For The Beginner Blues Harp Player

Disc 1: Jerry Portnoy's Blues Harmonica Masterclass

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:34:19 -0500

A Review Of The First Disc In This Set

My strategy was to listen the first time through without my Key of A harp (that's Jerry's recommended key for his listeners) in hand. I wanted to focus on his words and not distract myself with my own playing. So, here are my notes:

• Introduction: It’s going to be easy to listen to our teacher – his voice is pleasant. Practice, patience, perseverence are his keys. Your investment is going to tell the story of your progress.

• Holding the Harmonica: Showing is better than telling when it comes to holding a harp.

• Chord Rhythm: Now we're getting into the meat of this first disc. Jerry bases our work on this: Draw 1 – 3 chord. Blow 1 – 3. Draw 1 – 2. Blow 1 – 3. Got it? That's our foundation. Next step is to say, “hutta” while doing the above chord work. That’s his “soft T” instead of his “hard T.” Next: Draw 1 – 2, Blow 1 – 3, repeat both . . . and add this little lick to the first one we did for variety. Don’t go too fast and get mushy. Speed it up to get a train sound. This chord rhythm will be an essential part of our work with JP. So hold on to this stuff.

• Tongue Blocking: “This is an absolutely essential element to having a professional sound” . . . uh oh. Begin with Blow 1 – 4, and then Draw 1 – 4. Should sound rich. Throw your tongue up against the harp over 1 – 3 and force all your sound into the corner with the 4. Spit your tongue forward quickly, right after your begin your blow or draw. Next he teaches a scale with slapping your tongue . . . blow 4, draw 4, blow 5, draw 5, blow 6, draw 6 . . . and back down. Next is going for a more staccato sound with “open and closed syllables.” Starts this with saying, “ha” and “ta.” You see that “ha” is open at the front, and “ta” is closed at the front . . . and “hot” would be open at the front and closed at the end. Next is top play without the tongue slap – just leave the tongue on the harp, no percussion from slapping the tongue on after briefly playing the chord.

• Changeover Scale: B 4, D 4, B 5, D5, B 6, D 6, D7, B 7, D 8, B 8, D 9, B 9. He is teaching you how you have to switch over to drawing first when you get to 7.

• Syncopating Chords: “Ta” or “tuh” said after slapping tongue on hole 4. This is one part where I wish I had my harp in hnd. Next do it with “ta-da.” Next is adding another beat – triple tongue the chord by saying, “ta-da-kuh.” Sounds busy now when he demonstrates the scale with this triple tongue.

• Back Rhythm: A technique for marking time. Slap tongue the note . . . and maintain the note . . . and lightly back your tongue on and off.

• Octaves: Means you have two of the same notes, but one is higher than the other. Now we are blocking with the tip of our tongue to cover 2 and 3, keeping 1 and 4 open for the octave. 2 and 5 is not a true octave, but it is useful in the blues. Goes through all the material from the Tongue Blocking chapter but with the octaves now. His teaching technique is speeding up now, assuming you are following along well. His time spent above 6 runs counter to this blog. When he gets to the 3/7, 4/8, 5/9, and 6/10 octaves, it sounds like a real stretch of the mouth.

• Simple Songs: “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and “Three Blind Mice” and “Oh, Susana.” Demonstrates them with single notes and other techniques he has taught earlier. No tab, of course. Yes, he acknowledges these are not blues songs. Just a demo – no encouragement to really play along.

• The Pursed Lips Method: Like you are going to say, “ooh.” Start by just sliding up and down from 1 to 4, blowing and then drawing. Avoid lip drag. Single, pure notes is the goal. You may be playing the 2 hole out of tune. Works that same scale used above . . . now add the syllables used above to work up to the triple tongue. When do we use Tongue and when do we use Purse? His general rule is to purse 1 – 3 and then begin tongue block at 4 (so you can put a full chord under your lead note). But he says that rule can be broken.

• Lip Blocking: Need authority on Draw 2 since we resolve there. Cutting off a chord with tongue blocking gives the power sound, but he has another way to achieve this – lip blocking. Play draw 1 – 3 and then suddenly constrict lips to only have the 2 open. Say “ta – oo” as we do this. Now add “ta – doo” for more percussion. Done to approximate the tongue block.

