Dennis is one of the few teachers that understands the concept of moving your internal tongue placement curved towards roof of mouth target spot just a little bit forward as you use a higher pitched harmonica. This is very important in bending to correct pitch on all keys. Lighter touch = breathe the harmonica. It's not force - it's finesse!.
Yesirree...One chord grooves.....easy because one doesn't have to be concerned with chord changes....hard because it's all on YOU to get creative...early on, most run out of ideas pretty quickly, having to depend on a new chord for "inspiration". A great way to gauge your growth is how well you can deal with the one chord groove!
This may just help Andre learn about groove....it worked for me...
Go for a walk around the block with your harmonica. Once you get into your walk "groove" (steady walk - no slowing down and speeding up), play a simple harmonica groove pattern as you walk, like - inhale holes 1 and 2 while softly phoneticizing "Ut - tah" and then exhale holes 2 and 3 while phoneticizing "Ut - tah"...so, left foot (inhale), right foot (exhale). Breathe the harmonica in and out.
The "Ut - tah" is attached to the triplet beat of "1 and a", where the "Ut" is on 1, the "and" is a pause and the "tah" is on the "a" of the beat. The "feel" is exactly the same one you feel when you skip....remember skipping as a kid? Attach what you are playing to that "feeling".
(This worked great until I had a student who was from Germany. He told me "We German boy children did NOT skip. That was only for girls").
For sure, this style is a pretty radical departure from your more modern, clean approach. I'm real glad you can find something interesting in this type of lowdown stuff.
Boyd.....everyone learns at different speeds and starts at different points. I suggest you set metronome to where you can easily play along, and then start to increase it slowly until you get to the point where you struggle a bit. Leave it there until it becomes easy and then repeat!
Well Larry, if there ends up being anything in here you‘re curious about, and I somehow overlooked breaking it down in the lessons, all you have to do is ask.
Sez Blair "Seems I still need to keep my face muscles as loose as possible"
ALWAYS relax EVERY MUSCLE not necessary when playing harmonica - including back and shoulder muscles, neck muscles, and even your lips should be loose, soft and relaxed while playing.
You certainly understand "groove", based on this example!
RELAX THAT TONGUE! Make it feel like a big ol' lump with absolutely no tension in it at all. The only muscle you need to engage is further back in the tongue - the one that pushes it forwards and brings it back.
In bending while TB'ing, you will also engage the muscle that arcs that tongue in it's back 2/3rds to aim at that "sweet spot" that engages the bend.
Stanley Turrenting with Shirley Scott Organ Trio is another example of fat greasy groove. Jimmy Forrest is also one of my fav's - check out The Honeydripper recording with Jack McDuff.
I like these sax players for ideas that translate real well to diatonic harmonica.
Total honey drippin' groove. As a matter of fact, I developed my own basic "groove" sound, but apparently I have been insiduously influenced by Mr. Estrin (having listened to his music for over 20 years), as what I thought of as my own basic groove is sure evident in the opening measures of this great learning song. Since Rick is OLDER than me, I guess it was his personal groove sound first and I stole, uh, borrowed it (unbeknownst to me, that is).
Good God, y'all. My computer speakers are wailin' with dirty harp residue.
Cool, cause Rick isn't playing loud. Just knows about "that sound".
Thanks for tackling this particular groove, which I've always had a bit of trouble with live (if you can believe that The Iceman actually has weak spots in performance).
Hey Ivan....you should teach, too. You got "street cred" and natural body groove movement....
Absolutely! - Ivan could teach if he wants - He can also perform if he wants.👍🏽
Larry! thank you so much for this beautiful compliment, I greatly appreciated!
Dennis is one of the few teachers that understands the concept of moving your internal tongue placement curved towards roof of mouth target spot just a little bit forward as you use a higher pitched harmonica. This is very important in bending to correct pitch on all keys. Lighter touch = breathe the harmonica. It's not force - it's finesse!.
Yesirree...One chord grooves.....easy because one doesn't have to be concerned with chord changes....hard because it's all on YOU to get creative...early on, most run out of ideas pretty quickly, having to depend on a new chord for "inspiration". A great way to gauge your growth is how well you can deal with the one chord groove!
Exactly! It's a great practice tool!
This may just help Andre learn about groove....it worked for me...
