geordiebluesman
565 posts
Mar 23, 2012
10:00 AM
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Hi guys, i just signed up for a month to Dave Barretts Harp instruction website and i am so impressed with it.
Dave is right up there with Adam when it comes to the gift of teaching, just like Adam he has a natural knack for dissecting a subject and showing you the component parts and then puts them all back together again so that at the end you have a real insight into how and why something works.
The site is massively comprehensive and there is stuff there for every level of player.
This is a Tremendous tool and i have picked up some fundementals after just a single one hour sit down.
Use this alongside Adams lessons and you litteraly will have the keys to the highway.
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Ant138
1168 posts
Mar 23, 2012
11:48 AM
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Daves site is excellent.
Daves lessons forced me to learn how to Tounge block and for that I will always be gratefull. The other great thing is you can cancel anytime and dip back in when you like.
Have fun.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/fiendant?feature=mhum
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SuperBee
162 posts
Mar 23, 2012
12:48 PM
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David is also an excellent player. Actually a superb player. He won't show you his whole bag in 1 song, but if you check out some of the videos on the site with gary smith, he is often sitting in and they will jam together. David's playing is often shining on those. Apart from his lessons, the interviews and contributions from Gary smith, mark Hummel and others are just about worth the price of admission
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kudzurunner
3131 posts
Mar 23, 2012
2:30 PM
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I have nothing but massive respect for David Barrett. When I took a look at IMPROVISING BLUES HARMONICA in press, I basically gave up on the idea of teaching improvisation; he did such an exceptional job of breaking down 12-bar improvisations into their component parks. When I actually got to meet him and hang out with him, the first thing I said to him, with a rueful chuckle, is "I'm such a part-timer," meaning that he and his several websites his whole School of the Blues operation are the creation of a full-timer with a gift for teaching, not to mention a terrific style of his own as a player. I'm glad that I DON'T conceive of myself as a full-time harp teacher; if I did, I'd have to view him as my competition in a somewhat different kind of way, and my knees would buckle.
David is the man.
Last Edited by on Mar 23, 2012 2:31 PM
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didjcripey
214 posts
Mar 23, 2012
3:09 PM
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True that.
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Lucky Lester
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Frank
475 posts
Mar 23, 2012
3:41 PM
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I hooked up with David via books around 15 years ago and believed in his vision and put my money on him to give me facts needed to do this blues harp thing right. And I've told him via his site that I'm am indepted to him as a studing harmonica player. His "Big Boys Jam" is one of the first songs I learned, it is a power house of an instrumental and a dynamite teaching tool. I remember Adam back then too in the 90's, preaching in American Harmonica News Letter to get with times and learn how to Overblow or be left behind. Guys like Adam and David are awesome mentors!!!
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didjcripey
216 posts
Mar 24, 2012
2:31 AM
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Speaking personally, I found that Adam and Davids teaching styles to be very complementary. David is brilliant at getting technique across and devising exercises to master them, while Adam's great at getting some of the intangibles, the feel, the attitude and the 'Mojo' across. I don't think I could have gained nearly as much from Adam's teaching without first having gained a solid grounding from David, and I would not have nearly as much feel and enthusiasm for it without Adam's lessons.
Thanks and Kudos to both, I have learned way more in the past few years with their tuition, than I did in the previous twenty.
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Lucky Lester
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jodanchudan
567 posts
Mar 24, 2012
4:22 AM
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Totally agree with the last comment there - you need both. David's site gives you a solid grounding in technique - the sort of stuff you'd skip over or be too lazy to practise by yourself (at least I would). Because all the study songs are designed to focus on particular techniques, it feels like there's no hiding and no faking it. Also it slows you down and forces you to woodshed (in fact, I think this is mentioned in Adam's interview - the way you're so eager to learn the next thing that you gloss over the basics and don't put in the practice time). And then there's the improvisation stuff, which is pure gold.
Adam's lessons (YouTube and the downloads) totally complement this.That's where you get the enthusiasm, the shove out of your comfort zone and the curveballs that make you reassess your progress.
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Kingley
1924 posts
Mar 24, 2012
4:28 AM
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I agree 100% with everything said.