• 12 Bar Blues: Use what we have learned so for to play a blues chorus. First four bars on one chord, next two bars on the fourth chord, return to the one chord for next two bars, ninth bar is five chord, tenth bar is return to fourth, and final two bars on the one chord. E note for one – Draw 2. Our four (A note) is our Blow 4. Five (B note) is Draw 4. Say “ta – doo” during the Draw 2 and add rhythm four times to get our first four bars. For the four chord, slap tongue to get that Blow 4. For the ninth bar five chord, slap tongue the Draw 4 and do your rhythm. Back to the origin for the last two bars. When Jerry demonstrates, yes, it sure sounds like a neat little blues. I wish I had the harp now. Next he teaches the turnaround in the Draw 1. As he makes it more complicated, it’s hard to follow his verbal instructions – says he is going to vary it up and you can’t quite follow. Ends by saying it’s now time to learn how to bend notes and that’s really going to open up the possibilities for blues playing.

• Overall: I’m glad I know what I already know ‘cause he moves pretty fast. It’s different to begin a blues harp lesson without any single note “Mannish Boy” riffing. No riffing – just rhythm work that allows you to play the blues. He gives you flexibility in the way you can do what you do with different syllables and different timing/phrasing. My favorite part of this first disc is Jerry's Lip Blocking segment -- cutting off the chord fast and using the syllables.

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Jerry Portnoy's Blues Harmonica Masterclass

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:23:40 -0500

Part One: I Actually Read The Book

I have been aware of this harp instructional release for years, but the price tag has always kept me away. Jerry Portnoy's Blues Harmonica Masterclass came out back in 1997. You can find it sold online for $50 - $75. Kind of steep, right?

Good news: I finally put my hands on a copy, and I will be sharing my opinions about JPBHM with you.

JPBHM includes a book and three CDs. I actually read the book instead of jumping right to CD 1. You should, too. This is 20 - 30 minutes of reading. My reactions to the book:

• From the start, Portnoy informs us he will be doing things his own way. We learn that the teaching is found on the CDs, and the book is only a simple support piece.

• I dig his anecdote about learning from Big Walter Horton: "Well, it go like this." That's how Walter would teach Portnoy.

• Tongue Blocking vs. Lip Pursing. Portnoy tells us he does both. Good. Because if this deal was all about tongue blocking, I'm in trouble.

• Music Theory is handled briefly and handled well. I like his piano illustration. "You now know everything you need to know about music theory -- or at least everything that I know. It ain't much but I've gotten by on it and so can you." I like his assurance that we don't need a college degree in music.

• Portnoy can get a bit overwhelming in his Special Effects segment. Like this stuff about Special Chords: "There are two keys: One is using just the very tip of your tongue to block the hole: the other is in being able to play two notes out of the right side of your mouth and one out of the left side, or vice versa." Whoa! This better make sense when we get to the CDs because in print it looks like a brand of breathing gymnastics that will cause me to pass out.

• The vintage photos of Portnoy on stage with Muddy Waters (his old employer) are pretty cool.

• Portnoy does not use the term "cross harp" when introducing positions. Just FYI.

• I'm bummed about Portnoy stressing that you need to listen to music and determine which notes are being played so you can copy what you hear. Eesh. Perhaps he will change my mind after I work my way through the CDs.

OK, there's our look at the book. The next three posts will correspond with the three discs in the JPBHM set.

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Hello, Junior Wells

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:13:29 -0500

Play Along With One Of The Greats

Just in case you are unfamiliar with the work of Junior Wells, I have two places you need to visit:

1) Hoodoo Man Blues is his 1965 release, and you should race right out to secure a copy. While I can't provide a personal review of all of Junior's work, I can tell you this CD is a hit.

