TurboHarp: The First Electric Harmonica
Posted by: John
Here’s something for those of you who occasionally (or often) have to compete with the electric guitar player to be heard. Those of us who have been in amplified bands know that can be a challenge at times due to feedback issues because we’re limited to playing through microphones which were intended for lower volume applications.
The folks at TurboHarp have been innovating for years making improvements to our humble instrument (more…)
- No Comments - Tags: electric harmonica, turboharp
Improving Playability of Harmonicas
Posted by: John
Howard asks:
“I am a novice. I can alter the tunings of my harps with good results.
Are there simple adjustments I can do to make my diatonics and chroms
play better i.e. (practice.. lol.) in terms of mechanics to make it
more user friendly?… Thanks for your time.”
I’m no expert on harmonica repair, so I’m going to throw this one out to the crowd. Anybody have any tips for Howard?
- 5 Comments - Tags: improvements, playbility, repair, tuning
Play The Black Crowes’ “Oh, Josephine” on Harmonica?
Posted by: John
Sean asks:
“I am looking to learn “Oh Josephine” by the Black Crowes on the harmonica. Can someone tell me what harmonica I could play this song on and what you think the level of difficulty is? I would also like to get sheet music for this song?????”
Can anybody help him out?
Learn To Play Blues Harmonica with Steve Guyger
Posted by: John
Steve is one of the top blues harmonica players in the world today and he shares many tips and tricks on this new DVD. Accompanied by Billy Flynn, an outstanding Chicago guitar player, the performances alone are worth the price of admission, but there’s much more.
Steve covers harmonica history, harmonica basics, harmonica techniques, sound and tone, playing chords, blues progressions, using positions and keys, playing in a band and more. The DVD includes guitar backing tracks so you can practice what you learn and try to match the technique and tone of this monster player.
As soon as I get my hands on a copy, I’ll be doing a complete review of the DVD, so stay tuned. It’s available for pre-order, so if you can’t wait, reserve your copy now by clicking the image above.
What Books To Learn To Play Harmonica?
Posted by: John
A reader asked for suggestions for a book to get for her husband to help him learn to play the harmonica she’d bought him for Christmas. I asked her a few questions to get a better idea of what type of book would be most beneficial for her husband:
Q: What kind of harmonica did you buy?
A: Hohner Special 20 in C
Q: What type of music does he want to play?
A: He plays “folky” type music a lot, but likes all kinds of music
Q: Is he starting from square one or does he have some experience playing either harmonica or another instrument?
A: He plays guitar and ukelele, but has never played harmonica
With those facts in mind, I made the following three recommendations:
 |
Mel Bay Deluxe Harmonica Method – has about 100 songs in it, mainly traditional. Mel Bay courses are generally pretty good and this one has gotten good reviews. |
 |
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing the Harmonica – the reviews on this one are excellent and I know this series is usually very good. |
 |
Jon Gindick’s Rock ‘n Blues Harmonica – I learned from a book by Jon Gindick called “Country and Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless” which unfortunately appears to be out of print. Jon is an excellent teacher and knows his stuff. Obviously, this one is oriented more toward rock and blues than the other two. |
So, what do you think? What’s your favorite book that you’ve used to learn to play harmonica? Leave a comment and let’s hear about it!
Blues Foundation 2009 Handy Awards Nominees
Posted by: John
The Blues Foundation’s annual Handy Awards nominees have been named for 2009. Check out the full list here: http://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/nominees.php
I’m very pleased to note that a long-time friend of mine, Steve Guyger, has been nominated for Instrumentalist of the Year: Harmonica. What can I say except “It’s about frickin’ time!!” Steve has been a well kept secret despite having toured with the late Jimmy Rogers, among others. As far as blues harmonica goes, it doesn’t get any better than Steve and I’m delighted to see him recognized publicly.
Sitting In – Be careful what you wish for…
Posted by: John
…you just might get it.
Most amateur musicians with whom I’m acquainted dream of sitting in with their heroes on stage. Actually, most of them would be happy to sit in with anybody playing a gig! They dream of being up there on stage knocking the audience dead with their astounding chops.
It’s an interesting phenomenon that people are so willing to jump in and participate in a musician’s work. You rarely see anybody asking a tax accountant if they can “sit in” and do a couple of 1040′s, for example.
It probably has to do with musicians being so accessible and the perception that playing music isn’t really working. I mean, it’s not like a “real” job, right? (more…)
Paul Oscher & Steve Guyger – Knockin’ On The Devil’s Door
Posted by: John
Paul Oscher – Knockin’ On The Devil’s Door
If you want to hear monster tone, check out this CD featuring two of the finest blues harp players in the world today: Paul Oscher and Steve Guyger. Oscher wrote most of the tunes on this disc and he and Guyger trade off harmonica duties. Both are killer players in the old school Chicago tradition and each shines on their respective axes. For a superb example of harmonica tone, check out the last number on the CD: “Alone With The Blues”. Oscher blows some incredible harp on this solo number accompanied only by his foot keeping the beat.
This is on my top 10 list of all-time great harmonica recordings.
Welcome To The Harmonica Blog!
Posted by: John
This blog is for harmonica players and fans of the harmonica. I started a blog a while ago called Roots, Rock ‘n Blues and found out pretty quickly that there’s a ton of info out there for guitar players, but very little for players of the tin sandwich.
Being a harp player myself, I’ve been on the lookout for good resources for harmonica players and have found a few, but decided to create a place where harp players can come and feel at home. That is my mission here and I expect you to let me know whether I’m fulfilling that mission or not.
This is a work in progress and your feedback and input are more than welcome. If you have questions, please use our contact page. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Enjoy!
