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Originally posted Feb 2014

I get a lot of requests for Dylan and Neil Young songs, and I do what I can, but you can actually figure out a lot of this stuff yourself through experimentation, by listening to the recording with a harp in your hand, blowing along and trying to match the sound.

The big question becomes: what key harp are they using? Dylan, Neil Young, Springsteen and other rockers who play harp in a rack usually play mostly straight harp, also known as first position. That means, if you can figure out the key of the song, you’ll have the harp key also.

You can look up a guitar tab for the song and usually the first or last chord will match the key of the song. Sometimes, however, there’s a capo involved. A capo is a clamp placed on the neck of the guitar to make the same chords sound higher.

Without a capo, a C chord is just a C chord. Place a capo on the 1st fret however, and now a C chord sounds like a C# chord. Place a capo on 2nd fret and your C chord sounds like a D chord. Move the capo to 3rd fret and your C chord sounds like an Eb chord. Move the capo to 4th fret and your C chord sounds like an E chord.

For example, you look up a Dylan song whose guitar part includes the chords C F G and Am. Music theory and common practice will tell you that given these chords, the song is probably in the key of C.

Now, if this is a song that uses a capo placed at the 4th fret, you’re still using CFG and Am shapes, but you’ve moved the actual sound up to the key of E.

So you’d want an E harp for that song, since Dylan typically plays a harp in the same key as the song (straight harp, 1st position).

Now you can sit back, listen to the tune, blow around on your harp, and start trying to match the sounds you hear.

That intermediate step of figuring out the key is the tricky one, so feel free to ask your guitarist / pianist friends what key a song is in, or learn a little bit about capo position on guitar and you can determine it yourself.

Good luck and have fun!

Originally posted Jan 2014

If you’ve watched my 5-minute Youtube lesson videos and thought it’d be cool to take lessons with me one day, I’ve got something new for you.

Downloadable Harmonica Lesson Videos

Head over to the Store page, and for a fraction of the cost of a regular lesson with me, just $10, you can download a video lesson and tab page on the subject of your choice. I’ve opened the series with a lesson on bending, and I plan to continue with videos on single note technique, position playing, basic tongue blocking, blues for beginners, and more. If you have lesson suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

Originally posted Dec 2013

A reader named Alena wrote in to ask about her 4 draw. She said her 5 draw was nice and clear but 4 wasn’t playing. From her description, it sounded like maybe her 4 draw reed was stuck.

What To Do

Step 1: Puff In & Out
Try puffing air rapidly in and out on 4. Does that free it up? If not, use stronger air pressure. This does the trick most of the time.

Step 2: Toothpick
If still no response, poke a toothpick in hole 4 at a downward angle. You don’t have to reach far in; aim close to the hole opening. It’ll either unstick the draw reed or confirm that there IS no reed (sometimes they break).

Blow Reeds
These instructions will work for a blow reed also, but you’ll want to poke the toothpick in at an UPWARD angle and aim for the far end, deep inside the harp.

Preventing Stuck Reeds

Clean Mouth
Play with a clean mouth! If drinking anything other than water, swish with water before playing. After eating, clean your mouth: brush, floss, and rinse with water to avoid getting dried burrito inside your harp.

Warm Harmonica
In the winter, it can also help to warm your harp in your pocket for a minute or two before playing, to raise it closer to body temperature and prevent jams caused by condensation.

Originally posted Nov 2013

If you’ve been using my Tabs page, you may have noticed that I don’t always tell you which key harmonica to use.

For some songs, I don’t specify a key because there isn’t an “official” key for the song. It will work on any harp, and you can choose any key you’d like. As long as you’re playing solo, by yourself, it will always sound fine.

When you’re playing with someone else, or when you play along with a famous recording, I try to be more specific about key, because in THAT case, you’ll notice if you’re not playing in the same key.

Sometimes I make mistakes! In those cases, I’ve forgetten to list a key on a song where it matters, but in general, I only list keys for certain songs.

So, to conclude, you’ll always sound fine when you’re playing by yourself, and you get to choose which harp to use. But if you’re playing with a friend, or with a recording, it’s important to play in the compatible key.

I hope that helps clarify my approach!

This post was inspired by a question from a reader named Mauno. Thanks for writing in, Mauno!

Originally posted Nov 2013

This blog post is adapted from an email exchange with Tony, a reader who U-blocks but would like to get better at the pucker technique, because it frees the tongue for playing articulations and bending.

