Posted Wed, 05/21/2014 - 06:50 by David Barrett Admin
Item two of our three elements needed to produce a vibrato on the harmonica was, "Mouth is tuned to the note you're playing."
An experienced player of the harmonica subconsciously tunes their mouth to each note they're playing. This mostly has to do with tongue position, but can also involve the shape of the mouth (especially for very low and high notes... of which are different shapes of course... larger for lower notes and smaller and more frontal for higher notes). continue reading...
Posted Tue, 05/20/2014 - 07:06 by David Barrett Admin
Vibrato is change in pitch, and slightly in volume, and even more slightly in tone. As a technique, it's one of the most difficult skills to teach and learn. Here are the three important elements to producing this technique. Item 1 we've already discussed; we'll discuss items 2 and 3 over this week.
1) Throat tremolo is on
2) Mouth is tuned to the note you're playing
3) Tongue and pharynx are relaxed enough to be influenced by the throat tremolo
Posted Fri, 05/16/2014 - 07:54 by David Barrett Admin
This is the harmonica player's standard way of performing a tremolo and is the basis for the vibrato that we'll cover later. This technique is produced at the vocal folds, where you open and close your airway. Performing a slight cough (without engaging your diaphragm) will give you the feeling of this technique. Your goal is to isolate your vocal folds so that the listener never hears a coughing sound (you are exhaling, but it's a smooth and even stream of air, not a burst of air from the diaphragm for each tremolo piece). continue reading...
Posted Thu, 05/15/2014 - 07:48 by David Barrett Admin
The Exaggerated Hand Tremolo takes your same hand tremolo and exaggerates it by taking your right hand completely off of the harmonica (as far as timing allows). The farther your hand travels away from the harmonica the cooler the visual effect. This technique is great when you're really wailing on a 4/5 combo. This technique works just as well amplified as it does acoustically (of which the standard hand tremolo is generally rare). continue reading...
Posted Wed, 05/14/2014 - 07:38 by David Barrett Admin
Cup your harmonica so that it's not squeezed airtight, but closed nonetheless. Most players hold the harmonica with their left hand and open/close their cupped hands using the wrist of their right hand at a speed slightly faster than a triplet (this depends on the tempo of a song, slower relative to fast tempos and faster relative to slow tempos). When your hands are closed, both the volume is soft and the tone is muted and bassy. When your hand open, the volume is loud and mid and high frequencies are back with a less tubby tone. Both volume and tone are changed in a hand tremolo. continue reading...
Posted Tue, 05/13/2014 - 08:11 by David Barrett Admin
Using a tremolo or vibrato is one of the most important techniques for players of wind and string instruments to utilize to add soul to their playing (which is mimicking the human voice by the way, if you didn’t already figure that out). To start our series let’s first define that there are three components that make up this sound we call tremolo or vibrato. First, a definition... Tremolo is change in amplitude (volume) and vibrato is change in pitch. continue reading...
Posted Mon, 05/12/2014 - 08:13 by David Barrett Admin
1) Play a Quick Chord - Playing multiple holes is a great way to clear spit. If you can incorporate this spit-clearing chord in the music, even better.
2) Quick Aggressive Tap on Leg - When the harmonica makes a dead-stop on your leg the spit keeps traveling and clears the reed slot.
3A) If not a memorized solo, avoid the stuck hole in your improvisation. continue reading...
Posted Fri, 05/09/2014 - 07:46 by David Barrett Admin
This comes from Joe Filisko's B1 Blues Room student newsletter...
WBEZ's Sound Opinions recently discussed the legacy of Chess Records, with nods to harp legends, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry and more. This is definitely worth a listen: http://www.soundopinions.org/show/440
Posted Thu, 05/08/2014 - 08:18 by David Barrett Admin
I've had the pleasure of playing with Keith a couple of times. Keith is a very nice guy and has a cool approach to the harmonica that's both classic and open-minded at the same time. Here's his video interview...