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David's Tip of the Day: Tapping your Foot

David Barrett Admin's picture

You've most likely heard that tapping your foot is a good idea while you play. You've also probably noticed that it can be hard to do, especially along to new licks that you're studying.

Give yourself a test...

Take one of the examples taught in the Solo Harmonica Study 1... one you haven't played yet... and tap your foot the entire time while working on the lick. Make sure to use the "How To Practice – How to Learn Songs Lick-by-Lick" process I teach in the Blues Harmonica Fundamentals lesson. Make mental note how long it took to learn the lick and think about how much of that time was spent lining your foot up. Make sure to WATCH your foot once you've memorized the lick. Many think they're tapping their foot in time and in many cases all they have is a Thumper close attached to their leg.

Then take another example in the lesson and learn the lick by using the same process, but not tapping the foot. AFTER learning the lick, work on tapping your foot... tapping it in time and aligning it with your new lick.

This process is here to help you figure out which approach works best.