Encouragement please...
Hello to all. I am new to this site. I've been playing off and on for a couple years, and actually began to think I was good enough to go to a blues jam to try and sit in. I stumbled onto this site via Youtube and decided to give it a try. However, I'm already stuck. I have been playing lip pursed all this time, and now with David's lessons I am introduced to tongue blocking-and it's as if I'm a total beginner all over again. Could someone give me some guidance on how to go from and advanced beginner/intermediate lip pursed player to a beginner all over again? Any suggestions/guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Welcome to the site. Most of us started in a pucker... bending in a pucker... then adding tongue blocking techniques as we became aware of them (most figuring out octaves, then slaps, and finally pulls) to give us a fuller sound. So, continue your bending skills in pucker, adding tongue blocking techniques in the order of the lessons to your playing to give you more options. The general rule of thumb for you right now is to pucker holes 1-3 and whenever you bend... tongue blocking on the 4th hole and above to get all of those great slaps, pulls, octaves and flutters.
Dig into the bending study... whenever you see a tongue block technique, just play the top notated note. You've already been doing that as you copied other players from recording that where tongue block players. Maybe starting with "The Strut." Also start learning how to tongue block, starting with Study 1 "Walk with Me." When playing the 1, pucker, not a tongue switch like I say. As your TB skills develop you can go back and add those techniques you skipped over in the bending study songs.
Best wishes on your studies!
Welcome to the site. Most of us started in a pucker... bending in a pucker... then adding tongue blocking techniques as we became aware of them (most figuring out octaves, then slaps, and finally pulls) to give us a fuller sound. So, continue your bending skills in pucker, adding tongue blocking techniques in the order of the lessons to your playing to give you more options. The general rule of thumb for you right now is to pucker holes 1-3 and whenever you bend... tongue blocking on the 4th hole and above to get all of those great slaps, pulls, octaves and flutters.
Dig into the bending study... whenever you see a tongue block technique, just play the top notated note in a pucker. You've already been doing that as you copied other players from recording that where tongue block players. Maybe starting with "The Strut." Also start learning how to tongue block, starting with Study 1 "Walk with Me." When playing the 1, pucker, not a tongue switch like I say. As your TB skills develop you can go back and add those techniques you skipped over in the bending study songs.
Best wishes on your studies!
arcadiandj- i am in the same boat. i thought i wouldnt ever need to learn tb. i tried on several occasions but always went back to what i was comfortable with. i had many folks tell me what i'm gonaa tell you: it aint that hard! all it is is a matter of practicing it and getting comfortable with a new style.
i have recently started these lessons. the way dave has it set up, i find it isnt that hard to get comfortable playing with my tongue on the harp. and then doing the switch where you play hole 1 out the left corner is pretty easy.
then it falls into the solo playing. this is where i find i have to actually start getting my tongue on and off the harp. i have been taking it slow and steady, practicing shorter durations but more often, and i am feeling good about my getting comfortable playing the study lessons.
i played a gig last nite and found i tb'ed almost all night long. i even used some slaps!
good luck. and remember it aint a race. it'll come to you with a small amount of work, practice and patience.
Hey arcadiandj - lots of empathy here. I was in exactly the same boat and feeling the same way. I stuck to the TB thing as much as I could, switching back and forth depending on what I was trying to do (bends, quick triplets NOT in TB). I survived this way at jams and the HarmonicaJam site but once I started here, I committed to becoming a tongue block player. Slow and frustrating but today, I did my regular Sunday jam all tongue blocked for the first time!!! I felt confident in draw bends and the blow bends from 7 - 10 are coming.
My best shot at advice would be to accept taking two steps back, take it slow and easy and stick with it. The instructions on this site work!! Good luck with it and don't give up too easy and don't be afraid to take a "TB break) and go back to what you do comfortably for a quick regain of confidence. Just be sure to get back to the exercises. It will come!! If this old guy can get it, so can you!!
Thanks to everyone for such great help to one of our new members. I'm proud to work with all of you!
Keep after it, it’ll come. I think open mic nights & jam sessions are great because it does take you out of your comfort zone and when you’re ready, let the new stuff you’ve been working rip. Good luck!
/ Dave
In terms of how to prepare? When I've watched others do it, they look like they are in a band and like they've been doing it for years. I'm like, there is no way I could play that well. But I know that to go to the next level I need to play with others. If you all have any tips/thoughts they are much appreciated. Certainly, thank you for your earlier comments. I will continue with my pucker, and also work on expanding with the tb as I go along. Thank you.
Practice makes improvement. Get the 12 bar progression down and get familiar with the 8 bar as well because it’ll be coming your way. Get some chops/runs down, DB’s Accompaniment Playing book & CD is an outstanding resource. I don’t belong to a band but have been called up to do a number or two with the band and have filled in for the regular harp player.
From my experience as a harp player, “Murphy” will pay you a visit from time-to-time and you’ll get buried by guitar players and drummers at jam sessions. Do your homework on amps before you make the investment. Some blues societies control the volume level of the players while some do not. Some will let you either mic your amp or run a line-out while some do not. Or, you can play through the house PA which isn’t that bad. Nothing more frustrating than standing next to your amp that is just below feedback and not hearing what you’re playing. And, yes my amp was in a chair. If you feel the need to get up and play...PLAY! If it was easy everybody would do it.
