Blues Harmonica Lesson - 3 Exercises for High Low Transitions

[brownbigb]

thank you so much. i am a guitar player, and i have been interested in learning harmonica licks on guitar. at some of the blues jams i have asked some harp players what are they doing, but they have no idea, nor can they slow down what they are doing. of course they also play the major third in a minor blues. drives me crazy. it is great to see you having a great understanding and knowledge of the instrument so you can break it down. watching your videos for a few days now, learning a lot.

[leesankeygroup]

@brownbigb Hey thanks for posting and glad my videos are helping you. I actually play more guitar than harmonica and it's always been a big help to me. I think it's advantageous to play a 2nd instrument if you're 1st has limited chords like the harmonica. This is common place in Jazz where soloists (sax, trumpet etc) are often also competent pianists. A lot of harp players seem to me to just jump straight into advanced techniques with no basics in place. Warm regards, Lee

[leesankeygroup]

@brownbigb by the way....you might be interested in my Brainstrument project which is about the mental models of musicians. Search for it on Google or Facebook. Cheers!

[brownbigb]

@leesankeygroup i did. thank you. downloaded the summary paper.

[makilakixki]

Straight forward instruction for priceless harmonica knowledge. I've got a question: what's the reason for skipping major 7th 10 blowbend a half step when you add the upper register of C major scale? Thanks a lot for your valuable work on your YT channel, Lee, you are such a generous person, not to mention an extraordinary tasty and original musician. Keep up the good work, Kixki

[leesankeygroup]

@makilakixki Wow thanks Kixki for your wonderful comments and praise.  To answer your question, no reason other than to make the exercise a bit easier. But you are right to complete C major in the upper register you need the major 7th. Thanks, Lee

[makilakixki]

@leesankeygroup Talking about the issue, it would be of great help to us newcomers on harmony if you would add a brief comment on scales, degrees, etc in your tutorials coming up (yes, right? ;-) so we could easily put in harmonic context the exercises you purpose. Thanks, Lee

[leesankeygroup]

@makilakixki Thanks for the suggestions and yes I'll try do that if fits in the context.

[bluesdart]

What brand harp are you using? Is there a harmonica that makes it easier to play the higher register?

[leesankeygroup]

@bluesdart Hi there, I'm using a Hohner Crossover in this video. There isn't one particular model that makes playing the high register easier. It's a case of finding the one that works best for you. People struggle playing the high register as it's laid out differently to the middle and low registers. It's a case of practise so it becomes familiar.

[PapaHarp88]

Thank ya so much for this lesson I've been practicin these scales for some time now but never got to show my appreciation. Matter a fact I've been practicing things from all of your vids. I was just wondering.....What first made you pick up the blues harp?

[leesankeygroup]

@PapaHarp88 Hello Russ, thanks for posting some comments. It's good to hear from people watching and learning from my videos. To answer your question, I started playing when I was 18. I had never considered playing a musical instrument but was inspired to do so in an instant when I heard a chap called James Hunter live in a basement club in Soho, London. I can honestly say my life changed forever in that moment. Lee

[PapaHarp88]

@leesankeygroup

Thanks for the replies back Lee you truly are an inspiration. Its amazing how people can be inspired by others and then end up inspiring countless people throughout countries across the globe. 

[LedZeppRox13]

how do u make it sound so smooth!!???

[leesankeygroup]

@LedZeppRox13 Hello Syd, unfortunately there's no short cuts on some things and it's just a case of practising a lot. When I was professional I used to practise 6-8 hours a day. That helps. You don't have to take things to that extreme, but playing 30 minutes or so of scales/basics everyday will make a difference. Regards from London, Lee

[LedZeppRox13]

@leesankeygroup Thanks:) this video really helped by the way. i went from knowing nothing to knowinig a couple ways to play scales. thank you!!! :)

[wimharp]

Hi Lee, could devote some videos on amplifying the harp ?

[leesankeygroup]

@wimharp Hi Wim, I'm not sure I've got much to say about amplified harp that hasn't already been said. Plus I'm not a amp geek. I do have a whole bunch of vintage amps and mics but I don't get into the nuances of how they work. I leave that to the amp techs. I focus on getting the best acoustic sound I can so when I do play through an amp it sounds cool. I rarely play live these days so don't use amps much. It must be 6 months or so since I used one. Best regards, Lee

[bbeddick]

Thanks very much for the reply Mr. Sankey. I have found some scales on overblow.com but there is no sound so im not sure if im doing it quite right. Yea i will try to work out the 3rd octave for myself, probably better that way, but any other videos on scales would be most appreciated. Your videos are helpful as hell and I listen to your music everyday, its awesome to get some feedback from you. thanks again for the time. very generous.

