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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
What Next?
What Next?
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cblue85
1 post
Oct 25, 2008
10:58 PM
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okay first let me start by saying I'm new to the harmonica, and extremely new to this site. After being interested in the harmonica for quite a while, i finally decided to get one.
But now that i have it, i am completely lost as to how to practice and actually improve my playing.
Every site i have looked on says to start out with single notes, which i have. I've played a few simple songs such as "row row your boat" using single notes and such and i plan on getting single notes down packed, but after a player becomes familiar with single notes, where do you go from there?
I haven't found anything on what to do AFTER you have learned to play single note songs. Don't get me wrong, i'm not planning on moving on from singles yet, but when i am ready, i don't want to be completely lost. Any help on where the next step is?
TOO LONG;DIDNT READ?:
After learning single notes where do you go from there?
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zobot
27 posts
Oct 25, 2008
11:53 PM
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Go to Adam's store and download a beginners lesson, practise day and night until you get it right then download another one. Adam's lessons are grouped according to skill level so if you progress through each section you will make real progress-it worked for me!
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eharp
113 posts
Oct 26, 2008
5:07 AM
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depends on your goals, what style of music you want to play. if you just want to play row your boat and other simple songs or play around the campfires; spike your harp and do the victory dance!! you are there!! if you want to start playing jazz, blues, celtic, rock, you got a ways to go but have made a great start.
how are you playing single notes? do you use a tongue block or the pucker method? i would put some effort into learning tb (tongue block). it will help you farther down the road.
start using the net. it is full of resources. youtube is amazing.
1) adam gussow
2) jon gindick
3) ronnie shellist
4) dan gage
from there you will find related videos.
harmonicaclub.com has a chatroom where you can ask questions, listen to other players and even play some yourself for others to HELP your playing. you need a mic and speakers to get the most out of this room. (they can be cheap)
good luck!
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kudzurunner
144 posts
Oct 26, 2008
7:30 AM
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cdblue:
Thanks for the great question. Here are a few points to think about, in no particular order:
1) Blues harmonica is about single notes, double stops (two notes at a time), and chords (three or more notes at the same time). It's also about warbles (moving rapidly back and forth between 4 and 5 draw, for example.) So beginners need to learn how to play single note melodies; how to work with double stops and warbles; and how to play chord rhythms. Can you play a chord rhythm--anything? If not, I have a lesson entitled "Shuffle Blues Rhythm" that I consider a basic building block. I talk about warbles in several YouTube lessons. They're a quick & dirty way of bluesing up your playing.
2) Blues harmonica is about learning how to bend: 4 draw first, then 2 draw, then 3 draw. (Easiest to hardest.) I've got videos on all three bends. The bends are essential; you can't play blues without knowing how to make all three.
3) Blues harmonica is about knowing what a 12-bar blues is, and knowing how to count your way through it. Then knowing how to hit the root of the chord as you cycle through the changes. (I've got a video on this.)
4) Blues harmonica is about learning many, many different ways of creating blues melodies that blaze a path through the 12-bar changes. Here I think that I offer a great and varied selection, drawn from the classic repertoire (simplified for playability, in some cases, such as "Juke 1.0).
5) Blues harmonica is about learning how to tongue block--if not necessarily to play EVERYTHING with this technique, then certainly to play some "big octaves" (14 draw, 25 draw, 36 blow, in particular). I do NOT have an MBH video specifically oriented towards teaching this technique, but if you google "gussow tongue blocking," you'll find a few YouTube videos on that
6) Blues harmonica is about improvisation. I don't specifically have an MBH video about improvisation, and I need to do this, but I have several YouTube videos about this (google "Gussow harmonica improvisation"). David Barrett has an extraordinary new book on the subject. Of course I'd like to think that the two sets of jam tracks that I offer at MBH are a good way of transitioning from a few scattered licks and songs to something more like real music-making.
Good luck! You're probably suffering from information overload. But it is possible to make solid progress, day by day, if you keep the core principles above in mind. Ultimately, you need to start with the music you love--meaning you've got to listen widely, purchase music, and immerse yourself in it--and remember that growing is an uneven process. If the phrase "daily practice" kills off your spirit, then just remember my mantra: "go with your obsessional energy." It's never let me down.
Last Edited by on Oct 26, 2008 7:31 AM
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cblue85
2 posts
Oct 26, 2008
11:22 AM
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Thanks Everyone for the great replies.
After reading the responses it seems like YouTube is going to be one of the best resources so i think i'll go there, and practice until my face turns blue (not literally :P). But first I'm gonna practice the Tongue Block method to get my single notes.
So now i am left with another question..
Can someone point me in the right direction to a Website/ lesson on Tongue Blocking?
Thanks.
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kudzurunner
147 posts
Oct 26, 2008
7:45 PM
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-MZmYln94
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cblue85
3 posts
Oct 26, 2008
9:10 PM
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Thanks Adam.
I'm sure you hear this more than enough, but you seriously are THE MAN!
I'm actually getting better already.
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