Which blues harp key

The second is about breathing. To sound a clear, strong 2 draw, you should pucker your lips like a goldfish, making them big and fat, and narrow the inner part of the pucker into an opening roughly the size of one hole on the harmonica.

Make big, fat lips. If you allow the harmonica to slip away from your lips, even a very small amount, your 2 draw sound will fall apart. First, sound a clear, strong 2 draw. Now tap your foot in a medium-speed beat, and sound the 2 draw for seven beats, using one continuous breath. On the eighth beat, quickly reverse direction. Breathe out. Important: relax your lips a little on the eighth beat and allow some of the air to escape between your upper lip and the upper coverplate of the harp.

This is crucial. Do not try to force all the air out through the harp; let at least half of it flow naturally out around the harp. The key is beginning with a clear, strong 2 draw; inhaling steadily for seven beats while keeping a steady beat with your foot; and exhaling on the 8th beat, using the entire beat for the exhale and allowing at least half of the exhaled air to escape around the top and possibly bottom coverplates of the harp.

That's the advice I gave to Chinese harp players. I might have made one additional suggestion: If you can't sound the 2 draw on your C harp, purchase a D harp.

Beginners find it much easier to sound the 2 hole draw on a D harp. Which players should I listen to if I want to learn real blues harp? Start with the Top and Second lists that I've compiled.

Here's the link:. What harp keys should I buy? It depends in part on who you're going to be playing with. If you're jamming along with blues records, you'll probably be able to get by with harps in the keys of A, C, D, and F. Those will enable you to play cross harp in the keys of E, G, A, and C. Many classic blues harmonica cuts are recorded in those keys. The next three keys you get should be G, B-flat, and E-flat. G is the lowest standard harp; except for Dennis Gruenling, almost no harp players record on the low F, low E-flat, and low D harps.

B-flat harps play cross in F; E-flat harps play cross in B-flat. What about the remaining harps? A-flat: rarely used. E: This harp shows up from time to time. F-sharp : Very rare.

The only other key you might consider is a high G harp. In amplified contexts, a low G has trouble cutting through, but a high G is right out front.

I'd like to know more about different brands and models of harmonica--and harp mikes, too. Here's just the site for you: www. I want to learn how to bend notes. Help me! You're in luck. Now that I'm playing harmonica, I want a cool t-shirt with a harmonica theme. Where can I get that? We've got that! I partnered with a friend, creating some quirky, harp-centric tag lines that he matched with some attention-getting designs.

I hope you like 'em. Adam's blues harmonica t-shirts. I 'd really like to play along with some jam tracks. Where can I get some? You've come to the right place! There are several sets of jam tracks for sale on this website, and you can find them by going HERE: www.

My real dream is to be able to get up at the local jam session and kick some ass on a shuffle blues. I need to learn how to improvise. David Barrett, one of the best known harp teachers around, has written a volume entitled Mel Bay presents Improvising Blues Harmonica. I don't recommend many books, because I believe that blues harmonica doesn't translate well to the page, but Barrett has managed to crack the code and make the underlying principles of improvisation available to all players.

I recommend his book highly. And no, he hasn't paid me to say this. I just think he's done a terrific job. I've only been playing for two weeks, but I practice all the time--hours every day.

How long will it take me to get good? As a beginner, it is valuable to know which keys one needs. It may be a little theory but it is helpful,especially when looking to the future.

As always Tomlin you explain things in terms that beginners can easily understand. So many teachers just use their teaching as a way to show their own superiority, but not you.

Well done. You must be logged in to post a comment. Click the button below to download the free 2nd position chart. Download lesson material here What harmonica do you get next? This means you can rely on 6 harmonicas which are; A harmonica The A harmonica is a lot deeper than the C harmonica which makes it feel quite different play. D harmonica This is a higher harmonica and it will feel like it responds much quicker. The harmonica will let you play in the key of A also an easy key for guitarists.

Bb harmonica This means you can play in the key of F. G harmonica This is suitable for playing in the key of D. F harmonica The F harmonica allows you to play in the key of C in 2nd position. Purchase a gift voucher Gift Vouchers Harmonicaland. Harmonica 3D stickers - 3M high quality - music key labels. Hohner Meisterklasse. Hohner Meisterklasse Chromatic.

Harmo Polar harmonica blues set 5. Harmo Polar Harmonica. Harmo Polar harmonica blues set 3. Harmo Torpedo Diatonic Harmonica - overblow setup. Build Your Harmonica. Hohner Super 64C Performance. Hohner Super 64X Performance Harmonica. You must be registered Clic here to register Add a comment Subscribe to comments.