Todd Parrott Interview

Todd has not played with an exhaustive list of famous musicians nor toured to the point that he’s a household name, so his bio really doesn't do him justice. He’s a highly skilled musician and in the harmonica community respected as a heavy-hitter…

“One of the tastiest and most accomplished overblow players around today." Brendan Power

"Todd Parrott is one of the freshest, most innovative and proficient harp players I know. He's got it all: great chops, killer tone, speed, finesse, and impeccable taste. Todd plays with a sensibility and maturity that lets me know he is first and foremost a great musician who never sacrifices musicality for mere technique. And he 
genuinely loves sharing whatever knowledge he has with the rest of the harmonica community out there. I'm excited to see his star rising." Buddy Greene

"Todd Parrott works the upper octave blues scale in a straight-ahead blues/gospel vein better than anybody out there, IMO. He's very fast, gets all the notes (overblows and overdraws), and, most importantly, makes it all sound very soulful.... Todd's too modest to say this, but I think he's got the best chance of any harmonica player I've seen to cross over and become the public sound and image of what pure-D American blues harmonica is about: unamped, very little tongue-blocking, just straight-up, stand-at-the-mic-and-blow-hell-out-of-it stuff. Sweet, strong, soulful, and clear...
He's definitely modern, in technical terms--all those overdraws and overblows, some of them bent and/or held and vibratoed--but his tonality is straight down the middle of the blues/gospel/country road. Most listeners won't hear "modern." They'll just hear "great!" Todd should be center stage at the Grand Ol' Opry, he should be the first-call studio guy in Nashville and L.A., he should be all over movie and TV soundtracks. He's really got it. One reason among many that he's got it is that he makes huge use of the upper octave blues scale..." Adam Gussow

This interview was held at the SPAH Convention (http://spah.org) in Denver, Colorado August, 2015. To learn more about Todd and his music visit: http://toddparrott.com

*Special Note: In the interview Todd speaks of a website where you can hear chords played, the site is www.gootar.com/piano

Videos Include
Todd’s Early Years (Todd Parrott Interview)
Tongue Blocking Split Intervals (Todd Parrott Interview)
Importance of Understanding Music (Todd Parrott Interview)
Recommendations to Students for Learning Music Theory (Todd Parrott Interview)
Accompaniment Playing (Todd Parrott Interview)
Improvising and Songwriting (Todd Parrott Interview)
Developing Bending Skills (Todd Parrott Interview)
Playing in Minor (Todd Parrott Interview)
1st Position (Todd Parrott Interview)
3rd Position (Todd Parrott Interview)
Overbending, Part 1 (Todd Parrott Interview)
Overbending, Part 2 (Todd Parrott Interview)
Closing (Todd Parrott Interview)