I learned this great study song back in the mid 90's as a lip blocker, put it on the shelf and haven't messed with it in a long time...
I switched to tongue blocking some 5 or 6 years ago and am going back over some songs I once played LBing and relearning them - it is quite an eye opening experience and they are much easier to play TB.
"For the record LB is a great embouchure too, it has it's many merits - THIS thread is NOT about which one is best". I know, good luck with that...lol
It IS about Dave's interesting study song "Big Boys Jam" which is off of an old book of his called [Building Harmonica Technique]...
It incorporates a bunch of neatly placed riffs and phrases that twist and turn and each have a lesson built into them intentionally by David Barrett to assist the student with technique building.
One of the main things I got from practicing it -is learning to regulate my breathing in a natural way from the beginning to the end of the song.
Anyway, studying the tune is a fun way to learn a few things!
Full on! How long did you spend getting that one down Frank? David sure knows how to write an instrumental and build the learning process in. Some great technique challenges evident in this.
Bee, that was along time ago... I forget how long it took to understand it enough to play it from head to toe... but I remember dissecting it closely and put many hours into learning how to make it come alive.
Back then I was hungry for info and was on the edge of my sit wanting to learn the harp and I did learn it as thoroughly as I was capable of.
So when I came back to it recently I believe it took 3 or 4 months of messin with it - playing it a couple times a day, especially the parts that were still weak and not flowing from the heart.
Well done. Watching you move the harp to your right cheek, I was really able to hear the difference between the two tones. I liked how you brought it to your cheeks anytime you opened your fingers to do a wah wah. These are things I do, but seeing it so clearly really solidified it for me.
You probably already put it up, but I would love to hear your own jamming. Learning solos note for note is extremely valuable and I try and do a few 12 bars a week. But I want to see how it is helping your own style. Thanks.
Thanks Michael, I'm going to get my gardening chores in and cook some of the harvest, ( collards, chard, green beans and beets)and then put up a fresh original tune for you Sir before I go to work this afternoon. And thank you for the teaching videos you have on you tube for all to learn from!
"I switched to tongue blocking some 5 or 6 years ago"
I experimented TB for 5 or 6 months in 2011, listening more accurately to Whammer Jammer, watching a lot of videos and replacing lip pursing by TB, like you did.
My lips and corners of mouth were in fire, cause the learning was intense, but I had the feeling I was at last somehow progressing.
I'm far from your level, but the way I play now Whammer Jammer is widely better than previously.
I think that TB opens your eyes and ears onto a different landscape, maybe as important as when you succeeded for the first time in bending.
BTW your video proves you manage all this stuff pretty well!
Excellent! But, and I'm not meaning to sound pejorative, how is that an original tune?
*Edit: never mind, I see the title right there! oops ---------- Sun, sun, sun Burn, burn, burn Soon, soon, soon Moon, moon, moon
Last Edited by on Jul 27, 2012 10:48 AM
Hahahahahahaha PRO, depends what level your talking about Michael…I was hoping you would like that little ditty. No giggin for me till retirement. The nighttime/nightclub scene grew kinda stale in my 40’s and now in my 50’s I’ve slowed down quite a bit. I plan on lookin for daytime and early evening gigs when work is behind me.
Thanks for listening Honkin ?
Jinx, yeah that groove is old as dirt – as where most of those licks I was layin down, lol…but seriously, the harpin was improvisational/off the cuff – straight from my heart and soul to your ears!
David Barrett teaches that “improvisation is king” and is ultimately the Holy Grail for aspiring blues players to reach for. So I was lucky to find Dave’s teaching methods very early on in my journey of learning the blues harp and I’ve been improvising to blues grooves from the get-go.