U-Blocking
If you haven’t heard of it before, U-blocking is a single-note embouchure that isolates a hole by rolling the sides of the tongue up into a U. The lips rest on the coverplates, and the rolled-up tongue touches the harp and is moved side to side as you play. It’s a technique that has the advantage of reducing head and hand movement. Some players also find that U-blocking helps them with blow bends, especially on hole 10.

Pucker Advantages
I feel the pucker has a distinct advantage for bending notes, because the tongue is free to adjust its position. Yes, you can bend when U-blocking or using traditional tongue-blocking, but the tongue has to adjust its shape while remaining in contact with the harp. Also, with the pucker, you don’t have to adjust your embouchure for playing articulations – you just say “Ta Ta” or “TikKa Tikka” and carry on playing, because your tongue is free. I’ll note that tongue blockers can make the same argument for seamlessly adding octaves, tongue slaps and chords, but I’m extolling the virtues of the pucker right now, so let’s stay on task…

Adjusting to a New Embouchure
If you’re a U-blocker and want to learn the pucker technique, I’d recommend practicing really simple exercises and songs mindfully – take it slow, notice when you start to U-block, and reset to the pucker. It might take a little time, but just be patient. The major scale from 4-7 is a good place to start.

4 -4 5 -5 6 -6 -7 7

7 -7 -6 6 -5 5 -4 4

This advice is the same for any new embouchure, by the way, whether you’re a U-blocker learning to pucker, or a pucker player learning to tongue-block.

Single notes are the key. If you practice playing clean single notes consistently using U-Blocking, Pucker, or Tongue Blocking, you’ll have more success bending, regardless of your embouchure.

Have patience, and take your time! You’ll get there.

Originally posted Nov 2013

A reader wrote in to request the harmonica part from “Timber,” the new single from Pitbull, featuring Kesha.

I hadn’t heard it yet, so I looked it up and threw together a little tutorial. It’s a short part, but it gets looped throughout the song, and it’s kinda neat to hear harmonica used in a current Top 40 song, doncha think?

Digging a little deeper, I found that the harp appears to have been played by Lee Oskar, the legendary member of the 70s Latin / Funk band WAR, and maker of Lee Oskar harmonicas. Way to go, Lee!

Knowing Lee’s style somewhat, there’s a good chance he’s playing an alternate-tuned harmonica, but I worked it out on a standard instrument, and I think it sounds pretty good.

Edit: Nov 18 – I’ve added a full video lesson at the Timber tab page, focusing on the lower octave version that requires bends, since it’s closer to the recorded performance on the Pitbull/Kesha track. For my tab transcription, plus a video demonstration, click here.

A reader asks, “Do harmonica players use their tongues?”

Yes! Here are a few uses of tongue articulations:

– punching certain notes harder
– articulating repeated notes
– drumming out chord rhythms

TA and KA

You have two main options for articulating notes with your tongue.

Say TA with front of tongue
Say KA with middle/back of tongue

These articulations happen INSIDE the mouth, behind the teeth, without touching the harp.

Legato vs. Staccato

It’s worth noting that you don’t have to use your tongue to articulate every note you play. Most of the time, I try to play in a smooth, flowing “legato” style: with no special articulation, just sliding sideways to the next note or changing breath direction. Tongue articulation adds a clipped, percussive, “staccato” effect. I use it a lot for chordal rhythm work, and occasionally for a rhythmic effect on single notes.

Tongue for Clear Single Notes?

Another tongue technique is “tongue blocking,” where you use the tongue to block out 2-3 holes on the left while you play out of the right corner of your mouth. That’s a whole other discussion, but TB is another super common tongue technique.

In my own playing, I tend to isolate notes by putting the harp deep in my mouth and using the inside of my pucker to zero in on the hole.

Conclusion

Saying TA TA TA TA or TAKA TAKA TAKA is an easy way to play complex, percussive rhythms. Tongue articulations also seem to help when you need to land directly on a bent note on 2 or 3 draw. Practice playing legato, without articulations, and staccato, with articulations.

Harmonica players sometimes use glottal stops as an articulation, but I think it’s more useful for beginners to focus on keeping the throat open and relaxed while breathing from the diaphragm.

