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.

thanks

Hi Boyd --- please accept my apologies.  

We had an issue with the site for a couple hours today that incorrectly asked some users to upgrade.  The issue has now been resolved.  

I' m shut out

Hey Mike I'm signed up for years and can't get back on what is going on thanks

Duke - I'm very into the early Chicago stuff - and if Eddie Taylor never got enough credit (he produced all the classic blues recordings at VJ records) Luther Tucker gets even less.  I think he's a great soloist and would like to see a lesson covering his style which I think took Eddie Taylor a step further.  Maybe "Mean Ol World".  Hard to find much video on him, most of it is with Eddie Taylor but great Chicago licks. 

I am tongue blocking, Harvey. I'm bending with my tongue on the harp and 90% of the time I'm even using my tongue to cut off and punctuate the chords.

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.

Duke - have been on the road and missed your comments - thanks very much for your positive words - I will probably do a more traditional version of cocaine blues at some point but I already do a lot of dark material and I was a bit inspired by Dave  Van Ronk who authored a couple of lines here and got big laughs with them.  Guitar licks are very simple but just sort of fell into place as something one could both sing - and talk along - with.  Toungue in cheek aspect takes live audiences off guard and I have good success with it.  Sort of breaks things up between songs like "Goin Down Slow" and "Fixin to Die" -- my normal repertoire.  Hope to have some electric stuff on for the next go round.  My heart goes out to you about your hand - I have had a number of serious injuries to my hands, wrists and elbows and it has hampered my guitar playing a great deal over the years and can be challening to deal with.  Your lessons have continued to be fantastic as always though.

Hi Martin, I do use solid state amps occasionally. Never tried the one you mentioned but Evans makes a cool good sounding small amp. I also use an Acousitc 100 watt 1 12" speaker amp that is inexpensive and sounds very good for jazz. It's pretty light also. Duke 

Hi Duke.

As I get older, I want a lightweight amp which will give a clean, jazzy tone. My Jazzkat Tomkat amp is nice but has become unreliable. I'm now thinking of getting a Henriksen Blues 12" (same as the Henriksen jazz amps but with a Ragin' Cajun speaker).

I play band gigs and I also do solo work. I use archtops and, for louder gigs, a Strat. I understand why most guitarists swear by Fender combos, but I'm at the stage of life when I want amps that aren't heavy and bulky and give me a sound true to the instrument.

Do you ever use Henriksens or other small solid state jazz amps -- or do you always stick to valves?

Regards

Martin McNeill 

I just started playing with a harp player who can play "Juke" by Little Walter ... just like Little Walter. :)

I really need help with the guitar chords - it's a basic I-IV-V in E (or Eb) but I can't catch what the "jazzy" blues chords are that are on the record. Would love some help - 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

Hi Harvey - I had to go back and do it. Here's what happens I cut off the "lup" with my tongue and lips almost simultaneously. It's cut off with my lips a fraction of an instant after I cut it off with my tongue. The harp doesn't really come totally out of my mouth at the end of the phrase it's still resting on my lips. More important than the mechanics of how I'm doing it, is for you to get that groove inside you - And, when you think you're really groovin', groove harder. It'll take practice, but when it feels right, chances are, you'll know it.

Is this the real Iceman?!?! (Obviously not Albert Collins, but is it the real Larry the Iceman?)

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.

Alejandro give thanks for the comment.  I don't...but many do.  I like the open strings too much! lol

Do you play slide in standard tuning?

Hi Boyd --- thanks for the question and for being a part of Sonic Junction.  Duke's lesson assume that the student has at least an intermediate level of experience with the guitar.  For questions like these, I would recommend you find a local teacher to work with who could provide you with a solid foundation for playing the guitar and understanding chords, chord progressions and the major / minor pentatonic scales.  Once you have that knowledge, you will be ready for Duke and Corey's lessons.  Feel free to email me directly throught the Contact Us page if you have any further questions.  

Thanks.

Ive had no lessons. and leant how to play on my own, and playing is not bad. But on your lessons you well going to the 5 are going to the 3rd and on  7th cord are what ever are  7th cord. if you would could you explain that to me, sorry I just don't understand thanks.

Hi Allan, Don't know how I missed this, sorry. Maybe next time! Duke

As always, I recomend heavy listening to the masters you want to emulate as much as possible to get those sounds in your head. As I always say, if you don't hear it in your head, you won't be able to play it. 

Chuck, Watch how Paul plays it and try to play light and smooth. There is a certain type of fluidity to this type of swinging style that is unlike blues or rock technique. It's more concentration on the notes you are playing than vibrato or a hard attack. Hopes that helps a bit. duke

Sure Tom, I will put that on my list. Generally, for me, I find it best to use a song to demonstrate things. Is there a song that is there a good example of the kind od pentatonic riffs you are thinking of? Duke  

I think it was BB King that said "if you haven't lived the blues, you can't play it" or words to that effect.  I am working on this months lesson, The Song has ended, and as Paul says, Dukes love of blues shines through in the solo.  I can play the notes (first four bars) but can't get it to sound like the recording.  Hopefully with time and practise it's will come.