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David's Tip of the Day: Timing for Bends - Part 1 (Play & Record)

Posted Wed, 03/20/2013 - 08:52 by David Barrett Admin
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To bend a note on the harmonica requires that your tongue is in place to tune your mouth the desired pitch. Play and record the basic C Major Scale 1+ 1 2+ 2" 2 3" 3 4+ 3 3" 2 2" 2+ 1 1+... do this and listen to it. What do you notice for the timing of the bent notes... or more specifically what do you have to do to play them in time?

What's New: Mark Hummel Submission #25 - Cupping the High End of the Harmonica

Posted Tue, 03/19/2013 - 22:13 by David Barrett Admin
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In Mark Hummel's latest submission he shows how he approaches cupping the harmonica while playing on the high end of the harmonica... in all positions... 1st, 2nd, 3rd and the Chromatic Harmonica.

David's Tip of the Day: Tenacity

Posted Tue, 03/19/2013 - 06:54 by David Barrett Admin
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It's not the most talented students that become great musicians, it's the most tenacious.

David's Tip of the Day: Change the Key of your Warmup/Jam Harp

Posted Mon, 03/18/2013 - 08:54 by David Barrett Admin
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Last week my tip focused around changing your car/travel harp often... you don't want to become really comfortable with one key of harmonica at the cost of not being able to play the others well.

My students and I tend to grab an A Harmonica as our gut reaction for a key of harp to pickup that's very neutral across its range (not too low or high)... rightfully so, it IS the most common harmonica used, BUT... again, we don't want to become overly dependent on one key of harmonica. Grab the G or Low-F for a lower harp... the D for a mid-high harp... and an F for the high harp. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Change the Key of your Pocket Pall

Posted Fri, 03/15/2013 - 11:57 by David Barrett Admin
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We all have a harp that we either carry in our pocket or stays in our car for that opportune moment to blow a little. If you're a busy individual, that harmonica may be the harp you get the most practice on. Change out that harp with a different key each week... you don't want to become really comfortable with one key at the cost of not being able to play the others well. We're mostly speaking of bending and some of the issues of how reeds respond differently on the higher and lower harps. So, a simple fix to make sure you're good on all your keys of harmonica.

David's Tip of the Day: Play in front of a Mirror

Posted Thu, 03/14/2013 - 11:53 by David Barrett Admin
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Play in front of a mirror every now and again... it helps you to recognize and stop unwanted tension and unnecessary movements.

David's Tip of the Day: Don't Squeeze that Lemon!

Posted Wed, 03/13/2013 - 06:26 by David Barrett Admin
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When I'm playing with students and we're both amplified, it's common for me to say "tighter cup," to help them achieve a larger tone through the amp. This usually means their palms are slightly open at the bottom and that they need to close it (assuming there's no leakage due to space between the fingers or anywhere else). They commonly squeeze their hands more tightly and though it helps for a while, their hands get tired quickly and of course that's not the right technique. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Why is the Band Rushing!? (Picking Up Tempo) - Part 2, Your Pickups

Posted Tue, 03/12/2013 - 07:08 by David Barrett Admin
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Our second most common culprit for driving the band faster and faster... and one that most musicians won't notice, even when listening to themselves on recording... is the rushing of pickups. Let's use a tune everyone's familiar with... "Juke" by Little Walter. The first lick is 2 3 4 5+ 6+ 6+. The downbeat (beat 1... the beginning of the twelve bar blues form in this case) is the first 6+... the 2 3 4 5+ leads into this 6+ target note, and is known as a pickup. This lick is played eight times. Imagine if each time you play that pickup... the notes leading to the 6+... fast every time. continue reading...

David's Tip of the Day: Why is the Band Rushing!? (Picking Up Tempo) - Part 1, The Count

Posted Mon, 03/11/2013 - 11:45 by David Barrett Admin
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Yesterday was the rehearsal for my students of School of the Blues for their winter concert. There are always comments... and there was yesterday... that the band played faster than they wanted (from the start) or that they rushed. I audio record the rehearsals and in most cases when we review the recording, the band gave them the exact tempo they counted.

So, where does it commonly go wrong?... continue reading...

What's New: Accompaniment Study 3

Posted Sun, 03/10/2013 - 21:23 by David Barrett Admin
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In this lesson we'll complete the basic three-note chord (called a triad) used by accompanying musicians in the blues. This lesson also brings your second accompaniment study song, "Blues Creapin' Over Me," a slow blues in the key of E with the classic blues break and vocals (Gary Smith) and guitar (Jon Lawton) for you to play under, as well as a solo section. continue reading...