"a poor drunken-hearted boy"

[leesankeygroup]

@bbeddick Cheers. Have a go by ear, you'll almost certainly do it. I'm surprised there's not more info on scales on YouTube. Have you tried a book? Perhaps one by Jom Gindick or Dave Barrett? Lee

[bbeddick]

Thank you so much for making this video. This is the first one I have found where someone has tabbed out a scale other than the blues scale by Adam Gussow. I just have one request. Could you please tab the scale in the beginning for the 3rd octave (1st position major scale i believe) . I got the first two but you didnt give the 3rd. These are the only scales i can find for harmonica on utube. anyway thanks so much your videos are awesome and i love your band.

From NC, USA

"A drunken-hearted boy"

[leesankeygroup]

@bbeddick Thanks for posting. I'm surprised there's not more tabbed scales out there. O.k. l'll try and add the tab to this one for the high end. BUT, do me a favour and see if you can work it out by ear. If you have the major scale in middle octave (holes 4-7) then you might be able to work it out. Forget about the pattern for sec and concentrate on the "sound" of the major scale. When trying to get the higher octave, keep referencing the middle octave when you get stuck. Lee

[Ledvolta]

can u learn these on any key of harp? do they change? cheers

[leesankeygroup]

@Ledvolta Hi Mitch, yes these patterns do translate to any standard tuned diatonic harmonica. So if you take the pattern for C major in 1st position, as shown in this video, and play the same pattern on an A harp you will produce A major in 1st position. That's one of the easiest aspects of playing the diatonic harp. Once you have learnt a pattern you can apply it to other keys by switching harp. This is the same principal as moving fingering patterns up and down frets on the guitar. Lee

[arthur1062]

brillaint lesson , on the scales lee , i have never tried it but will do now , great just to listen to you on how to play these scales and there meaning and how important it is to practice this, cheers

[19KyzerSosa75]

its amazing how quickly I realized that this is exactly what I need to do in order to get to the next plateau. this will, in time, be an extremely popular video...

[leesankeygroup]

@19KyzerSosa75 Thanks for watching and practising those scales will make all the difference to building up that control. I also hope this is a popular video :-)

Lee

[tenbarsteam]

Thanks Lee, this is great! I'm surprised how quick you responded to my call and I really appreciate you putting this vid up on the Toob for me and the many others like me. I've been playing for years and, because I was self taught, I got myself into a lot of bad habits and kind of skipped the "boring" bits. I'll have to give myself a rap across the knuckles. I knew it was all about the scales but I was in denial.

Thanks again Lee and I look forward to to your next posting.

cheers

Andy

[leesankeygroup]

@tenbarsteam No problem and thanks for asking such a good question. My next video will be either about tone or blues licks. Should be up this week. Lee

[DeKiewicz]

Hi Lee - amazing stuff :)

Since I´m quite new on the bluesharp but learning fast :) I wondered if You would list a simpel harpTab of the scales etc. You´re demonstrating . I almost got it all but I´m not sure :)

Thanx Brian

[leesankeygroup]

@DeKiewicz Hi Brian, I'll try and post some tabs here. I don't generally use them though. Give me a few days. Lee

[pazzmanmusic]

This is fantastic!! Thanks for sharing! I am going to start adding other great videos to my Harmonica Playlist! This is the 1st one! Cheers, and thanks man!

[leesankeygroup]

@pazzmanmusic Glad to hear you found it useful. Thanks for watching and adding me to your harp playlist. Lee

[GreyOwlPhotoart]

Thanks very much Lee. I have never really ventured too much into the high notes on the harp in a blues lick sense as I have found it difficult to come back down from the sweeter upper register unbent notes and blend with the bluesy lower bent notes, so this lesson is very useful. If you have time I would love to hear a couple of examples of 'low to high to low blues licks'. Take Care. Kieron

[leesankeygroup]

@GreyOwlPhotoart Hi Kieron, nice feedback, thanks. Hmmm blues licks...let me give that some thought. Might be able to put something together. Lee

[LongingCirkel]

Do you always hold your harp upside down?

Great lesson!

[leesankeygroup]

@LongingCirkel Hi there. Yes I play the harmonica upside down. It just works better for me personally. I've always played it that way. Thanks for the positive feedback too.

[arman27harp]

Hi. Your lessons are very usefull.. always...

[leesankeygroup]

@arman27harp Hi Arman, thanks for that feedback. There's a lot of information on the harmonica now so I'm glad to be able to contribute something useful. Lee

[Tsutsomu]

Hi Lee,

REally interesting work.

Thanks a lot :

STeph.

[leesankeygroup]

@Tsutsomu Thanks, you've been busy too I see! Lee

[hohner2010]

this is really valuable but is also advanced tec's too, might take a few months to gain the EXPERIENCE but without this upload i would never have thought of teaching myself scales and you made them sound cool rather than boaring and no flow!! 10 out of 10 for this man thanks very much. if you do requests i have a big one if your interested in a challenge =]

[leesankeygroup]

@hohner2010 That's all great feedback. Practising scales across the harmonica, like any instrument, is fundamental if you want to progress. So what's this challenge? Send me a message. Lee