Blues harmonica lesson

What's the right gap for you?

1 - Low enough that it responds at very low volume.

2 - Not so low that reeds stall when articulation or played with relatively high pressure (when it's time to kick butt!).

3 - Set evenly across the range of the harmonica (keep mind that it's higher for low reeds and lower for high reeds)... nothing's worse than playing a beautifully-soft passage and a reed in that passage doesn't respond similarly to the other reeds... this is a case of the instrument getting in the way of the music. continue reading...

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Now that the King of Swing contest submission period is over and judging has begun, this gives you the great opportunity to test your listening skills. Go to http://www.bluesharmonica.com/king-of-swing and listen to the first entry... not looking at any of the comments. Listen once just to appreciate the song. Listen again and make note of what you hear from chorus to chorus (texture, range, rhythm, dynamics, execution, head, hook, soloing theme, etc.). You'll most likely need to listen to the song four to five times, but that's the point... focused listening takes time. continue reading...

Are you a loud player? Most likely you're compensating for your lack of technique by playing loudly. Take a study song you know well and each day strive to play it softer and softer, until you can play it at a whisper-quiet volume. You'll find your bending to improve from this exercise as well as of course your dynamic control (we ALL can use work on that one).

P.S., volume is the #1 killer of harmonicas. Are you guilty of harpslaughter?

Shoji Naito has been providing harmonica-specific jam tracks of famous harmonica songs for years and has just added more to his available list for purchase. Here's just a sampling of the titles available: Baby Scratch My Back, Big Boss Man, Don't Have to Hurt No More, Please Throw This Poor Dog A Bone, Bye Bye Byrd, Key to the Highway, I've Got Love If You Want It, Good Morning School Girl, Evening Sun, Ends & Odds, Juicy Harmonica, Honest I Do, Boogie, Juke, Just your Fool, Keep It To Yourself, Last Night, Ludella, My Babe, and many more. continue reading...