HOW TO PLAY FAST BLUES HARMONICA!!!

[kompissoffan]

man! :)

[77shilo]

i see you have a dildo attached to the end of your harp. good stuff

[endingsleep]

Very nice playing man. I have just started trying to play blues on the harmonica, and I use a Tombo folk blues harp in the key of C. And I was wondering if the key of A or D for a horonica is any good. I don't know much about harmonicas, as I play the guitar.

[filipbasic222]

in what tonality is that harmonica?

[kenkneeb]

Thanks Theo! Awesome articulation and soul! What kind of very cool harp mic/holder are you using? I met John Mayall back in the late 60's and he had a custom made combo wooden harp holder and mic that looked a lot like what you are playing through. Please share. Thanks Man! KennyBe, harpin's since '66 or so!

[TheoBurke]

@kenkneeb Thanks, kenkneeb, you comments are greatly appreciated. That happens to be a Strnad ten hole microphone pick up for harmonica--I love the compression and clarity of the thing, but it's not as durable as it could be. Now I'm using a Hohner Blues Blaster.

[kenkneeb]

Thanks Theo! Awesome articulation and soul! What kind of very cool harp mic/holder are you using? I met John Mayall back in the late 60's and he had a custom made combo wooden harp holder and mic that looked a lot like what you are playing through. Please share. Thanks Man! KennyBe, harpin's since '66 or so!

[makkara180]

You can play songs form the Elwood Blues? If you can post video!

[kdbrewing]

You want to really learn to play fast? Go check out Jason Ricci

[envywright]

Ur good but the sound is just slop - slow it down practice cleanly then gradually speed it up. Good luck!

[77shilo]

@envywright yea im as good as you, i agree

[StephDedje]

The tittle is "how to play fast blablabla" but you didt show us the way to train ourself to be able to do the same shit ! :(

[TheoBurke]

@StephDedje Okay, here's how you play really fast blues harmonica: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. And then practice some more. And even more.

[bjkaboom]

Is that Harp custom tuned???

[TheoBurke]

@bjkaboom It's right out of the box.

[blackmoondevil666]

how many costs the microphone ?

[Snickers030]

WoW!

To me its really amazing how much you get out of an Harmonica. An Instrument with a primary fixed tune and an limited amount of notes. I'm so impressed... thanks for your insight :-)

[AJPDILLON]

Hi Theo,

would you mind explaining what you are doing around 0.32 with that fast run up the harmonica (if you have time)

Do you have your own band? I´d love to hear you do this live

Thanks,

[TheoBurke]

Hey, thanks for the comment. I am sad to say that I haven't the technical grasp to detail how I get the fast runs. What I can say is that they involve a good many triplets by rapidly blocking a single root note--the note you resolve in a chord progression when you're improving over changes-- 4 draw in this case. Inhale, blocking the hole with the tongue like you're saying dah-dah.

[AJPDILLON]

Thanks Theo,

I´ll keep an eye out for more of your postings. take care

[TheoBurke]

So it's two in with the tongue quickly blocking the hole, and then draw in a third time , bending the note, and then blow into the same hole. I practice that in as many positions as I possibly could for hours and years until I could get do it fluidly, more or less. HOpe that helps.

[tiprunner]

nice but the mic and amp makes is noisy and distorded.

[minigunmen]

There are faster but the speed isn't the 1st thing that's awesome, feeling is above all of techniques.

Nice playing, 5/5

[strawberryswisher213]

i didnt even know you could play harmonica that fast. i think i quit.

[pokeherface87]

he looks like my grandpa

[rookiewidowmaker]

Great stuff Theo, thanks 4 sharing your talent with a biginner like me, in your opinion what is the best 10 hole Harmonica on the market at a reasonable price

[TheoBurke]

Thanks, rwm. For my money, the best one for a beginner is a Hohner Special

20. Good tone, durable, single notes are clear and they bend easy. They go for about 25 bucks average, but some places charge more. Shop around. Also Suzuki Blues Masters are good , solid begginer harmonicas. Cheap--eighteen bucks or so--and they can take a beating.

[thebluesrockers]

theres a difference in how to and watch me....

[TheoBurke]

You're right. But what did you think of the playing? Yay or nay?

