Modern Blues Harmonica - The Upper Octave 2 (Gussow.031)

[ebastianlar718s]

This is one "truculent" video. =p

[articlescholar]

Your vid is a favorite on Podgorica

[cplhebert]

hello adam, not sure if you check the comments anymore, but i wanted to tell you that your videos are still very much alive. atleast for me. i have always been mesmorized by the harmonica, my grandfather played folk music for us grandkids as we were growing up. i have had this new found love for blues harp in my maturing years, and you are a godsend to any aspiring harmonica enthusiest. your knowledge and teaching ability are priceless. ive watched 30 of your vids so far. unbelievable.....

[KudzuRunner]

@cplhebert: I still get all the comments forwarded to my email, and when somebody offers the sort of exceedingly generous praise that you do, I'm happy to say, Thanks for your thanks!

[jondreauxlaing]

Hi Adam, I've been trying to work the upper octave into my playing more, but I find that I make the draw notes squeal, especially the draw 8. I'm sure my embouchure is a bit to blame, but I think it may also be my harps. I have seven Seydel's all but one (the A) to have the same issue, but the one Hohner (G) I have doesn't. So my question is a) what exercises can I do to improve my embouchure and b) if my harps are equally culpable, what can I do to adjust them? Thanks for your time and lessons!

[sheenalamb]

@jondreauxlaing open it up and put a piece of reciept paper between the reeds and bend em a little bit up check out his video where he show you how to do this. this is how i get a good tone in all my notes weather or not i have a good harp you should still be able to get a good un squeky note. lay down and pretend like u are sleeping that is how you should breath throw the harmonica. you know when you suck water down the wrong tube? thats how you should breath o and the last advice is PRACTICE

[Babsjoseph]

Hi Adam, thanks very much for all these videos and lessons. You're a great teacher and very generous. Cheers !

[greendice9]

can you do a lesson on Walters boogie

[anon540]

Man, first time I've seen a televangelist not talking out his ass while claiming to be a Christian.

I have to get myself a harmonica one of these days.

Just like I had to get dreadlocks (Never did), and I had to get that cheap distortion pedal that I never use.

Anyway, even if I couldn't follow along without a harmonica I'm learning quite a bit from your videos. One thing that I haven't seen so far though, is how to pick out the right key harmonica to play along with your own music.

[treybn333]

Nice 9-12 lick. Soak the harp you want to destroy to get the 10 blow bend.

Thank you

[codica666]

Dang, bending the 10 blow is a dangerous task. I tried it on a C harp and attracted all the dogs in the neighborhood. At least it worked;) What I really have trouble with are overblows. I can't get a single one on holes 4 to 6. Is the technique/mouth & tongue position for overblows on holes 4 to 6 the same as for bending the 8,9 and 10 blow or should I aim at something completely different?

Cheers from Switzerland.

PS.: you don't look like a tv-evangelist and you don't talk nonsense either.

[yaguarete167]

a bougth a golden melody honher harp in the key of B is it a good harmonica to play blues?

[KudzuRunner]

It's OK, but a B harp is an unusual key and you'd be much better off with a B-flat or A or C harp.

[sixlbs9oz]

Hey, I really have to say that my "televangelist" comment below was way out of line, and I was wrong. Please forgive me. I let the anonymity of the Internet get in the way of being a decent human being.

[sixlbs9oz]

I really have been digging your lessons and the wealth of knowledge that you have from both your mentor and the many years of playing. I really hope I can play like you in 20 years!!

[KudzuRunner]

Jesus forgives you, my child. Lay your burdens down.

[codica666]

Can he teach overblows as well? Sign me up for a lesson!

I heard that selling your soul is supposed to help...

[treybn333]

Been to the crossroads, there was no one there to buy my soul. But the owner of 'Crossroads Furniture' there on the corner, he said he would make me a hell of a deal on a sofa or bedroom set.

[makilakixki]

hahahahaha... Almost same as Robert Johnson, only he chose guitar instead furniture ;-) Choose right next time!

[pastrumoso]

thank you so much. blues harps are becoming a big part of my day life, and this lessons are great. thank you from Spain, Galicia :) :) :)

[pastrumoso]

Hi! I have a C key harp and I'm so tired of trying to play with another music and find that most songs are not in my key. should I buy another key harp? Thanks guy, you're really great, I'm learning so much ;)

[ipalindromei]

first off, you have a key chart, right? if you're playing blues, you're going to play in the 2nd position of the harmonica, which is a different key than your harp.

here's a chart of some harps i'd recommend getting (with their corresponding Cross Harp keys):

D Harp--> Key of A

Bb Harp--> Key of F

F Harp--> Key of C

A Harp--> Key of E

this will allow you to expand as you play with other musicians.

