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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Seeking Advice on Writing a Solo Harmonica Piece
Seeking Advice on Writing a Solo Harmonica Piece
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Mirco
459 posts
Feb 04, 2017
7:17 PM
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I'm seeking some advice on how to write a solo harmonica piece. This is a requirement for the final level of David Barrett's LOA program. I am only to use a harmonica. No band, no vocals, no pedals, no electronics, no egg shaker or kick drum. Think something along the lines of "Bye Bye Bird" or Dave Barrett's "Quiet World."
I know that I need to select something with a strong groove and some momentum (so no slow blues!). I've chosen to do a tramp groove, in 2nd position. I'll be able to use those big, rhythmic chords on the I and IV, and I'll build the entire song around the signature Tramp bassline with different fills and note substitutions.
Does anyone have any ideas for writing a solo harmonica piece, ways to maintain listener interest, or song examples I can listen to?
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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Bass410man
133 posts
Feb 04, 2017
11:51 PM
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Give them something when they're not expecting it. Give them nothing when maybe they were expecting something. Just a thought.
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BronzeWailer
1955 posts
Feb 05, 2017
3:24 AM
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You could do worse than follow some of Lee Sankey's examples.
https://youtu.be/ZEnXmNMOw1w
Embedding is disabled for this vid.
I have written several songs that came from practicing a riff that started as instrumentals and the words came months or years later.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
Last Edited by BronzeWailer on Feb 05, 2017 3:24 AM
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The Iceman
3049 posts
Feb 05, 2017
8:46 AM
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You've got rhythm, bass line and lead lines all possible on the harmonica. For a solo piece, try to incorporate all three.
This does not mean that the rhythm, bass and lead should all be played at the same time (although there are a few that can do this).
Establishing a rhythm is a simple as developing a groove on the harmonica. I used to do a Church of the Sacred Hut-tah Hut-tah seminar/class to establish a groove.
It is as easy as "phoneticizing" Hut-tah hut-tah while you inhale and exhale holes 1,2 (and 3 if you wish).
Now, if on beat 1 you play 2 hole inhale, beat 2 is exhale "hut-tah hut-tah", beat 3 is inhale "hut-tah hut-tah" and beat 4 is exhale "hut-tah hut-tah", you've just established a "bass note" (2 inhale) at the beginning of the measure.
Do this for the first four measures.
On the fifth and 6th measure, merely change that beat 1 to a 1 hole exhale and follow through the same as above.
7th and 8th measure, repeat what you did the first measure.
9th measure, beat 1 is inhale 1 followed by...well you should know by now.
10th measure, beat 1 is exhale 1 etc.
11th and 12th, resume the original idea.
You've just outlined 12 bar blues with "bass" notes and rhythm guitar, so to speak.
Lastly, craft a solo for the 12 bars. Here comes the artistic part....during the solo, (which shouldn't just be a constant flurry of notes, but instead shorter solid ideas) when you've injected a "rest" or "silence", switch immediately to that groove (w/bass note if you wish) until time for the next solo line idea.
Now, you've successfully played bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar on a solo harmonica.
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The Iceman
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dougharps
1351 posts
Feb 05, 2017
9:10 AM
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If you are at the final level of study, I would hope that the preceding steps in the course would have prepared you to some extent?
Here are my ideas on how to create a solo piece, without having done the course of study. But if the course presents ideas, by all means, use them before my ideas. Also, Lee Sankey knows his stuff. I will have to check out the video, but I wanted to give my take first:
For an instrumental, played solo or with a band, generally there is the "head" of the piece, an improvisation section and then the "out head". Sometimes the head is repeated twice before the improvising starts, and sometimes twice at the end, though often just once.
First explore the the rhythm and the chord structure you have chosen and look for a melodic/rhythmic hook you will use in the head. I am assuming you will likely play blues, but even that has many forms and rhythms. You mention using the Tramp Groove. If you have backing tracks to choose from, repeatedly play over the changes that you want in your piece and find/create the melodic/rhythmic hook you want for your piece. Try a lot of takes until you have something you like.
Once you have a hook, play it over and over, until the head of the piece can be played without thought and the changes are in your head. Then play the head with backing tracks while recording it and review what you have played. Polish it until it is the way you want it.
EDIT: Don't be afraid to use pauses/silences in your head or improv section.