2) Alone & Acoustic was released in the United States in 1991 by Alligator Records. This is Junior playing with Buddy Guy, and this CD shakes one of the foundations of this little blog. Let's rewind. The purpose of this blog is to offer opinions to the beginner blues harp player. And we began with the opinion that "play along with records" is common and silly advice. I label it silly because: a) you must first understand music/blues rules, and b) the harp players good enough to record are too good for you to accompany. You can't keep up when you are a beginner. I stand by that theory, but I also have an open enough mind to say, "You really can learn by playing along with Alone & Acoustic."

Junior isn't getting paid by the note on the CD. The harp sound is clean (rare, right? . . . we love it when the blues harp sounds rough). The result: you can follow what he is doing. There are 15 tracks on this CD, and these are the numbers that a beginner blues harper would find interesting:

• Give Me My Coat And Shoes

• Big Boat (Buddy and Junior's Thing)

• Diggin' My Potatoes

• Rollin' And Tumblin'

• High Heel Sneakers

• Wrong Doing Woman

• Cut You Loose

• Sally Mae

• Catfish Blues

• My Home's In The Delta

• Medley: Baby What You Want Me To Do / That's Allright

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Big Six harp by Seydel

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:38:43 -0500

Looks Like A Novelty Harmonica But Plays Like A Champ

Not long ago, I Voxed about ignoring holes 7 - 10 on your diatonic harmonica. See below. I have a German buddy in this campaign: Seydel offers a harp called Big Six.

You can accurately guess how many holes this harp has, can't you? Six. What an efficient little blues machine. Let's talk about it.

Price

I paid a little more than $30. That's on the high side for me and harp purchases. I tend to shop in the $15 - $25 harp aisle.

First Impression

The harp arrives sealed in a can. You pop the top like you are getting ready to enjoy some mixed nuts. You instead find your Big Six and a lanyard which allows you to wear your Big Six around your neck. Fun and novelty-ish.

Feel

The small size feels odd. But not for long. Fool around with your Big Six for a couple of days, and you will discover a grip you like.

Sound

I avoid rating a harp's sound because I believe the player is most responsible for sound. Instead, I focus on responsiveness. Does this thing respond to my efforts? Do I have to work too hard? I am pleased to report my Big Six is indeed responsive. It's available in the key of C.

I am happy with my Big Six purchase. I like moving up toward the six hole knowing that I am not going to drift into seven hole territory. This is a neat option, and it fits into the "compact car only" space in your harp gear.

P.S. I have a CD on my shelf by a British rockabilly act called The Big Six. This 1996 release called Ready To Rock is highly recommended. It's got nothing to do with beginner blues harp playing or Seydel or anything. They just share a cool name.

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Little Walter as "Sideman"

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:31:54 -0500

Do you know his work with Jimmy Rogers?

Little Walter is a 2008 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You already knew that. You have probably even made your opinions known about:

a) the quality of the Little Walter musical tribute at the Hall of Fame ceremony (you thought it was too sloppy)

b) the ridiculous "Sidemen" label that greeted Little Walter at the Hall of Fame door (you used curse words)

If we were playing word association and I gave you the words "Little Walter" and "sideman," your reply just might be "Muddy Waters." I would find no fault with your reaction. But I strongly suggest you begin thinking: "Jimmy Rogers."

If you aren't listening to Little Walter's work with Jimmy Rogers, you are missing a truckload of tunes. I recommend without reservation . . .

Artist: Jimmy Rogers

Title: The Complete Chess Recordings

Released: 1997

The above is a two-disc set. Not every song features Little Walter, but rest assured that these songs are all super.

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Paul Butterfield vs. John Sebastian

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:41:19 -0500

Instructional Materials From Two Brand Name Players

Scroll around through your choices of blues harp instructional books/CDs/videos, and you will find a bunch of stuff. Overwhelming even. Where do I start? Which of these is worth the investment? Let's take on a doubleheader:

1) John Sebastian Teaches Blues Harmonica (DVD. Homespun Tapes)

This one was done in the pre-DVD era, so you will also see it on VHS tape. Sebastian is strong with illustrating the basics. For example, he presents the concept of I-IV-V blues super clearly. You will "get it." I'm suggesting this is worth checking out if you are a beginner. But I don't think you will walk away feeling like a blues harp hero.