[rookiewidowmaker]

Thanks Theo, theres a band that plays here in Ontario Canada alot, Down child blues band i get to visit at a local bar when they visit here in Ottawa and Donnie tells me the same thing special 20 he knows i'm in love with the harp wish i could play like U guys. Cheers

[adcinco]

one star

[Doftgrahn]

epic

[alexispm16]

oe pero enseñame ppppp!!! xD!

[MrRoach2007]

holy shit damn your good man keep playin and im sure you will, are you a fan of john popper from blues traveler

[TheoBurke]

Thanks for the kind words. I'm not a huge Popper fan, but I respect the hell out of him for getting a sound and attack that are uniquely his. That white boy can play.

[agnuscoeli]

Beautiful..... que belleza!!!!!

[johannvdh]

vingt diou...t'a pri de la drogue ou koi men????

arrete lhero serieux

[johannvdh]

encore un qui fume de la drogue

[MommaKim12345]

dude.....do you smoke?...cuz yer smokin good

[SeReGaPluS]

Великолепно!

[comomeolla]

What microphone are you using?

[Hyphen288]

arent you dizzy? lol

[TheoBurke]

Yes.

[Hyphen288]

niiice hah

[kd5kfl]

"But how does one get that blues sound (which I can't describe in writing), funky sound as opposed to just the sound like Bob Dylan would make. That honking kind of sound???? "

tube type guitar amp and overload the microphone by jamming it up against the harp.

big 15" speakers, or a Fender Bassman with 4 - 12s. Fender Champ will get you in the right direction but not very far.

Bob Dylan and Norton Buffalo play clean - distance from the mic, transistor amps.

[mredtheanalyst]

I don't know about the reverb and effects amd all but I've seen people play without anything and it has that bluesy 'honking' sound but if I try to play a harmonica it just has that normal sound. Must be magic LOL

[kockunge]

its technic for god sakes. if youre new at something of course its not gonna sound the same. music its details n timing with small miniscule elements of exact feeling. its combinations of bending,toungeblocking, whah whah with youre hands,popping and making staccato noises with your tounge.

same with bass , piano, guitar or anything- -its the details of a light precise touch. PRACTICE. listen to other players n try to mimic them. if u can, WITHOUT the amp. start slow

[mredtheanalyst]

But how does one get that blues sound (which I can't describe in writing), funky sound as opposed to just the sound like Bob Dylan would make. That honking kind of sound????

[meyerd1]

Effects, my friend

[Harpfriends]

mredtheanalyst - You need to be able to "bend" the notes to get that bluesy sound. You don't need any equiptment... check out Adam Gussow , JonGindick and 12gagedan videos. They teach you all the basics.

Best to start with Gindick or 12gagedan...

[Papajohn0125]

very nice, but you put "how to" in the title and didnt teach us anything

[TheoBurke]

Yeah. Sorry about that.

[youareapiratelol]

como fas/

[HakanEhn]

I like that!

[chanceturcotte]

hmm maybe if i played harmonica every day i'd be as good as you by the time i hit your age! that's wishful thinking though! in other words, a compliment.

[TheoBurke]

Playing everyday until I got to the age i am is pretty much what I've done. But what helps me is remaining teachable, because there is always something new another harp player can show me. Thanks for viewing, friend.

ted

[chanceturcotte]

thanks for the reply good sir. the fact that you're promptly responding to a comment by a verrry novice player showcases your open mind, which i'm sure also comes in handy for learning even more techniques with that there harmonica!

[chanceturcotte]

ohh with instruments like the harmonica i have so much fun playing songs i've heard by ear... i don't know if i could ever break down and learn new techniques... short attention span may also contribute somewhat to that fact though lol :p

[TheoBurke]

Thanks so much Jason; frankly I am at a loss to explain how I do anything on the harp other than I figured out decades ago how to play tongued triplets, in sequence, years ago, when I was trying to simulate what I heard Hendrix and Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin and Dimeola doing on the guitar. That a player of your accomplishment likes some of what I play astounds me, and I am honored.

[jasonricci]

What 'evs Theo! I can't do those runs! I've tried...You should just slow it down and disect it and maybe we can get it man...Thanks for the kudos but SO not neccassarry were all still learning hopefully. So what ARE toungued triplits?

J

[jasonricci]

Theo! i was really hoping you were going to explain HOW you do some of these speed licks around 2:00 and 3:10 amoung other places...great video, but come on man show us!

Thanks

J