Now that you have the beginning and ending of your piece you know the changes without thinking, and can work on the middle. Generally I would start with a deliberate reference to the hook at the start of the improvisation and take off from there. I would start slower and more deliberately, making it a statement, and then gain intensity and perhaps speed. I might, at one point, slow down and revisit the hook, and use dynamics by dropping volume and intensity and then rebuilding to the climax. At the end of the improvisation section I would tie in with the head in some way, then play the "out head".
Then you do the same thing without the backing track, recording it and polishing it. Then you have your piece.
Of course, this is easier said than done. But a final project shouldn't be too easy, should it?
EDIT: The Iceman knows his stuff, too!
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Feb 05, 2017 9:21 AM
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Havoc
36 posts
Feb 05, 2017
9:26 AM
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Thanks Iceman, great help.
@Doug harps-. When you say "slow down," do you really mean slow down timing or do you mean less is more?
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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dougharps
1352 posts
Feb 05, 2017
9:50 AM
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Sorry for any confusion from a lack of specific description.
Maintain the time ALWAYS, but slow down the pace of your playing of notes to make a more deliberate statement. Use longer and fewer notes if you have used more and faster notes as part of your building intensity. This is my approach, there are other ways, too, including volume, chords, octaves, etc.
But keep time! Don't loose the groove!
(except if a change of groove is part of your composition)
I once wrote a piece in AAB form that used a swampy groove for the A parts and would swing on the B part.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Feb 05, 2017 9:53 AM
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Havoc
37 posts
Feb 05, 2017
10:30 AM
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@dougsharp- that was my assumption as well. I was just wondering if my understanding was correct, thank you.
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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slaphappy
252 posts
Feb 05, 2017
4:25 PM
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I'm sure your piece will turn out great Mirco!
I think what I love most about solo harp though is to just stop your foot and throw down on the spot. Be able to put into music whatever you are feeling at the moment, no other accompaniment needed..
I guess my point is don't lose sight of that. I still think it pays big benefits to plan it all out of course but hopefully it also gets you closer to the spontaneous throwdown free-styling I love so much about the harp.
Look forward to hearing it!
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4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!
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dougharps
1353 posts
Feb 06, 2017
7:33 AM
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Mike, I agree with your statement:
"I think what I love most about solo harp though is to just stop your foot and throw down on the spot. Be able to put into music whatever you are feeling at the moment, no other accompaniment needed.."
I would use the structured approach I presented above if I were tasked with composing a new piece of music to be presented for review by others. But most of the time I do more organic exploring on the fly and less recording, reviewing and polishing. For my own pleasure, I use the approach you mention, sometimes stumbling on something that I like and may note for possible use in the future.
I do treat solos over songs much as described above in my suggestions for the improvisation section.
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Doug S.
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Minor Blues
66 posts
Feb 06, 2017
9:26 AM
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@Mirco,
What does LOA stand for?
Level Of Achievement? I'm just curious, I don't know all acronyms.
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Mirco
462 posts
Feb 06, 2017
9:39 AM
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slaphappy: Don't look forward to it too much! I'll do my best, though. It's good to have something to work towards.
Minor Blues: Right! LOA is Levels of Achievement. It's Dave Barrett's system of developing as a harmonica player. LOA 1-3 is beginner (focusing on movement on the instrument), LOA 4-6 is intermediate (blues techniques like octaves, bending, and pulls), and LOA 7-9 is advanced (more difficult songs, 1st and 3rd positions). LOA 10 is songwriting, and I've got to write a song in each position and a solo song. Go to bluesharmonica.com for more info. It was really helpful for me to have an organized system of progression.
BronzeWailer: That Lee Sankey video is great. That's exactly my approach, except I'm using a tramp groove. It was helpful.
dougharps: That's a good summary of how to approach instrumental writing in general. It's consistent with the method Barrett teaches and consistent with most of the instrumentals I've heard. I started this thread to ask more specifically about how to cope with not having a band (if there are any specific tricks to use when a band is not accompanying).
A cool thing about playing solo is that the song can take whatever non-standard structure I'd like. I'm thinking to hang on the I for a while, playing repetitively (because the tramp groove is so infectious). When I finally move to the IV, it'll be an exciting change. From then on, it'll be more of a standard 12 bar, and my challenge is maintaining the groove through playing the bass line while also keeping it interesting.
I got some good ideas here, and I have a plan of attack. Maybe I'll record something rough and post it here. Thanks so much!
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
Last Edited by Mirco on Feb 06, 2017 8:01 PM
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