Hey Sonic Junction -

It's lesson 3 on this Lockdown Shuffle and it's packed with good and handy tools that you'll be able to reference and utilize throughout your harmonica playing lifetime. This week we're alternating single notes with chords, and employing some double stops (AKA intentional slop) and double stop bends. We're doing some tongue switching, where we'll be playing the first hole, both blow and draw, out of the left corner of the mouth rather than the usual blocking on the left and playing from the right corner. We'll also be lifting the groove by revisiting some of the blow/draw, push/pull that we introduced last week. Getting this verse down will also entail fine tuning your bends on holes two and three - really nailing that pitch with as much accuracy as possible. I know this sounds like a lot of stuff, but the good news is, all the techniques and devices in this week's lesson will be recurring throughout this series, so you'll have plenty of opportunity for fine tuning.

Be safe. Stay in the pocket, have fun, and I'll see you next week.

- Rick Estrin

 

 

Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Chicago Blues