how to play the harmonica

You'll be learning numerous songs in your studies, of which you'll forget if you don't review. As you complete each song, place its original (with harp) and jam track (without harp... if it's a study song and a jam track exists) in a playlist. Once a week, or at the very least once a month, start your playlist and play along as if you're on the stage, performing these songs in a gig. As time goes on you'll dial each song in well enough to play with the jam track version only, truly like a gig. continue reading...

Grab a jam track and matching harmonica to play in 2nd Position (A Harmonica in the Key of E for example). Check that the jam track starts on the I Chord (one chord... beginning of the form), if not, wait to play until the introduction is complete (visit "Performance Training: Openings" if you're not sure you're hearing it correctly). continue reading...

Currently an Associate Professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi with a specialty in blues literature and culture, Adam Gussow was one of the first amplified blues harp players to make overbends a key element of his stylistic approach, adapting Howard Levy's innovations in the late 1980s in a way that helped usher in a new generation of overbend masters such as Carlos Del Junco, Jason Ricci and Chris Michalek. continue reading...

Want more warmth, bass and punch for your amplified sound? The Lone Wolf Harp Attack fits the bill. A student just brought in their amp and mic and it was pretty ho-hum... but then he pulled out his new Harp Attack and with some turns of it's three knobs he was sounding like Rod Piazza! Unlike other pedals I've tried it's not that prone to feedback and it doesn't distort too much or in an unnatural way... just enough to give any amp a little more tone. continue reading...

The magic combination is to hear yourself well on the bandstand, be pleased with your tone and have the confidence that your sound is BIG in the house. If you can’t hear yourself well, you’ll play too hard, putting undue stress on your harmonicas (I’ve destroyed MANY harmonicas playing too loudly) and hinder your dynamic range. Achieving what you hear to be good tone on the bandstand inspires you to play at your best. The louder a single-source is (an amplifier not mic’d), the less likely you’ll hear the same sound on the bandstand that the audience is hearing in the house. continue reading...

Blues Harmonica Method Level 2 BK/CD, The Tongue Block Method, just released. This would be on par with Level 4 bending and tongue block studies on the site.

Bending and advanced Tongue Blocking are covered along with three full-length song studies. Recording includes all harmonica parts notated in the book with accompaniment music. This book and its recording use the “C” and “A” major diatonic harmonica.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 – Bending
What Notes Can Be Bent
Bending Exercises
Two Note Combinations
Bending Example Song
Quartertone Bending continue reading...

Many of you will be using jam tracks for your backing for the King of Swing. Jimi Lee's GrooveTrax - Every Groove a Bluesman Needs To Know 2xCD Set is a good example of what can be used. This can be purchased in the US at: http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/groove_trax.htm and outside of the US at http://jimileeband.com/

This New York Times article discusses the amount of practice time versus one's working memory capacity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/sorry-strivers-talent-m...