Hi Guys, I'm a 23 years old ,advanced beginner(I guess), from Québec, Canada and I'm looking for a efficient daily practice routine to get me playing some decent improv when jamming. I can do bends, octaves, tongue block, some chuggin and some simple shuffle kinda deal. Let me know about your routine when you were at my stage . Thanks!
Well, I think I'm in Adam's categories "advanced intermediate". When I was at the stage advanced beginner (little more than year ago) I started two things that got me improving: 1. I started to jam with David Barret's book "Improvising Blues Harmonica" every evening - from 30minutes to 1 hour depending on how much time I had 2. Started to attend once a week blues harmonica class in local "public study school" or whatever that is in english
Technically the Barret's book was more important, but the class for very good for the motivation. After few months I started to work on my own songs and eventually found a band to play with. Nowadays I don't train systematically enough but just play something few times a day between making food for my family and doing some other deeds. More serious practice I do with the band once a week.
Actually now that I write this, I realize I should go back to some old routines immediately and start to practice more systematically again- in order to improve.
To add to walter & michaelA's comments: Now that you have some fundamental techniques workable, practice single note melodies in first position..and other scales.
Work on maintaining sustains that are level and last multiple measures.
Try going through Adam's youtube videos. Start with #1. One each day until you do them all and take notes. Learn to notate Adams tab. My folder is full of coments and tabs. Only a hundred and something videos/days but for only ten minutes each day. Work on the info that interesting to you from that video for additional practice time. I used a three ring binder and numbered the page to match the video. It's free. Then go and buy all of Adam's lessons to thank him for the free lessons. That's what I did.
Thanks Adam
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 2:47 AM
every once in a while I search through youtube-lessons for new riffs and licks and stuff...and practice those mostly during working-time...as a taxidriver I have lots of time between the rides, waiting for passengers. while driving them my mind works on the harp and sometimes I´m eager to get rid off them customers just to blow and draw again, even while driving...or I listen to harp-cd´s at work and steel from them whatever I can and try and try and try again until I got it...at present it´s the "overblow" that drives me mad, but I´m sure to succeed...some day ;-))
