In another thread (the Sonny Terry harp thread) someone mentioned Don Baker, an Irish harp player. Long ago, I had a n instructional cassette and booklet featuring him. It showed the basics, then different licks, and at the end collected those licks into a Whammer Jammer type song. Did anyone else have this? Does anyone have it, or is it available anywhere?
your thinking of "Begining Blues Harmonica". I have it somewhere... you'll pick it up easy enough on amazon or ebay. He also has a video called "Famous Harmonica styles" but I haven't seen it around and might not be available anymore. all his catalogue is listed on his website
http://www.donbaker.ie/ ---------- My granddad gave me some sound advice on his deathbed. "It's worth spending money on good speakers," he told me.
I started off a video lesson by Don Baker called "Beginning Blues Harp". In retrospect I don't rate it very highly - it doesn't explain anything about how blues music WORKS, which leaves you sh*ttin' into the wind when it comes to any real-life musical experience.
In defence of Don Baker, though, he does have an instantly recognisable style, with those tell-tale Celtic triplets.
He gets minus points for yelling "Play the blues" at his guitarist at 2:12.
I started with a Don Baker book and tape in the 1980's it was great. It taught you right off the bat how to tongue block and then had a few straight songs (1st position) before getting into bending notes and playing blues.
I have one from him called "Beginning Rock Harp." It teaches some basic techniques and has some short (about 30 sec.) songs in it. There is an incredible amount of mistakes in that book. (Incorrect tabs for notes, mainly.)
I also found a very big mistake in David Harps "Blues & Rock Harp Positions Made Easy." He shows a "high, simple 2nd position blues scale as 6 -7' 7 -8' -8 -9 9,
and a mixed octave scale as 6 -7' 7 -4' -4 -5 6.
(-7' = 7 draw bend.)
Except on a valved harp, there ain't no bent 7 or 8 draws.
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2009 11:54 PM
Seen the man play a few months back in my hometown. Went to the gig with no real prior knowledge of who the guy was except that one ageing relative labelled him "the Jimi Hendrix of harmonica"! Being in my first few months of playing, I knew this was something I had to see.
As inaccurate as that description may have been, I was blown away by the guy's playing - his train rythym song, especially, was phenomenal. He cut quite a figure, commanding the stage in his heavy leather jacket, harmonica belt slung from his waist, growling out barely-decipherable parables between songs - at one point he went into a lengthy but spirited speil aout "the state of music today" and he was spot on with what he was saying.
Have to say I was really impressed with the man on the whole, a true genuine master musician who came up the hard way (in Ireland!)- couldn't help but respect him :)
I can't remember his exact words as I was inebriated at the time, but the gist was a bitter rant on popular music today,the manufactured prissy pop bullshit and the now-sterilised alternative scene whose patrons' work does not amount to "real music". How the real musicians are neglected and ignored while the most stylish, user-friendly acts are celebrated, despite their obvious lack of talent. Live music in pubs and clubs have been replaced by the dj and the backing track and so forth...
Sorry I went a bit off-topic here, I'm new to the forum, seen Don Baker's name and got excited ;{)
Howya Deck Nice to see another local on the forum. I don't know if I would give him a Hendrix label but he's a damn good player all the same and gives a good gig. as we say here 'He wasn't brought up he was dragged up'....Don's had his share of hard knocks. happy new year and God bless bdr ---------- My granddad gave me some sound advice on his deathbed. "It's worth spending money on good speakers," he told me.
