First of all, this is a fantastic idea to have guest teachers and Rick is one of the most fun of all.

His video has great playing and nice break down of what he does.

However, what is not really discussed enough is an underlying innate sense of groove upon which the harmonica playing is attached.

Watch Rick's whole body...it's as if he can't help but dance along to his internal groove...almost like the groove is "dancing him".

Many times this is the icing on the cake to bring a performance all together...After all, it's not too hard to memorize all the notes you have to play on the harmonica. It's attaching them to your inner groove that makes your performance jump out.

Lup Dodah Lup!  Man, I am enjoying these lessons on Getting Out of Town with Rick Estrin.  I first heard him play this tune on a Mark Hummel "Harmonica Blowout" CD, and I am really delighted to get a chance to see Rick's truly groovy perfomance (worth the price of admission all by iteslf) and to have the song broken down so that I can get inside it. I do have a question for Rick.  Do you have to get the harp out of your mouth to get that "p" consonant?  I can do Luck Dodah Luck pretty well, but in order to close it out with that P sound, I have to sort of push the harp out of my mouth with my lips, pop my lips together to say it, then get the harp back in place instantly in order to play the next phrase.   Rick, can you say something about that last syllable?

Thanks.

Thanks so much, Rick.  I AM getting that groove into my head and body.  In fact, I can't get it out of my head. Just this morning at breakfast I looked my wife miscievously in the eyes, said "Lup DooDah Lup! and kissed her passionately on the mouth.  When I left she was still stting there with a big smile on her face.  Man,I can tell I got the groove.

Looking forward to the next lesson.  Cheers,

Harvey

Dear Teacher Man: I am doing my homework! I feel as if I have grooved the first verse deep into my cerebral cortex and my gut, and I am starting to get the second verse into the same places.  I am excited that you are breaking down verse three as well. Please keep going!  These are great lessons.  I appreciate, for instance, that you play the riffs over and over,  I try to play along with you, taking advantage of your repetitions and the loop and slow downer high-tech features that Mike has built in.  What more can an eager harp player ask for?

I do have a question: is it fair to say that you are always playing in a tongue block embochure (whether you are tongue slapping or not) and that you are bending with your tongue on the harp?

Thanks.

Rick asks above..."Is this the real Iceman?!?! (Obviously not Albert Collins, but is it the real Larry the Iceman?)"

uh, accept no substitute. I'm the real deal...and once I wore a shirt cooler than Rick's (at SPAH in the good ol' daze), but that was definitely by pure luck.

Anyways, to those interested in ramping up their % of tongue blocking, know yee that all your bends can be created with your tongue on the harp...(except, for me, the high end blow bends, although others can do it TB). Bends are controlled by the middle/back section of the tongue, which arcs upwards gently to redirect the airflow. The tip of the tongue is not engaged, so there is no problem if it is resting on the harmonica. If you can bend using single note technique but have trouble with TB bends, I would suggest re-examining your bending technique. It may need a slight adjustment.

One must become very sensitive to how the tongue moves and its placement in creating bends. You may be surprised to find that you need very little tongue arcing to create any bend you wish. What you need to do is find the "sweet spot", or that exact place on the roof of your mouth to which you "aim" that arc in your tongue. These areas may be defined by places where you perceive your tongue arcing towards when you say "T", "D", "K" and "Guh". This is a good start to give you reference points to aim for and also improve your awareness of what is really going on. The lower the note, the further back you need to place your reference point. Trouble bending lower notes may mean that your tongue is pointing towards "D" when it should be aimed more towards "K" or "Guh".

Rick sez Thanks Larry. You are absolutely right.

I am? aw shucks, gee whiz, gosh and golly....;>)

Hey Rick you should start a clothing line. I haven't seen a 1 button roll since the 50's. Looking good daddio.

Good eye, Guy! Nobody makes a one button roll anymore - Nobody makes pin-collar shirts. It's like class is passe' - 

Maybe I should start a clothing line - You wanna bankroll it? We'll be partners...

Seriously though, I hope you enjoy the lessons.

Am curious as to the mic/amp used in your first shuffle video w/Rusty. Low volume, but great tone.

Am now living in SE Coastal GA, between Jacksonville and Savannah. Trying to get a busboy job on the blues cruise or for the Las Vegas Casinos for that 4 day Blues Extravaganza show coming up in the fall.

I'm working on my New Year's resolution to learn Sonny Boy's Groove.  Man, I hope I didn't reach too high.  This tune takes a lot of harmonica playing. Rick, would you comment on the turn around?  I'm trying to get that down before I take on each verse, since the turn around repeats pretty much the same way throughout.  First question: are you tongue blocking from the 5 chord on through the turn around?  Second question, does that Sonny Boy tag at the end of the turn around (3 blow, 2 blow, 1 draw x3) also appear-- but very quickly and without the repetitions on the 1 draw--right before the wah wahs and then the tag at the end?  

I heard what you said about how it takes all the little things working together to make the groove. I'm still trying to figure what all those little things are!

Do you think Sonny Boy would have shard all this?

Thanks!

Hey Harvey!!! Regarding that sequence of notes from the turnaround - You are absolutely right! Good job - Good ear! Developing your "aural detective" muscle like you're doing is going to turn out to be your best and biggest key to really getting an internal grasp on this stuff!

Regarding tongue-blocking the bend on the 3rd hole draw down to the II of the scale, that requires a different kind of muscles - embouchure muscles - In this case I'm tongue-blocking. It can be done either way. It's a tricky bend to get down whether you're tonguing or lipping but if you tongue-block it, you won't have to deal with making the transition from tongue to lips and back again. This piece features that bend throughout, so maybe try viewing it as a good opportunity to begin to own that note.

Yes, Rick, thank you. These Sonic Junction harp lessons are great for ear training. It just ain't easy!  I'm trying to make tongue blocking my default embouchure, precisely for the sake of the groove, but I'm still more confident reaching for those bends on the low reeds with my lips.

Either way, its a blast to learn to play these tunes!

Thanks so much for your response.

Either way - if you can lip it without sacrificing groove or tone, go for it. Sometimes on higher pitched harps, I lip that note too. There're are no actual rules - as long as it works!

Regarding easy vs difficult, that's what makes it so rewarding when you nail it! Almost nothing that engenders any kind of long-term gratification comes easy. Enjoy the process - It's ongoing - for me too!

Rick,

Just popped in to tell you how great it is again to see and hear your harp playing. Been a fan ever since the nightcats. please pass my well wishes on to Charlie as well.

~ all the best 

Ha! My birthday! Now that would be the ticket....