Posts

U-blocking on the harmonica is where air travels down the center of the
tongue... commonly where the left side of the tongue blocks the hole to the
left and the right side of the tongue blocks the hole to the right (most
players will have their lips over three holes when doing this, e.g., when
playing hole 2 your tongue would block holes 1 and 3). The tongue is either
curled in a very evident "U" shape (this is also genetics at play here...
not everyone can do this) or there's much less of a prominent U-shape and continue reading...

For those wishing to dive even deeper into the understanding of music, check out this monumental dialogue on music by the great Leonard Bernstein. It takes a while for it to get rolling, but there are bits of genius in there.

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3HLqCHO08s&feature=relmfu

You may find the “How Music Works” series (1: Melody, 2: Rhythm, 3: Harmony and 4: Bass) at http://www.youtube.com/user/timegrinder to be helpful. Though this series is not related to the harmonica, nor does it follow the same flow of the BluesHarmonica.com music theory lessons, watching the entire series… as well as any other series on the understanding of music… to be helpful in your understanding of common music theory elements. Thanks to jodanchudan for this recommendation.

"Do you want people to remember YOU or the MUSIC you played?" This seems like a strange question, but it does help us to think about the purpose of the music we write/play and our stage persona. A great stage show can hide weaknesses in a player's skill set. A lackluster stage show may not matter if one's music is exciting and engaging on it's own. A self-centered performer may play too much... to the elevation of them, but to the detriment of the music and the other musicians. continue reading...