Blues Harmonica Lesson - 3 Exercises for High Low Transitions

http://www.youtube.com/user/leesankeygroup - Lee Sankey offers three exercises that will help you develop the ability to play across the full range of the blues harmonica. In particular the control needed for high low transitions.

You'll need a C diatonic harmonica for this lesson. More blues harmonica 'how to' videos can be found on my YouTube channel.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• lee
• sankey
• blues
• harmonica
• scales
• high
• low
• transitions
• lesson
• tips

[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!

[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.

[brownbigb]

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

[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.