leader

Last tip I spoke briefly about counting the band in. The most common error on the bandstand is to count the band in at the wrong tempo (commonly too fast due to being excited). The key point I stated was to hear the song in your head before tapping your foot and counting. continue reading...

In jam situations sometimes songs are called quickly and the person counting in looks to you to solo in the intro. You may not know where in the form the song is starting, nor the feel of the song (even if they call a "Shuffle," there are many types of shuffles). You could just start blowin' riffs, but an even better approach is to play a long-held note (with vibrato would be a good idea) for about two bars... and then continue playing. continue reading...

The first value of having a recorder around you is to capture the cool ideas that come to you. These moments of inspiration can come when...

1) Playing to a jam track and you play a cool idea that you want to remember

2) Listening to a song and a cool lick comes up that you want in your vocabulary

3) A catchy melody jumps into your mind that you sing into the recorder for later decoding on the harmonica