figuring out

In our last handwritten TAB example I add standard rhythm notation. Most of the time this isn’t needed while learning by ear, but if you’re having difficulty with the rhythm of a particular passage it’s beneficial to take the time to figure it out (better to spend the time to own a rhythm than cower from it when it comes up in the music). Note that I’ve also changed the 1 and 2 draw chords found on upbeats to a “P,” which indicates the technique Walter is using to sound those chords, the tongue block Pull.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/bluesharmonica for this handwritten transcription.

Before we leave this subject of figuring out the key...

If you're trying to figure out the key of a song, and there's no harp playing on the recording you're copying/referencing, upon guessing what the key is, make sure to grab the corresponding harp and play a song you're familiar with to the music. This will confirm that you have chosen the correct key and position of harp. continue reading...

Now that you've figured out the key of the song, the next step is to dig in and work out what the harmonica player is doing. BUT, even though you may have figured out the correct key, you might be in the wrong position. As a young harmonica player I would often try to learn a new song and I would figure out two-thirds of it, with the rest being a mystery... continue reading...

No matter which technique you use from the list of three I presented on 1/6/2015, if you make an error in your key selection, it's usually because you heard that the 5th of the key sounded good and took it as the root note.

Let me help you to understand this a bit... continue reading...