David's Tip of the Day: Playing above Hole 6 - Lick Harvesting (Jerry McCain)

Playing above the sixth hole in 2nd Position is generally rare for post-war blues harmonica players. The 1961 instrumental "Steady" by Jerry McCain is a rare example of one of our classic blues harmonica players doing just that. The lick is found in the 4th Chorus, with a pickup of 4 5+ 6+ and the main lick of 6 7 8. He's using a Bb Harmonica. The recording I have is from "Blues Masters, Vol. 4: Harmonica Classics (Rhino R2 71124)," though I just looked it up on iTunes and it can be found on "Harmonica Classics By The Blues Masters" and can be purchased individually. Check it out, it's one of our great classic instrumentals.