To help with this, I recommend learning to play The Train, a common old-timey blues exercise:

Big relaxed mouth, playing the 3 holes on the low end: that’s holes 1,2,3

Long IN breath
Long OUT breath
Long IN breath
Long OUT breath

Now put a little pause in the middle of each breath.

IN IN
OUT OUT
IN IN
OUT OUT

Repeat steadily.

Keep throat relaxed and open, feel the breath in your belly.

The goal is to remain relaxed while breathing rhythmically, whether you’re going slow, medium, or fast.

If throat still closes up unintentionally, play long notes: IN…….OUT and repeat until relaxed.

A reader recently requested “My Shoes,” a song by Jeremy Loops, a musical artist from Cape Town, South Africa, and I had some time today, so I dashed off a sketch of the beatbox harmonica intro.

The groove presented here will work as a quick introduction to making percussive sounds while chugging on chords. I even filmed a Youtube video to demonstrate!

Click here for my Jeremy Loops Beatbox Harmonica Lesson.

Here’s a sketch of several harmonica tunings I’ve messed around with.

Bends a Bonus, But Not Required – You can dive right into these first three tunings without any bending skill. If you can bend already, it’s always handy, but these tunings are particularly good for beginners.

Spiral / Circular – takes you straight up the diatonic major scale, no missing notes, draw is always higher than blow, and all bends are only a half-step. Two popular variations place the tonic note on 1 blow or 2 draw. Great for diatonic melodies, improvising, and fiddle tunes. Also has beautiful chords, can be folky or jazzy for rhythm work. If you’re crazy, you can use any scale as the basis for a spiral tuning: minor, harmonic minor, whole tone…the mind boggles.

Paddy Richter – just a plain ol’ diatonic harp with the 3 blow tuned up a whole step. Gives you the 6th scale degree in 1st position without having to bend. Great for pentatonic melodies, especially Irish fiddle tunes. Provides a nice minor chord starting on the 3 blow. Popularized/invented by Brendan Power.

Easy Third – 2 and 3 draw are tuned down a whole step. Gives you a giant minor draw chord with roots on the 1 and 4 draw. “Easy Third” refers to the ease with which this tuning plays 3rd position minor tunes, esp in low octave. Good for Dorian minor tunes that omit the major 7th. Also awesome for tongue blocking chords whilst playing minor melodies.

Bending is a Must – these next three tunings require skill at bending in the low octave…

PowerBender – normal layout from 1-4, then different from 5-10. Consistent breath pattern: all draws higher than blows, so lots of draw bends, hence “PowerBender.” Particularly cool in 2nd Position, allowing you to move low octave blues riffs up high to the next octave with basically no change in technique. Another Brendan Power tuning.

Dorian – 3 and 7 draw tuned down a 1/2 step, so you get Dorian Minor in Second Position. You could also call this the Mixolydian Tuning, because 1st position gives you a major scale with a minor 7th.

Natural Minor – gives you a minor chord on the draw and also on the blow. I’m mainly interested in this for rhythm work, but there’s no reason one couldn’t get great use out of it for natural minor melodies.

Tongue Blocking

And then there’s this neat one that requires tongue blocking…

Bagpipe Tuning – as used by James Conway, you tune the 1 draw down so it matches the blow, and tune the 2 blow up so it matches the 2 draw. 3 and 7 draw come down a half step. The end effect is a really primal sounding tonic chord on the blow AND draw, allowing you to tongue block and keep a constant drone out of the left side of your mouth, regardless of breath direction, while playing modal melodies on the right side.

Simplicity vs. “The Right Tool For the Job”
Why fool around with any of this? Well, every tuning has something it does particularly well, and why not use the “right tool for the job?” I spent a year or two experimenting with alternate tunings and found that I played fiddle tunes MUCH more cleanly using Paddy Richter, for instance. I eventually found my way back to standard tuning, out of a desire to have a single set of techniques and scale patterns for all my music. But I can really see the appeal of alternate tunings for specialized purposes. Spiral works brilliantly for melodies and improv, and is so intuitive. It probably ought to be everyone’s first harmonica. Natural Minor is so strong for chord vamping, especially in reggae songs. And cross harp fanatics can get EVEN MORE CROSS HARP out of a PowerBender. Why not? Give some of these a try. Diatonic harps aren’t THAT expensive. Or, if you’re of a technical bent, use an old harp and tune one up yourself with files, poster putty, or reed replacement.