Go for a walk around the block with your harmonica. Once you get into your walk "groove" (steady walk - no slowing down and speeding up), play a simple harmonica groove pattern as you walk, like - inhale holes 1 and 2 while softly phoneticizing "Ut - tah" and then exhale holes 2 and 3 while phoneticizing "Ut - tah"...so, left foot (inhale), right foot (exhale). Breathe the harmonica in and out.
The "Ut - tah" is attached to the triplet beat of "1 and a", where the "Ut" is on 1, the "and" is a pause and the "tah" is on the "a" of the beat. The "feel" is exactly the same one you feel when you skip....remember skipping as a kid? Attach what you are playing to that "feeling".
(This worked great until I had a student who was from Germany. He told me "We German boy children did NOT skip. That was only for girls").
I've got big musical ears, but this stuff always eluded me.
Thanks for revealing a bit o' the inner secrets of this style of playing. Your teaching approach is easy to absorb.
Too many students are "show me a lick" when they should be more invested in learning how to groove.
For sure, this style is a pretty radical departure from your more modern, clean approach. I'm real glad you can find something interesting in this type of lowdown stuff.
Boyd.....everyone learns at different speeds and starts at different points. I suggest you set metronome to where you can easily play along, and then start to increase it slowly until you get to the point where you struggle a bit. Leave it there until it becomes easy and then repeat!
Great advice, Larry!
You've got some pretty cool tone goin' there, and that sometimes is most of the battle! Crunchy
"We don need no stinkin' amplifiers!"
IMO, acoustic tone doesn't get any more "no doubt" than this. Solid!
Can't wait for the breakdown....Miller's breathing patterns between the single notes has always befuddled me...
Well Larry, if there ends up being anything in here you‘re curious about, and I somehow overlooked breaking it down in the lessons, all you have to do is ask.
Nice cupped "wah" sound! Good groove. good job.
and the father isn't too bad, either!
Sez Blair "Seems I still need to keep my face muscles as loose as possible"
ALWAYS relax EVERY MUSCLE not necessary when playing harmonica - including back and shoulder muscles, neck muscles, and even your lips should be loose, soft and relaxed while playing.
You certainly understand "groove", based on this example!
RELAX THAT TONGUE! Make it feel like a big ol' lump with absolutely no tension in it at all. The only muscle you need to engage is further back in the tongue - the one that pushes it forwards and brings it back.
In bending while TB'ing, you will also engage the muscle that arcs that tongue in it's back 2/3rds to aim at that "sweet spot" that engages the bend.
Yes. Rick AND Rusty Zinn are real afficianodos of cool vintage wrist watches!
Stanley Turrenting with Shirley Scott Organ Trio is another example of fat greasy groove. Jimmy Forrest is also one of my fav's - check out The Honeydripper recording with Jack McDuff.
I like these sax players for ideas that translate real well to diatonic harmonica.
https://youtu.be/7iYKyCLxxWA
This is the "magic" of the groove. It sounds like two harps, but is really one harmonica playing both "rhythm guitar" as well as "lead guitar".
Total honey drippin' groove. As a matter of fact, I developed my own basic "groove" sound, but apparently I have been insiduously influenced by Mr. Estrin (having listened to his music for over 20 years), as what I thought of as my own basic groove is sure evident in the opening measures of this great learning song. Since Rick is OLDER than me, I guess it was his personal groove sound first and I stole, uh, borrowed it (unbeknownst to me, that is).
Anyways, it sure is infectuous!
Hey Larry - I stole it from somewhere myself. I'm just too old to remember where I got it.
The Groove Meister is back!
(who's the bass player?)
Intentional slop - great descriptive term.
It helped me to think in %. For instance, when playing both holes 3 and 4 inhale together, the formula I use is 75% hole 3 and
25% hole 4.
It is not the sound of both holes played together equally.
Good point, Iceman.
Good God, y'all. My computer speakers are wailin' with dirty harp residue.
Cool, cause Rick isn't playing loud. Just knows about "that sound".
Thanks for tackling this particular groove, which I've always had a bit of trouble with live (if you can believe that The Iceman actually has weak spots in performance).
Hey Larry - You're right! I absolutely find it difficult to believe you have trouble with that (or any) groove.
At last. The Ultimate training song for blues harmonica.
Have been using this one for students for at least 14 years!
Great for ALL levels, beginner on up.
not bad. boost your timing accuracy by working with a metronome.