KCBLUES
60 posts
Nov 25, 2013
6:26 AM
|
I need your thoughts/advice on how to organize a FREE 3-week seminar I will be teaching at my UNIVERSITY next semester. I have long been an educator but admittedly have not done a lot of harmonica teaching (especially groups).
I have been asked to teach three 2-hour sessions. The players will be beginners and the course is titled "Beginning Blues Harmonica"
Thanks in advance for any of your thoughts on what topics to cover each week and in what order.
KURT
|
2chops
200 posts
Nov 25, 2013
7:56 AM
|
If you don't already have a copy of Winslow's book, "Harmonica For Dummies", get one. Lots of great info geared for what you'll need. Also could be used a a guide for setting up your lesson plans. It's very orderly. Good luck.
----------
You Tube = goshinjk
I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
|
Baker
347 posts
Nov 25, 2013
8:20 AM
|
I've recently started teaching an evening class with the same title – "Beginning Blues Harmonica". Is taught over 12 weeks, 1.5 hours a session.
This is what I started with:
1. Introduction to the Harmonica
- How to practise
- Brief explanation and history of the harmonica (good info on Pat Missin's site)
- Construction on the harmonica (take it apart)
- How to hold the harmonica
- Breathing
- Embouchure – and how to achieve clean single notes. (Tongue block / Lip purse etc)
- Articulation
- Tablature (how to understand it)
2. Blues basics
- Introduction to blues and harmonicas role with in blues music.
- 2nd position overview
- The Nashville number system / Scale degrees
- The Blues scale
- The “blue third” and other blue notes
- Chords / Rhythmic playing
- Bending (how to and why)
- The 12 Bar form (i,iv,v) – How to count
3. Harmonica masters
- Introduction to 6 important blues harmonica originators. Their history background and music.
Sonny Boy Williamson I – John Lee Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson II – Rice Miller
Little Walter Jacobs
Howlin’ Wolf
Big Walter Horton
Sonny Terry
My thinking was that the first two lessons should cover or at least touch on the "fundamentals", things that all players should consider and be aware of every time they pick up a harp.
Then the third lesson looks at some of the great players and allowed the student's to see (youtube videos) and hear some of the techniques in practise. It also gave them some time to work on their single note playing, bending, breathing etc.
After that we were in a position to actually get into playing some stuff. Seemed to work quite well, however if you've only got three weeks you might want to getting in to playing a little quicker.
Hope this is some help.
|
KCBLUES
61 posts
Nov 25, 2013
8:28 AM
|
@Baker -
Thanks so much for your input.. This is what I was looking for... I think I will work with a similar format over the course of three weeks... If the class is a success I may teach it next year... FWIW I took a similar course as a 21 year old fledgling harmonicist.. It got me started on this crazy journey!
Thanks again..
|
arzajac
1212 posts
Nov 25, 2013
9:31 AM
|
I help out a local teacher. He gives a 6 session beginner course at a local college. These are one hour lessons with an optional one hour jam session to follow. I would say the jam session is key.
We are usually able to have gotten everyone up and playing for the first time in front of other people by lesson three. Even if it's just warbling and hitting the tonic note through a 12-bar progression, they get energized and want to come back next lesson and play again.
Having done this for a few years now, there is an inverse correlation between the number of people who get up and have a good experience playing and the number of people who drop out before the end of the session.
----------
Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Nov 25, 2013 9:32 AM
|
The Iceman
1297 posts
Nov 25, 2013
11:48 AM
|
I've taught classes for a long time.
What I've found is that the best way to jump start something like this is to begin with students putting harmonica to mouth and making sound. The dry academic stuff like history of and taking the harmonica apart can wait till quite a bit later.
I start with an approach I call "Developing Momentum", which is the groove that underlies all blues harmonica playing.
This direction started 14 years ago with my classes at Augusta Heritage Blues Week, when I called it "The Church of the Sacred Hut-tah Hut-tah".
Briefly, it is like marching around the room .. left foot, right foot, left, right, etc.
Left = inhale, right = exhale.
The nonsense word, "Hut-tah" is used to shape tongue and define start/stop of the sound. "Hut-tah" on the inhale, "Hut-tah" on the exhale.
Pronounce the syllables to the "FEEL" of skipping. Skip--ing, like a heart beat.
This is the shuffle rhythm.
Here is where a beginning of the groove to which you attach the notes you choose to play on the harmonica is created with understanding.
Of course, there is more to it than that, and what I've typed here may be hard to translate to real time, but it is a lot of fun and the students can begin by creating a groove sound from day one.
----------
The Iceman
|