/ Dave
When we started our band years ago, we started like most - in our garage. From time to time, friends would stop by to listen. Then we'd have a party at one of our houses, and we'd set up and play for our guests. Soon, we'd be invited to play at their friend's houses.
Friends tend to be a lot more forgiving of your play in the beginning, and give you a comfort level that is perhaps beyond what your actual playing ability would normally gain among strangers. Spend your time playing for friends gaining confidence and repertoire. Look for local folk jam sessions. Every town has one it seems, and even if folk isn't your bag (it certainly isn't mine) it will give you the opportunity to play with others - mostly in front of friends and family of the musicians. Before you know it, confidence isn't even something you'll worry about when you go to that first open mic night. At that point, your biggest fear will be that you'll play your first note and the amp will screech a nasty feedback note - or that you'll step on the guitar player's solo.
They say practice makes perfect, but it also makes confidence.
I don't know how much you have used backing tracks to play to but about 6 months into this harp thing, I was made aware of HarmonicaJam (http://harmonicajam.com/index.php) where you can download backing tracks, record against them (like David's lessons here) and get comments and suggestions from the others on the site. There are also forums for getting information on all kinds of stuff. I found it helped me to grow because recording something gave my playing a sense of "this is serious" - nervous, fumbling etc. It was good practice before I went to try my first jam. If nothing else there's a pile of backing tracks you can download and use. You don't have to upload your playing but it really did give it a different sense of purpose for me.
It's as close as you can come to playing with a band when you don't have one. I'm at the point where I don't think I want to be in a band but I know I enjoy playing with other musicians in an informal or jam setting. The backing tracks were great preparation for me. If you haven't given this a good shot, try it.
Yep, backing tracks and Amazing SlowDowner can be very helpful with timing, phrasing and copping someone's licks.
Disc 1
1. Delta Shuffle in E
2. Train Beat in E
3. Walter Shuffle in E
4. Real Easy Groove in E
5. Bo Diddley Beat in E
6. Jump Swing in E
7. Teen Beat in E
8. Two Beat Country in E
9. Chicago Beat in A
10. Second Line in A
11. 8 Bar Blues in A
12. Tramp Groove in A
13. Boogie in A
14. Rock Beat in A
15. Delta Shuffle in A
Disc 2
1. Tramp Groove in G
2. 6-9 Groove in G
3. Texas shuffle in G
4. Rumba in G
5. Swing Shuffle in G
6. Linda Lou Shuffle in G
7. Cajun Rumba in G
8. Straight Eight in Gm
9. Jump Swing in C
10. Slow Blues in C
11. 24 Bar Blues in C
12. Swing Shuffle in F
13. Backwards Linda Lou in F
14. Flat Tire in D
15. Detroit Groove in D
16. Jazz Swing in Bb
dhharp has given you one of the great jam tracks CD sets put out by Jimi Lee/ I've also got it and it is very good.
Another good jam track CD is Davids C Harmonica Blues Play-along Trax.
For the encouragement and for the tips. Actually, I'm surprised that the tongue blocking is easier than I thought. Certainly, I can't do near as much as I can with the pucker, but I am progressing. The other thing I have found surprising, is how fun it is to practice and be successful at something new. So even if the skills feels very basic or simple, it is still very fun once I can do it correctly.
I will have to explore that jam site. Perhaps I can find something to copy which can help me progress. I don't have any recording equipment however, but I'm sure I will enjoy the playing with others/a backing track concept. So, again, Thank you!
Dan
"The other thing I have found surprising, is how fun it is to practice and be successful at something new."
I agree completely. I'm having a blast learning this stuff. It's especially gratifying those times when you have been working on a technique - or a certain lick - and then one time you practice it, it just clicks and you get it perfect.
Makes me feel a bit like a kid at Christmas.
What tips do you guys have for finding people to play with? That is why I think jam sessions exist, however, what do you do if you are not as good as some of the people at jam sessions? My whole thought process at this point in my development is that I need to play with others. Or, I figure if I want to move my development forward that playing with others would help. Any thoughts/feedback?
This might sound weird, but check your local coffee shops. The problem is, you're likely to find bluegrass or folk players there, but the good thing is, the 12-bar is alive and well in those disciplines.
I'm not a big fan of bluegrass or folk, but I've found most towns have a jam session going on somewhere (coffee shops as above, but also in VFW, Hibernian, and other fraternity halls), and they can be a lot of fun and educational to play with. It gives you the chance to play with others, learn to respect their space, and not be too embarrassed. Most are beginners like you, and generally play in front of family and friends - a low pressure environment to be sure.
