Modern Blues Harmonica "Watermelon Man" 3 ( Gussow.035)

[buffant]

hey i'm thinking about learning how to play the harmonica i have been into music for most of my life and was curious on what harmonica and key would be best to start with i'm lookin at spending around 50 bucks for a harmonica to start with thanks for any help you can give

[KudzuRunner]

This is the first question I address at the FAQs page of my website, Modern Blues Harmonica (dot) com

[goldbugggg]

Adam..i'v been following your lessons for about 2 weeks now, and they are inspiring, when you played that solo like a horn player...that was amazing, it was seeing the harp in a whole new, awesome light. Untill now i was only thinking of playing blues harp and didn't think i would like playing any other style, but that was some awesome jazz dude, so yeah, good job man, inspiring as usual, when i actually have money I'm gonna have to make a "good faith donation" to your cause.

[yaguarete167]

man im a fan of you you really inspired me and please keep teaching because everyone apreciate what you are doing

[areyouin742]

sweet vid, although when you were trying to play the 16th notes fast you started swinging them again.

[haefka]

great!!

[nomoboy]

Adam, I'm not sure what you mend with "I waisted my promise", but if it mend what I think it did, well, you are lightyears ahead of us and way up there already...

16th notes...who cares... it was your slow blues that hid me in the gut...

[blogward]

You're not over the hill mate, you're on the threshold of maturity. How do you get on with the XB40? Ever tried jamming along to Django Rheinhardt?

[iosefini]

Adam, it is amazing what you are sharing so many things!

My biggest revelation for me was what you explained in the slow-blues video that "one has to keep the beat with the foot", well I did it before instinctively but now I am more aware about what is happening. I have more freedom in my playing ....

[KudzuRunner]

Yes. It's an extremely important tip. It came as a revelation to me when I first sat with Nat Riddles and he played with that much relaxation. Any harp player can play fast & sloppy, but to play slowly and keep a rock solid beat separates real players from not-quite-musicians. I'm still working on making it into the former category.

[iosefini]

Adam, its is amazing that you share so many things!

My biggest revelation was when you explained in the slow-blues video that "you have to keep the beat with your foot". I did it intinctively but now is much more clear for me what happens. I gained a lot more freedom and confidence....

[rbeetsme]

Great stuff. Ok, here's my problem, your coming at me fast and furious and I want to go back and really work on some of this stuff 1 lesson at a time. Any chance the whole will go away?  Thanks for the effort, I'm trying to keep up and still haven't finished "Mr. Satan's Apprentice" or started your blues book yet, give me break professor!

[KudzuRunner]

I think you're right.  I worried that my fast & furious pace would overwhelm some people. One lesson a day is a lot, frankly, and people need time to digest. Time to slow down a bit--for my own sanity! And for the long haul.

[BlueVooch]

rbeetsme raises a good question. Are these videos time limited on youtube? Will they expire at some point or is there a limited amount of freespace that requires removal of some videos to make room for newer ones. If that's the case Adam, could you or a fellow reader kindly tell me how to save these lessons as I'm certain to return again and agian for reference. Thanks

[blogward]

There's loads of apps to do this with varying degrees of effectiveness, but you can use the Windows 16-bit file manager ("winfile.exe") to look in "User Name\Documents and Settings\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\" using " View\By File Type\*.fl* ". They'll be called things like "aXJVxmWTmkg.flv" or whatever. Drag the files to another folder and rename as desired.

[beenmean]

There are many tunes that I tried out on harp. Like tequila,luie luie, wooly bully and the list goes on and on! It can help break monotony too!

[taenarus]

Thanks Adam for keeping up the great posts. I get stuff from you nobody else ever explains. Here's one, maybe a little off-subject, but: what's the deal with my four or five draw reed spontaneously flattening a half step? I've tried scrubbing them to raise pitch but usually find the harp's just toast. Is this a playing or filing fault, or is it something you have to live with?

[KudzuRunner]

Great question. There's a point of diminishing returns with "scrubbing." Even as you lighten the reed and thus raise pitch, you're weakening it structurally, making pitch fall. You've just played your harp out. It happens; it's a sign you've been practicing hard. Good man!

[BlueVooch]

Another fine mess you've got me into Adam... my chores around the house aren't done, the car needs gas and the pets need feeding, the driveway's covered in snow. However, the good news is that I've almost got those 16th notes licked :-)

[Mueleski]

Don't know about you being over the hill, just appreciate these lessons and you sharing with us what you've learned.