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David's Tip of the Day: Note-for-Note - Transposing from 2nd Position to 1st Position

Posted Wed, 08/27/2014 - 06:25 by David Barrett Admin
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Here's a great way to hear that the notes are the same from position to position (and to check if you're doing it correctly). Play the following Rhumba rhythm over the 12 Bar Blues Progression:

C Harmonica in 2nd Position (Key of G)
I = G B D = 2 3 4
IV = C E G = 1+ 2+ 3+
V = D F# A = 1 2' 3"

Now grab your G Harmonica and play the same notes in 1st Position:
I = G B D = 4+ 5+ 6+
IV = C E G = 2" 3" 4+ (5 6 7+ an octave above is easier to play)
V = D F# A = 2 3 4 (or 6+ 7 8 if you want to stay in the upper octave) continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Transposing from Position to Position

Posted Tue, 08/26/2014 - 06:17 by David Barrett Admin
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A student asked today in the forum how to move an accompaniment line from 2nd Position to 3rd Position. This is a great skill, especially as one advances in their studies and finds themselves playing in multiple positions and needing to be speak fluently in all the areas we need to in music (in this case accompaniment).

--- continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Keith Mitchell's Gospel Harmonica Community

Posted Mon, 08/25/2014 - 06:45 by David Barrett Admin
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Fellow student Keith Mitchell just started Gospel Harmonica Community to "give birth to a online community for Gospel Harmonica enthusiasts." To read more about this Google Hangout visit: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalAspirations

What's New: Grant Dermody Interview

Posted Fri, 08/22/2014 - 07:23 by David Barrett Admin
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Grant Dermody is a harmonica player, singer, songwriter, and teacher from Seattle, Washington. Described as "an understated harmonica virtuoso and a vocalist of subtlety and warmth" by Don McLeese of No Depression magazine. Grant’s musical travels have seen him playing with many of America’s most beloved acoustic musicians. In 2010, he embarked on a successful international tour with guitarist Eric Bibb. Previous explorations saw him performing in a trio with Orville Johnson and John Miller, live and on their 2006 release Deceiving Blues. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: No Zip-Lock Bags

Posted Thu, 08/21/2014 - 07:17 by David Barrett Admin
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Every now and again I'll see a new student use a small zip-lock bag to store their harmonica, or a large zip-lock bag for all of their harmonicas. Get rid of the bag, harmonicas need to breathe to vent the moisture from playing.

Tip of the Day: Be the Best at Everything You do From Now on by Bruce Turkel

Posted Wed, 08/20/2014 - 06:53 by David Barrett Admin
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A quick harmonica-related motivational article from fellow student and TEDx Talk speaker Bruce Turkel

Be the Best at Everything You do From Now on by Bruce Turkel
http://turkeltalks.com/be-the-best

David's Tip of the Day: Relaxed Throat/Neck

Posted Tue, 08/19/2014 - 08:01 by David Barrett Admin
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Continuing on the theme of the importance of being relaxed while playing for good tone... relax your neck/throat muscles. While performing the tremolo for example, only the muscles that are involved in the opening and closing of your vocal folds are needed. While performing a bend, the tongue is the only muscle that needs to move. Engaging the neck muscles around your throat will narrow your air passage, diminishing the size of that resonant chamber, sacrificing tone production in that part of your mouth. Early fatigue is of course an issue as well when using more muscle than you need... continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Light Touch

Posted Mon, 08/18/2014 - 06:10 by David Barrett Admin
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A light touch of your lips and tongue on the face of the harmonica are essential for the proper execution of technique and to achieve good tone. If your tongue, lips or corners of your mouth become tender and painful, then you're pushing too hard.

What's New: Big Walter Horton Train Imitation Lesson with Joe Filisko

Posted Fri, 08/15/2014 - 14:44 by David Barrett Admin
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Big Walter Horton train imitation lesson with Joe Filisko is now up under the "Train Imitation Study 2 - Artist Studies" at BluesHarmonica.com

David's Tip of the Day: Where am I? - Three most common ways to open a song

Posted Fri, 08/15/2014 - 07:48 by David Barrett Admin
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Since we've been dancing around the subject of openings, I might as well define the most common ways a song can start.

From the I (one chord) - Beginning of the 12 Bar Blues form

From the V - Bar 9 of the form (V IV I V and then the form starts from to top)

From the Turnaround - Bar 11, the beginning of the turnaround (I V and then the form begins) continue reading...