Finding a blues jam is a little harder I've found, but they are out there. You might even ask some of the bluegrass and folk players, as some also play in rock and blues bands.
there are a number of resources to find jammers.
meetup.com- they got meetings for EVERYTHING!! this is where i found an acoustic guitar group that splintered 2 times and has given me a blues band. this started a little over a year ago and we did our first outside gig 2 weekends ago.
bandmix- musicians/bands looking for bands/musicians. i think some are beginners, also.
folkjam.org- various types of jams. i am sure the level varies, too.
go to your local music store and ask for a guitar player.
when you go to bars to see bands, be friendly to everyone cause you may find somebody that way.
how about your church? do they have a band? ask them if anyone would be your sidekick once in a while.
put flyers up in grocery, hardware, video stores.
the main thing is dont bs about your skill level. let them know that you would like HONEST feedback.
feel free to bs about your confidence!
i use to be scared to death to play in front of others. they'll laugh at me. i then came up with a strategy.
i would tell myself- "i dont know these people. i dont care what they think. F them!"
even though all of that was untrue, it gave me the courage to play. and i found out the majority of the folks wanted me to do well, were willing to help me, gave me encouragement and told me to come back.
Where can I get the jam tracks listed by dhharp?
Jimi Lee's web site
Dave
My tongue blocking has really come a long way. I actually start out with tb when ever I pick up the harp now, and I seem to use it more and more. It also seems to come much more naturally. I've been doing the solo lesson and the tb aspect is very east now. It is so much fun to progress.
Thanks dhharp, I went to his site and am trying to buy them now. having some problems getting the paypal link to work but I emailed Jimi and I'm sure it will get resolved but in the mean time I listened to the samples and they are hot!!!
Also check out - http://jamq.org/jamqueue/harmonica/hbmainstage/btracks.php - where there's jam tracks uploaded by members and they can be downloaded, There's a variety of grooves and they list the key and suggested harp. If you want you can record against them and upload to the site where the others give you feedback. I've been ob the site for a couple of years and find it very useful. My 'moniker' is htrain if you want to check out some of my attempts.
That was the answer to my question.
Thank you
I'm not trying to be cheeky or funny but realistic. If it was easy we wouldn't need this site or lessons from David. As soon as I realized just how much is going on in the playing of this instrument it became very humbling. I'm very thankful for Dave and all he's done for me. Without question some techniques are just tough to learn. I'm grateful I can carry a harp in my pocket.
True story. When I first started lessons with Dave I started to try and learn how to pucker. The interesting thing is I have residual palsy from when I had Bells Palsey in my 30's. The left side of my face has some problems, I can't purse my lips at all. I really struggled to get a clean note. I took the harp everywhere. Drove my wife crazy with the "how am I ever going to do this?" I thought my efforts were a bust. But I convinced myself I'd give myself 3 months of driving myself crazty and at that point I'd reacess. As I remember it took about 6 weeks. I was just crazy excited. Went to my next lesson to show Dave I got it. All he said was "good job", now we're going to start learning how to bend. Man did I suffer. Bending was some mysterious technique only gifted musicians could do. I don't know how long it took me to get it. About a year after that Joe Filisko had impressed upon Dave that tongue blocking was mega important. Until that point Dave puckered and played stock Special 20. About 3 weeks later Dave gave me a new song and told me I was to use only tongue blocking. Dave became the "Devil's Spawn" at that moment. Tongue block bending was absolutely impossible. I was asking everyone I knew if they used tongue blocking or pucker. It's been about 14 years. I'm still working on technique. The 10 blow bend is elusive. However it's available... listen to the Mitch Kashmar interview when he talks about bending the 10. Also dig into the Kim Wilson interview and Dennis Gruenling also. This web site is so content rich it will take years to master it all. My advice, laugh at every mistake you make when you play. Be persistent. Some things could be really tough. The more deliberate practice you put in and the more music you listen to is the key. Most of all have fun. Also remember "You just can't have too many harmonicas".
Maybe you really are good enough to play at a blues jam. Just because you haven't learned tongue blocking doesn't mean you can't play or can't sound good.
I started as mainly a pucker player. I knew about tongue blocking from the start but didn't see the point - why put three holes in your mouth and then block two of them, when you could just put one hole in your mouth?
Later, listening to blues harmonica records, I started to notice split intervals, where you have your tongue on the harp and play something like Holes 2 and 5 out of the corners of your mouth. Still later I discovered things like tongue slaps and hammers. Ah, so there was a reason to use tongue blocking. So I adopted those techniques. But I still puckered most of the time and just switched embouchures to play those "special effects." Didn't stop me from sitting in with Muddy Waters or opening for John Mayall.
Over time, I gradually became a mostly tongue block player. But I do it because it works for me, not because you're "supposed to." In my case, I play a lot of split interval harmonies, and also do wide leaps by switching between right and left corners while blocking the holes in between.
Some players will tell you tongue blocking is the only valid embouchure. Others, like Jason Ricci, will evangelize for being mainly a pucker player. It works for him and his delivery.
So who's right?
You are. Do what works for you. It's a good thing to learn to play total tongue block, whether or not you end up choosing it as your main embouchure. Meanwhile, There's no reason to arrest your gigging development. get out there on stage! Getting out in front of a an audience with a band is a valuable experience and involves learning a set of skills that have nothing to do with which embouchure you use.