2) Paul Butterfield Blues Harmonica Master Class (Book and CD. Homespun Listen and Learn Series)

Again, this feels like repackaged material. My guess is that you will be entertained by the CD but you won't learn much. Maybe I should jump all the way out there and say you won't learn anything. The teaching technique is poor. The accompanying book is not designed for the beginner. To be avoided . . . unless you just like Butterfield.

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Ignore Holes 7 - 10

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:24:20 -0600

Eliminating 40% of Your Harmonica Woes

A diatonic harmonica has 10 holes. But let's pretend that all your blues business is done in holes 1 - 6, and those pesky high notes are just for decoration.

The experienced blues harper has a reason to cross the border and work in the high notes. The beginner should stay home and navigate through holes 1 - 6.

If you ignore holes 7 - 10, I promise your harmonica playing will be plenty bluesy. I'm betting you could spend the rest of your blues life strictly in the first 6 holes and neither you nor your listeners would feel like something is missing. This advice comes to you from the same Voxer who gave you permission to forget about tongue blocking and just work the pucker process. You see, I'm trying to simplify this blues harmonica world a bit. You can make blues harp as simple or as complicated as you like. But let's get really good at walking before we run, OK?

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Amplified Harp At The Right Price

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:38:37 -0600

Lo-Fi and Lo-$$

The sound of blues harmonica is the sound of amplified harmonica. Save your arguments about Sonny Terry or other blues legends who played without being snuggled up against a microphone. Come on, let's agree that a killer blues harp sound requires an amp.

If you have swollen up checking account, you can take care of the microphone + amplifier challenge any way you want. But if you live in the Common Man Blues Harp World, don't get discouraged by the chunky price tags that accompany the pro audio gear. Even modest tools like a Pignose amp and Hohner harp microphone will lighten your burden by a couple hundred dollars.

What about the deep discounts? I urge your to experiment with unconventional amp ideas. For example, I have been fooling around with an old Radio Shack amplified speaker (catalog no. 32-2040). Don't know what the original purpose of this cheap little speaker was, but this guy makes a fun alternative to pro gear. I partnered it with a cheap lavalier microphone, and I have a fat, overdriven, rough sound.

Other bargain ideas: microphones that come with a child's electronic keyboard or other audio toy, microphones from thrift shops that accompany old tape recorders, etc.

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Blues Harp on DVD

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:17:38 -0600

American Folk Blues Festival: Vol. 1 - 3

Just a brief and heartfelt suggestion for you: point your Netflix over to this three-disc set. We're talking Germany in the early 1960's. We're talking about elaborate/stereotypical stage sets and stuffy-looking audiences . . . but feel free to ignore those elements. Instead, focus on the performances of blues giants like Big Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells, etc.

One moment to look out for on the Vol. 2 disc: the concluding harmonica session. Big Mama Thornton brings out a heavy-hitting bunch of harp sluggers to join her. There is a (dancing!) Big Walter Horton ready to take his turn . . . there is the great Dr. Ross with harp in hand . . . there is J.B. Lenoir . . . and then there is John Lee Hooker. Erm, we all admire John Lee Hooker's singing and guitar playing, but his membership in this harp gang makes no sense. I'm no expert, but I do know what sounds good to me. And poor John Lee Hooker looks/sounds like he is only on stage because he lost a bet.

In conclusion, you need to see American Folk Blues Festival: Vol. 1 - 3. There you go.

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Big Walter & Jimmy DeBerry

nobody@vox.com(Cee BeeGee) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:35:24 -0600

Raw and Brilliant Duo

In the early 1970's, the great Big Walter recorded with guitar player Jimmy DeBerry. The sound here isn't so perfect. And that's a compliment. The guitar sounds can be rough and simple. The harp sounds are, well, the best thing in this world.

If you're going to label these recordings 'the best thing in this world,' it would help to provide a purchase link. Sorry. I don't think these are that easy to track down. But do keep an eye out for these albums. You are looking for the Crosscut label, with albums titled EASY VOL. 1 and BACK VOL. 2.

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