[pastrumoso]

thank you so much, i've bought an A harp and a Bb harp. I've found that the scales are just the same, I mean, the semitones are in the same places. there's a new question: I've seen in shops some "minor" harps. Now I have some experience, as I can improvise and play with other guys in groups etc, would you recommend to buy some minor one? in that case, which scale is the most common to begin? thank you guy!!! :):):)

[KudzuRunner]

I heard Jimi Lee do an amazing version of Grover Washington, Jr.'s "Mr. Magic" on a minor key harp. C minor. I don't have any of them, but I'm going to get one. That's the one I'd start with.

[catmanbluz]

sorry Adam, I tried to pause your lesson, and by accident pressed the rating button giving you a poor rating. All of your lessons have been excelent. dom

[KudzuRunner]

No problem. At least you're not making fun of my televangelist hair.

[sixlbs9oz]

Some sweet bends/overblows + televangelist hair = way cool.

[Wunpawng]

Hi, Adam,

My harmonica is Suzuki and it has over 20 holes. Yours is shorter so how should I follow your instructions with my harmonica? Thanks.

[KudzuRunner]

There's no way of playing my stuff on your harmonica. Period. I'm afraid you'll need to tool down to the reference standard 10-hole diatonic.

[mrbill6t9]

Count me in on a video and book. You play great, I'd like to learn to blow before I hit old age(??}.

[Cap620]

Go away....

[bluenote335]

Dig your videos. Not quite sure about the Satan part but I suppose it works for you. None the less, you're a great harp teacher. Thanks!

[gravelboycauty]

freelance media here. can film/edit/copy/distribute your dvd. Interested?

[KudzuRunner]

Hold that thought! I had a brilliant idea last night regarding my forthcoming blues book (June 1st) and a YouTube pitch to my channel subscribers, personally autographed books, and "gifts" in excess of the (discounted) cost to me. You will indeed get a forum in which to be generous to The Boss. Please stay tuned, and HOLD THAT THOUGHT!

[Microx3]

Put them in a PDF file?

[ksmatthews]

Hey A.

Great stuff, I really need this help!!! Do you think you could do a page of some of your riffs (tabulature)? It would help some of us slow starters.

[KudzuRunner]

I've got 50 good tabbed songs and exercise sheets. The problem is how to post them. You tell me. How do I do that on YouTube and/or MySpace? I'd need a scanner, for one thing.

[ceilidhe]

How about we (subscribers) kick in some cash to fund a scanner and maybe a copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional to enable you to easily make pdfs (or whatever else you think might make this effort a little simpler). I'll kick in $20, $40, postal money order, no strings attached. Let me know where to send it. Anybody else in? I feel like I should be paying for these lessons as it is...

[KudzuRunner]

Oh gosh. That sounds like profit for me, but also more work than I want. I just need to work up a DVD set with the first 30 lessons + worksheets and a couple of bonus lessons in which I play my way through them.

[Microx3]

I would be in for $40 -

[BlueVooch]

Once again, thanks for the guidance Adam. 10 hole overblow is almost there. I'm using a plastic combed Big River however so the soaking idea won't work. Any suggestions?

[KudzuRunner]

Actually, I think that soaking helps plastic comb harps, too. It shouldn't, since the whole idea of soaking is to make the wood expand and seal the harp. But try it. I think I"m right.

[BlueVooch]

I could see where the moisture might help with "sealing" a reed if that's what your alluding to. I'm still fuzzy about the theory of the overblow however, I'm not exactly sure what I'm aiming for. I may have missed this in your videos but is the overblow supposed to produce a higher or lower pitch to the note? Also, is it remotely possible that a trill produces a similar sound as an overblow? In other words, is a trill a series of "rapid mini overblows" or am I completely devoid of my senses?

[Jonnyboy117]

It works very briefly because water sticks to the reeds and reed slots. However, the added weight will flatten the notes, and the water will be blown out of the harp pretty quickly because the plastic can't soak it up. Embossing is a better, safer method to make ANY harp more airtight, but it's hard to learn to do it well.

[imuskyfish]

Great lesson as usual Adam...Thank you for taking the time to try and help all of us learn this great little instrument....I was wondering if you could give us a lesson or two on how to get those 2 and 3 hole bends sounding really good. Thanks

[KudzuRunner]

Yeah, I should probably do that. It's basically the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice.

[zyxel2]

nice again :D