Hey - Rick Estrin, back again with a brand new piece created specially for my Sonic Junction people. This tune is called “Sloppin’ and Slidin” and as the title indicates, it contains a lot of different slides or glissandos mixed in with some slop, AKA double-stops, or as Dennis calls ‘em distorted notes. The term I like to use when describing this effect is - Intentional Slop. I heard Paul Oscher use that description way back in the 1960s and that’s been my name for it ever since.
A couple other things to note about this tune are:
1) Although I’m normally a big advocate of “breathing through the harp” and employing “2 draw vs 3 blow” to best advantage, a good portion of this song is done strictly using draw notes. I figure it can’t hurt to expand our comfort zone.
And:
2) In honor of Halloween, I made this song just a little bit spooky! Have fun, and I’ll see you next week.
Rick
Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Chicago Blues
Print Chords & Tab
A Harp in the Key of E.
Loop 0:00 Whole Song
Loop 0:00 First Verse
Loop 0:36 Second Verse
Loop 0:59 Third Verse
Loop 1:24 Fourth Verse
Loop 1:47 Fifth Verse
Loop 2:11 Sixth Verse
Loop 2:35 Seventh Verse
Comments
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Hey Rick, unrelated to this lesson but do you think you'll ever post any chromatic lessons?
I hadn't thought about it, but maybe. For now, you should check out Dennis's Moan a Chrom serie.
What holes are u hitting?
Hi Douglas - This video is just the song performance. When you get into the actual lessons I explain which holes I’m hitting and what to do once you get there.
I think it's interesting that the direction is to stick to instrumentals. I really like the lessons you did on Getting Out of Town and Nine Below Zero. Other artists on the site are doing songs. I would love it if you mixed in some lessons that included vocals, especially vocals and harmonica with no other accompaniment. It really makes you think about your breathing and sustaining the groove. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.
Sonnyboy does on the Chess, 45 version? I would like to have these songs also
Well Boyd, Sonic Junction wants me to stick with instrumentals. Maybe I’ll try to put a SBW2 style thing together incorporating elements from Fattening Frogs.
Also I know it’s off topic here, but would love to see a lesson series on Fattnin’ Frogs For Snakes
Do you mean break down what Sonnyboy does on the Chess, 45 version?
Yes sir
I think SJ wants me to stick to instrumental pieces, but maybe I could construct a Rice Miller style, shuffle instrumental, and draw from “snakes” and utilize other SB2 type, devices.
Sounds good, yeah I completely forgot that there is a vocal on that
Thanks Rick
Hi Rick, your acoustic tone is amazing, any tips for a achieving that big tone?
Thanks, Grant - I’d say first, make sure you’re able to produce a clear, clean focused sound on a single hole - try to eliminate air leakage. Next, become a curious, constructive critic - listen to yourself and experiment by making tiny adjustments to your embouchure, to the position of your jaw, to the compression of your throat and facial muscles, experiment with diaphragm breathing vs shallow breathing, all those things and more will help you to find and develop different tones. So, be patient with yourself. Putting in the time to experiment with small adjustments and just spending time with that harp in your mouth, is the way you’ll discover how to make different sounds and tones and take ownership of them.
Huh! Scale down the focus and magnitude of he compression. I would have thought the opposite. Thanks - that's definitely something to explore. Yeh, Sonny Boy does some things, like Do It If You Want To, on a high F harp that would be good to revisit.
Like I said, it’s hard to describe (at least for me) - But the key is usually finesse rather than muscle.
Hi Rick,
Good to virtually see you again. I like the guitar line - spooky without being cheesy. Not an easy feat.
I love your ideas. Seems like every verse I think I know where it's going and then you come up with a surprise that really grabs me. I'm hoping to have the first verse or two more or less together and the rest of it in my head by next week.
I find that it's easier to bend notes, especially the 3-hole draw bends, on an A harp than on a higher pitched harp like a D. Any thoughts on that? Could it be the particular harp or is that normal? Are there any ways to alter the technique or do I just have to wear out a few more D harps until I get the feel for it?
Thanks,
B
Hi Bill - Glad you like the piece. Rusty tells me that by me being such a primitive guitar player, I sometimes come up with some cool “ignorant“ bass lines that a real guitar player or bass player probably wouldn’t think of.
The adjustment you‘re asking about is difficult to describe, but when you’re playing higher pitched harps, it’s like you need to scale down the focus and the magnitude of the compression you’re using to get your handle, or your grip on the reed. I don’t know if that makes any sense at all to you, but I’m just trying to describe what will have occurred anyway after you “wear out a few more D harps“ and “get the feel”.
It is a different feel - I’d suggest maybe listening to, and trying to replicate some Sonnyboy II stuff where he’s using higher pitched harps.