Way O/T Scenesters need not apply....Any Blues men out there

Just wondering with all the musicians on board if there are any Blues background? I have struggled to larn how to play the Blues harp...but I am musically retarded....

 

Soak that harp in yer favorite beer all night; it'll wet those reeds so you can bend those notes! (or send $9.95 for the BlindMelonGregg learn the blues in 1 hour instructions) Oh,yeah, the best price for Hohners is Cracker Barrel- still $3.99.

 

You realize...... soak is a 4 letter word?
I dig the Harp catalog from NJ.

 

I work with a old blues sax player from the 50's and 60's. His names James Lincoln. Close as I come to it though.

 

I play blues harp, but I dont consider myself a musician. If your ever on the west coast I could give you pointers, thats the best I can offer but thats all it took for me to learn.

 

I play blues harp.

After messing with all kinds of brands, including Lee Oskars, I settled on Honer Special 20 Marine Band harps. I like a plastic case better than wood. They are about $20 each and have a nice full sound. You can get by on most songs with A, C, D, G keys.

I learned how to play by ear. There are two things that you must learn:

1. Play one note clearly at a time. Playing several notes sounds fine because the harmonica plays chords, but it's the clarity of one note that separates you from everyone else that picks up a harp.

2. Bent notes. The blues sound really gets its emotion from the bent notes, which are a step or half-step away from the original note of the reed. This is frustrating and hard to learn, but once you get it,you'll be able to do it with ease. Bending is done mainly with the tongue and back of the throat. When you do it properly, it feels like you are sucking the note down to the back of your tongue.

All of this just takes practice.

Buy a bunch of harmonica blues albums and play along. You'll sounds awful at first, but you'll get it.

Get good enough and then you can practice amplified, which sounds really wicked.

Hope that helps.

 

Although I'm not a harp player (guitarist) I can tell you, don't use the same key harp that the song is in. You need one in the 4th of the key. If the song is in E, you would use an A harp. If the song is in A, then use a D harp. G=C, C=F, D=G. If you're just practicing alone it doesn't matter, but if you're trying to play along it might get real frustrating when you can't play what they're playing.
Have fun.

 

I will play drums for ya.

 

Hey Donzi, Would you also(on the guitar) solo in the alternate key when you are playing blues.

The blues is my all time favorite music...Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Albert King, Boby Blue Bland ect.

 

Donzi, thanks for the info regarding playing cross harp. I didn't want to confuse him with that right off the bat.

Another good beginner tip is to pick up an instruction tape by John Gindick (sp?). He gives good basic instruction that is easy to follow.

 

Rudy, generally you would play in the minor scale (of the key of the song) for blues/rock and in the major scale for country or other melodic type music. What's cool is (in blues for example in the key of A) to play in the minor scale while in A, then when the song goes to the D chord play in the major 7th scale. I also like using 9th and 7th chords. I know that doesn't help the harp issue, but you asked.

 

used to play blues harp ,some thought I was good, but I thought I was mediocre,quit after getting a BUD bottle in the chops - split my lip and HURT to play,never picked it up again-lost interest about that time anyway.

 

I can't give much pointers on playin' harp but one good peice of advice. I have played the blues with a harp player before.... here's yer advice: Don't repeatively ask to play in the Key of F because you will swear you never heard such bitchin' and moanin'! hahahahahaha

 

Thanks guys...you won't confuse me. I understand the theory just the application part I have problems with...

Most of my problem is I have Way TOO MANY projects but I am slowly whittling away at these and prioritizing them.

 

I'm just wearing kinda thin on "Michael Row your boat ashore".......

 

Listen to Little Walter.
Best advice I can give.

 

Dude, I have a ton of harp music on my C drive. Now if I can just mimic it....

 

Some of the best harp players learned in prison.

 

Root,
Just keep at it every where you go. I play bass in some blues bands and have been lucky enough to play with some very cool harp players. Search the net for Donny Mortone, Harpdog Brown, and Lynwood Slim. These are some great players that I enjoyed giggin with.

 

Any tips on bending notes?

 

Sorry Root' cant fix you up with a note bender.....Pie bender-YES- But-can anyone tell me if a guy wanting to play slide [on a Tele']- should I tune it to an open D chord?Is that common tuning for blues?

 

It is great to see there are some harp players on here.

It looks like they have already given you some great advice.

The best advice was to just keep on pickin' away at it. It helps if you can get somewhere where you can just let it rip! You will sound like crap to start off with, but you will get it eventually.

If you wanna bend a note, grab one of #4 through #6 holes. When you get a good grip on just one hole, suck on it like you are trying to pull the poison out.
You'll hear it bend. Once you get that down, you can give "overblowin'" a shot.

I prefer Lee Oscars to most other harps. Everyone has their favorite. Oscars are s/s and plastic, and they don't blow out notes as quick in my experience.

Justice

 

Remember, If you want that "blues" sound, you will be pullin' as much as blowin'.
You will also be playin' "cross harp." That is another good thing about Lee Oscar harps. They are marked with the straight up key on one end and the cross harp key on the other. It helps when you are just startin'out. or a little too drunk to remember...lol

Justice

 

Go to the intersection of state highways #49 & #61, just outside Clarksdale, MS. At midnight, when the devil shows up, offer to trade your soul for the ability to play.

Hey, it worked for Robert Johnson ...

 

H.A.M.Ber, CadillacKid...aka JAKE...aka Steve Cooper plays sax and sings with the world famous GROOVE HOGS.
If you haven't heard 'em, you're missing somethin'...
Get your CDs today...they're so good, they clean your CD player.
Go to CD Baby.com and check 'em out.
They come in many colors and one size fits all...
Order by midnight tonight and receive, as our gift, this lovely set of steak-knives!!!
If you are not 110% satisfied... Suck my junk.
They ROCK... They ROLL...
They're 59% alcohol by volume...
They open for B.B. KING... wuzzat tell ya?
You do open for B.B. KING don't ya Jake?
These guys are big! (No offense Jake)
Keep them CDs handy for those teenage dates, too.
Their smooth silky tones melt the panties right off 'em.
Hell, maybe we can talk 'em into a 'spot-lite' performance at Cowboy Bob's next year.
Waddya say Jake? That way you can get some HOG while it's still warm

...and hey! I saw yer Cadillac at Mike's. I'm glad to see it coming out so straight.


JOE

 

Yea bendings easy once you get the knack. While drawing on the hole try to push your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Say "Wished".

 

[ QUOTE ]
The blues is my all time favorite music...Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Albert King, Boby Blue Bland ect.



[/ QUOTE ]
cool... some car guys as well as blues guys! Gawd, I love this place!

 

Thanks guys....

I have a Lee Oskar and a Hohner blues harp. Can't really tell a whole lotta difference, yet.
I am half tempted to order this instructional series from a guy named Jerry Portnoy. Seems like a pretty informative set.

I also signed up on a blues messageboard much like this one. Maybe not as active as this one....

 

Yes open D is pretty common for slide, pretty common without Slide too. If you have ever heard Collective Soul's "Where the River Flows", the main Rythm is played with an open D tuning, but no slide. Gives you deep "Crunch" tone...

There are 2 or 3 different tunings commonly used for Slide, but open D is the only one I am familiar with.

 

Root,
Grab your harp. Now, an easy note bending lesson; Pull a single note on the third hole. Don't draw hard, make it nice and easy, a tantra kinda thing. you've got it nice and sready, push the outer edges of your tounge to the molars, and pull the tip of your tounge back. Notice how the tone drops? Keep doin' that till you can nail a note straight away.