LEARN TO PLAY BLUES HARMONICA - Lesson# 5 - BAJAN PIEDPIPER

Learn to play harmonica. MUSIC 100 Put the video on pause and read these side-bar notes before you watch.

There are two aspects of music that particularly interest us - melody and harmony. In blues, the melody will be played by a lead instrument (for us on a harp) and the harmony (chords) will be played -usually - by a guitar or a keyboard such as a piano or organ.

Playing blues has to do with improvising. What you want to avoid when improvising are 'sour notes' --i.e. notes that sound discordant! THE FACT IS you can play ANY note ANY TIME! ~ But there is a 'trick' to it!

There are notes that sound right and some that definitely sound 'wrong' ! YOUR EAR TELLS YOU WHICH NOTES ARE HARMONIOUS AND WHICH ARE INHARMONIOUS!

HOW TO DEAL WITH SOUR NOTES ~ DAMAGE CONTROL - Trick #1 -o-o-o- HOW TO PLAY RIFFS THAT 'FIT' EACH TIME ~ Trick#2. One of the skills you have to learn ~ is how to cover a mistake. Whenever you play a discordant note, what some call a 'wrong note' - you get off it right away! You certainly may use them as stepping stones, meaning when you play it (or them) you just touch them and quickly move to the next note.

Another way of saying this is ~ you can use discordant notes as links to bridge one harmonious note to the other. Again, let it be clear: the trick is to not dwell long or linger on the discordant note.

In real terms ~ you may use all notes when you play, but discordant notes you use as passing tones. Yes! DO use 'discordant notes' - they give your music character and zing - BUT understand how to use them... !

Any note you play that comprises a note in the chord your accompanist is playing (these are called chord tones) will be fine to play. Example: if your accompanist is playing the G Major chord, the G chord is made up of the notes G B D. (draw holes 1 - 2- 3 - 4 on a C harp.) If you play any of these notes when the G chord is being played, they will all sound right. Of course there are other notes not in the chord that will also sound fine. But this is trick #2 ... play what notes you wish but ... END YOUR RIFF ON A CHORD TONE ... and you'll always be *right* ! ! !

When selecting a chord tone, the strongest note in the chord is the tonic note of the chord - i.e. if the chord is G Major, the strongest chord tone will be G; if the chord is C Major, the strongest note is C - - etc. etc.. (NB ~ you don't HAVE to end on the tonic note of the chord, any note that composes the chord will also be fine.)

You can see from all this ~ there are in fact no wrong notes in music - at worse, there are only poor choices.

Let's suppose you're playing in the key of G and your accompanist is playing the I chord - the I chord (in G) is G major and its composed of the notes G B D. Play your riff and let your last note be either G, B or D ... and you're home! (On a C harp, these will be the draw notes found on holes 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8.)

There is a great book by Jon Gindick - Country and Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless - available from http://www.musically-hopeless.com. Its full of information and has many examples of great riffs. Check it out and get a copy!

So go ahead and play now! When composing your ruffs ~ use short phrases, use repetition and syncopation. And silence! End the riff on a chord tone - and you're safe!

LISTEN to your playing - when you play a note that sounds sweet to you ... milk it, squeeze it, toy with it, play with it, hang on to it, repeat it, syncopate it, play it again! And again!

YOU'LL HAVE TO LISTEN TO BLUES ARTISTES IF YOU WANT TO PLAY BLUES! Listen to Lightnin' Hopkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Elmore James, etc. Search for them on YouTube.

Helpful tips:

1)There are certain notes on the harmonica called safe notes would like to know them? Visit
http://www.gindick.com/content/jam_room.asp

2) The fastest way to hone your skills is to play in a real life situation. You can get close by practicing with a 12-bar backing track. Search YouTube there are plenty there.

Visit my website where I have given 50 Music Prescriptions a whole lot of solid information in one place - http://sites.google.com/site/bajanpiedpiper/

3) RHYTHM! You can create a really interesting improvisation just using a few notes while varying the rhythms.

Of course, if you're playing Blues learn and use the Blues Scale. What is the Blues scale? Check these links

http://www.angelfire.com/oh/rseverns/harp.html -

http://www.harmonica-lessons.co.uk/blues_scale.htm#

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4ADSA_enBB349BB349&q=Harmoni...

These links have AUDIO EXAMPLES too much good stuff here to pass over ... visit them! These are "must see" sites!

Continued on Lesson# 6 -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPmKvygm_l8

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[Cairns70]

"Blues Harmonica Player " is the worldwide stage for Blues harp players to share their videos and ideas. We need guys like you who can play, upload your videos, help manage our forums, and be part of a movement that will go worldwide which will be backed by some of the best blues players we can find. Join us on Facebook.

[BajanPiedpiper]

@Cairns70  Thanks. Will do

[cuttingman6969]

I thank you for taking the time to do these lessons

Where are you from my friend?

I would really enjoy to see a video of you playing what songs you know and do best and I was wondering do you give personal lessons if I were to visit where you live?

[BajanPiedpiper]

Hello Cuttingman and thank you for your kind words. I am in Barbados - Caribbean - and if you were here I'd happily show you whatever I can that would help you along.

l have posted over 70 vids to date, some are just playing a song - most are "instructive."

I do what I do becase my personal philosophy is ... if I have something that can be useful to others ... I'm happy to share it freely.

Most of what I post on YouTube is oriented to beginners and all is intended to encourage.

[BajanPiedpiper]

Thank you friend. Rock on!

[uberrobi]

bravo maestro

[SarahLadyPants]

I do love you.

[hubbyloveswife]

thank you for showing me how to play now my wife likes to hear me play

[hubbyloveswife]

thanks for showing me how to play the right way now i can play good and my wife like to hear me know

[mikeb32546]

thank you very much for taking your own freetime to help us.

[dcplace2007]

After hearing you play, I am going to seek lessons from my 6 year old instead...

[faunoram]

this is great !

priceless info here !

thanks a lot !

[faunoram]

wow this info is prizeless !!

you are very kind to show your wisdom for free !!

i will check all your videos

cheers!!

[robynhriley]

thank you so much!! the blues links are incredible!!!