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kudzurunner
3132 posts
Mar 24, 2012
5:23 AM
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I'm glad to hear the analysis put forward by DJ and jodanchudan. My theory about David's and my complementarity is that I am, in fact, a full-time teacher--but in an academic venue. School of the University of Mississippi. So blues harmonica teaching for me is an after-hours thing; an under-the-radar thing; the place where I can keep alive a side of myself that isn't necessarily required in the formal classroom context. David is of necessity, and in significant respects, the rationalizer and systematizer: School of the Blues. That's my daytime role, too, and blues literature and blues culture are one of my specialties. But my nocturnal role, my after-hours role, here at MBH is to get at some of the intangibles, the weird cool stuff, that might not necessarily fit into the blues teaching "system."
That's actually more true for my YouTube lessons. Each of them is, in formal terms, notes towards a concept, rather than a clear, sequential laying-out of a concept.
David has proven that blues harmonica education CAN, in fact, be organized and systematized, where previously the model would have been more of an old-school, Jerry Portnoy, "Here are a few things you should know" way of doing business.
I hopefully show that there's a lot of magic buried in extremely close attention to specific recorded solos and a lot of fun contained in the instrument, too. Neither of those things is really in the old-school line, and they're somewhat oblique to Dave's approach, too--although he certainly spends some time on the former element.
Last Edited by on Mar 24, 2012 5:24 AM
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12gagedan
205 posts
Mar 24, 2012
6:02 AM
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I was 19 and just starting to see live shows back in '95-96. I would ask advise from any harp player who came through Blackburg. Bob McGraw said to get Barrett's "Building Harmonica Technique". That book was bedrock for my playing. He's also a very nice cat. I only wish he still offered his instructor course.
As a weekend warrior, I've struggled with the idea of teaching in the shadow of guys like DB or Adam. I always make it a point to mention the pros in my videos. Partly because they know a lot more, and partly because I believe in variety of resources. Whenever I lose confidence in those guys' shadows, I try to remember that learning to teach is teaching me a lot, too. It's great times to learn blues harp.
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12gagedan's YouTube Channel
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SuperBee
169 posts
Mar 24, 2012
1:48 PM
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You know, david wrote that book (building harmonica technique)when he was 18 years old.
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harpaddict
51 posts
Mar 24, 2012
2:28 PM
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I've taken private lessons from Dave for 15 or 16 years (I'm a slow learner). I understand when you look at blues harmonica.com there is a lot of teaching which is pushing technique. But my experience in private lessons has very much progressed to style and the heart and soul of the music. If you'll look at David's performance videos on YouTube you can see that come through. Also he's a real stickler for accuracy. Just watch any of the History of the Blues videos... i.e. "Evan's Shuffle"
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Jon Harl
5731 Meridian Ave
San Jose, CA
95118
jonharl@mac.com
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SuperBee
171 posts
Mar 24, 2012
2:47 PM
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That doesn't surprise me Jon. I've been involved with David through BH.com for about 2 years now and seen a fair bit of David's work outside of his lessons material. Like his regular tips for instance, and his performance videos, also the answers he provides to student's questions as well as my own personal interactions. Oh yeah, and the interviews series. After a while the picture emerges. Your comment is completely consistent with that. I sound like a fan! I really have a ton of respect for David.
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Lonesome Harpman
73 posts
Mar 25, 2012
7:17 AM
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My impression of David is that he is highly organized in his teaching.It appears that David thinks through the material in detail and practices his delivery prior to presenting. He has a clear path to follow and doesn't "wing" it. You might think his lack of spontaneity would perhaps make him a less interesting character, however just give his website a try. His interviews with some of the best harp players in the world are priceless.
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geordiebluesman
567 posts
Mar 25, 2012
2:41 PM
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I have been on the site a few times now working on the first Improvisation series of lessons, the attention to detail and clarity of explanation is exceptional I'm amazed by this site.
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marcos
78 posts
Mar 25, 2012
5:00 PM
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Amen to all of the above.
If I ever get to be a great harp player, it will be mostly because of David Barrett.
If I never get to be a great harp player, it will be only because I didn't do exactly what David Barrett told me to do.
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