ryan Walker as we practice all of the elements to prepare him for performance of his three tunes. At the end of the lesson we have actual footage of his rehearsal with the School of the Blues Student House Band. In this lesson we also get to know holes 4 and 5 on the chromatic harmonica.

Videos Include:
Lesson 10 - Introduction
Lesson 10 - Opening & Ending Practice: The Strut, Part 1
Lesson 10 - Opening & Ending Practice: The Strut, Part 2
Lesson 10 - Opening & Ending Practice: Take It Easy Now
Lesson 10 - Opening & Ending Practice: Gary’s Blues continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Tongue Position - Part 3 (Tuning your Mouth)

Posted Mon, 08/27/2012 - 06:46 by David Barrett Admin
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As your bending skills develop on the harmonica, your tongue and jaw learn how to dynamically tune your mouth to the pitch of each reed you're playing. When playing the 2 draw your jaw is slightly dropped and your tongue is lowered slightly in the back... for the 4 draw your jaw doesn't drop and your tongue is slightly (emphasis on "slightly") humped in the middle... and for the 6 draw your tongue is slightly forward in the mouth... all of this allowing a bend to happen the moment the tongue moves upward to start the bending process... continue reading...

What's New: Interview with Harmonica Customizer Joe Spiers

Posted Sat, 08/25/2012 - 07:25 by David Barrett Admin
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Join me for an interview with respected blues harmonica player and customizer Joe Spiers. In this interview we speak of what's commonly done to a harmonica to make it play better, the levels of customization and the "do's and "dont's" of playing a finely adjusted instrument. Joe also speaks of being certified by Joe Filisko through the HOHNER AFFILIATED CUSTOMIZERS PROGRAM. This interview was held in August of 2012 in Dallas, Texas.

Videos Include:
Introduction to Joe Spiers
What Makes a Good Playing Harmonica, Part 1
What Makes a Good Playing Harmonica, Part 2 continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Mirror and Tongue Position - Part 1

Posted Fri, 08/24/2012 - 07:52 by David Barrett Admin
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Yesterday I stated that to fix note issues (airy tone, bent, squealing or stalling) you should lower the back of your tongue... tuning your mouth to a pitch LOWER than that reed's fundamental vibrating frequency and lower than the reeds ability to bend. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Mirror and Tongue Position - Part 1

Posted Thu, 08/23/2012 - 08:11 by David Barrett Admin
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I was at S.P.A.H. last week (not "the spah," but S.P.A.H., www.spah.org ;-) and I found myself often working on a student's tongue position to help them fix issues with their tone. The #1 issue was they had the back of their tongue humped up, causing problems with sounding notes and generally giving them a very weak tone.

Here's how to check it for yourself.

Go in front of a mirror... close your eyes... open your mouth enough to see your tongue position once you open your eyes... drop your tongue in the back... confirm that it feels correct... open your eyes! continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Clean vs. Dirty Shake

Posted Wed, 08/22/2012 - 08:30 by David Barrett Admin
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One of the great signature sounds of the harmonica is the shake (also known as warble or in classical terms a trill). This is where you play the 4 draw for example and move up to the 5 draw, alternating between the two, either fast or slow, depending on the affect you're going for (usually fast).

A clean shake is where you move from one to the other, never both at the same time... this is generally the primary shake used by players. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Sharing Your Passion

Posted Tue, 08/21/2012 - 06:51 by David Barrett Admin
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Take a moment to watch fellow student Dr. Victor Yun in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPFty6B6Vxc

This is a good example of using one's expertise to share their perspective on the harmonica with others in their, and in Victor's case global, community. As a medical doctor and educator Victor decided to focus his energy in teaching harmonica to those with C.O.P.D. Thanks for sharing this Victor and keep up the great work!

What do you have to share?

David's Tip of the Day: A Blues Harmonica Player's Journey - Final

Posted Mon, 08/20/2012 - 08:29 by David Barrett Admin
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This journey of a musician in an improvised music style is very representative of the levels of awareness students go through in their path to mastery of the blues harmonica. I love the metaphor, "When you do, come back again. We'll be around.” The idea that the music will be there for the student to play once they’ve matured enough to approach it is wonderful. Not only do I see my students' journey in this story, I see mine. continue reading...