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What's New: Music Theory Study 5 - Soloing Scales

Posted Wed, 08/01/2012 - 08:15 by David Barrett Admin
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Join me for our fifth lesson on Music Theory for the Blues Harmonica Player, where we explore Soloing Scales… scales specifically designed to be playable over all chords in the 12 Bar Blues, guaranty a specific feel when adhered to (Major for the Major Pentatonic Scale and Bluesy/Minor for the Blues Scale), and lay extremely well on the entire range of the harmonica. continue reading...

What's New: Music Theory Study 5 - Soloing Scales

Posted Wed, 08/01/2012 - 08:11 by David Barrett Admin
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Join me for our fourth lesson on Music Theory for the Blues Harmonica Player, where we explore melodic development… how chords and scales work together to create great solos. In this lesson you’ll learn about chord tones, scale tones, outside tones, active tones, non-active tones, passing tones, upper and lower neighbor tones, appoggiatura, the hierarchy of note selection, chord scales, sequences and chord-tone soloing. This lesson is for intermediate skill level players. You'll need a C Harmonica for this study. continue reading...

What's New: Finalists for Rhumba King

Posted Wed, 08/01/2012 - 07:30 by David Barrett Admin
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Congratulations to the following submissions for being judged as the top three entries!

- "Jumba Rumba" by Steve Molitor from St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
- "Chilean Rhumba" by Erwin Lost from Santiago, Chile
- "It "beta" be a rhumba !" by Ben from the Netherlands continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Judges Comments for Rhumba King

Posted Wed, 08/01/2012 - 07:29 by David Barrett Admin
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Now that all judging is in for the Rhumba King Original Blues Harmonica Instrumental Songwriting Contest, take the opportunity to listen to an entry and take notes for yourself of what you liked and though could be done better. Then read the comments of each of three judges (Steve Baker, Lee Sankey and myself) and listen again to the recording. This process will be a great learning experience in regards to focused listening.

Visit http://www.bluesharmonica.com/rhumba-king to listen to the entries.

David's Tip of the Day: Amplified Tone - Cupping

Posted Tue, 07/31/2012 - 10:34 by David Barrett Admin
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In the cupping lessons on the site I teach you the ways in which to achieve a very tight cup by closing off all air leakages. This is for both acoustic hand techniques (hand tremolo, wa wa, etc.) and for holding a bullet mic.

In regards to playing with a bullet mic through an amplifier, be aware of the fact that some amps you need to cup tightly to get it to respond in the way that you want, and sometimes cupping too tightly achieves a tone that's way too muted and bassy. continue reading...

What's New: David Waldman Interview

Posted Mon, 07/30/2012 - 19:29 by David Barrett Admin
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David Waldman, in his own words…
“I grew up in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. I started playing harp when I was around 13 or 14. I moved to Chicago in 1976. The first person to hire me for a gig here was Louis Myers. His band didn’t show up at one of his club dates and I happened to be in the audience, so he hired me to help him out on harp. Starting in 1980, I played for long periods in the bands of both Taildragger (replacing Big Leon Brooks) and Big Smokey Smothers. My colleagues in Big Smokey’s band were Steve Cushing and Illinois Slim. We called ourselves the Ice Cream Men. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Walk and Move in Rhythm

Posted Mon, 07/30/2012 - 09:33 by David Barrett Admin
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When performing on the harmonica (formal or informal setting) you're often standing, making the standard tapping of your foot a bit awkward. Tapping your heal works a little bit better while standing, though this still assumes that you're staying in one spot.

When on the stage it's much more pleasing to be moving around a bit... it shows you're feeling the music. To move around in rhythm requires that you have a bounce in your step... knees bent... etc. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: The Harmonica Player Hunch

Posted Fri, 07/27/2012 - 08:47 by David Barrett Admin
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Speaking to non-harmonica players, they commonly comment on how we're always in the “hunchback” pose... not the most flattering position to be in ALL the time on stage (not to mention how much stress it places on our shoulders and back muscles). Think about using a more upright posture most the time... chin up... it's a more pleasing posture visually and does wonders for breathing, tone and longevity (it helps greatly if your band plays long shows... something Magic Dick spoke of during his Harmonica Masterclass Workshop with me years ago). continue reading...

What's New: Ryan Walker Lesson #9 (Intermediate Student)

Posted Thu, 07/26/2012 - 11:55 by David Barrett Admin
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In this lesson Ryan continues his studies on improvising, theory studies and starts the chromatic harmonica lessons on the site.

CHECKING IN - Between Lessons #8 and #9
Lesson 9 - Prep for Student Concert and Memorizing the Harmonica
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Chorus Form Review, Part 1
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Chorus Form Review, Part 2 (Sequences)
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Transformations, Part 1
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Transformations, Part 2
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Transformations, Part 3
Lesson 9 - Improvising: Original Instrumental Assignment
Lesson 9 - Theory, Study 1: Section 2 continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Music Stand

Posted Thu, 07/26/2012 - 11:29 by David Barrett Admin
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It sounds like a strange harmonica tip to talk about a music stand, but a comfortable position to practice in is an important element of making your practice time enjoyable and efficient. The Manhasset (Model #48) is the standard in the music world and is worth spending the $40 for a high quality stand that will, well, stand the test of time.