LW00D
1 post
Apr 04, 2010
8:18 AM
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Hello Blues Brothers :-),
being a lurker for some time now, i finally decided to register and say hello.
I'm from Germany and the days of my school-english have loooong passed,
so please excuse any mistakes that might appear.
I started to play harp in October 2009 and so far (i think) i have come to a point to call myself an "advanced beginner".
My goal is not to play in a band or something, i just want to be able to play some blues for myself when i am in the mood.
I really dig Adam's "Front Porch Blues" and i would love to play that kind of slow Blues myself.
Problem number one is, i have no front porch ;-) problem number two is, the lesson is way beyond my skills.
Are there any lessons for a "Front Porch Blues Light" or maybe a "Back Porch Blues" ;-), that fits within the capabilities of a beginner?
It's a great forum here and i hope somebody can point me in the right direction with this slow Blues.
Thank you very much.
LW00D
PS.: I will build a front porch ASAP. ;-)
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eharp
606 posts
Apr 04, 2010
8:59 AM
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very humorous, LWOOD.
i dont think there is anything in FPB that is very technical or extremely advanced. i have been slowly mucking my way thru it and i have very little skills. that is what practice is for.
first, have you bought the download? i think it can still be purchased for $1. it is 2 pages of the song tabbed out, 1 page of terms used for the tabs and another page for disclaimer(?). just go thru the tab slowly. work on 1 section at a time. that section can be whatever you want it to be...4 bars or 2 bars or 1 riff or even just the switching between 2 notes.
second, is there a particular section or technique that is causing trouble? can you bend? can you play some octaves? where are you having trouble?
btw-adam's video on FPB was not directed at the song. the song was just a bonus that sprung up. the true point of the video was in keeping time. he points out that playing by one's self was easier with faster songs because many fill in gaps with chugging/vamping. with slower blues there is space which cannot be filled with those techniques. space is to be just that...space. you need to fill the rhythm within. let the groove move your body.
at least, that's what i got out of it.
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nacoran
1567 posts
Apr 04, 2010
9:25 AM
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Welcome aboard! eharp seems to have already covered the question, so I'll just throw in a plug for the forum map. You can add a pin for yourself and see who hails from your part of the world.
View MBH Harmonica Forum Map in a larger map
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Nate
Facebook
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LW00D
3 posts
Apr 04, 2010
10:07 AM
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Hi eharp,
please don't consider me as a lazy guy that comes here asking for a shortcut to play good harp.
(I'm old enough to know that there aren't any shortcuts in life, except the ones that lead to an early grave ;-))
I want to play and i _do_ practice.
I asked for a "light" version because IMHO i doesn't make any sense for a beginner to dig his way through a piece that's not intended for beginners.
Learning is a progress of slowly building up, not starting with the hardest things first.
I have purchased the tab and i can manage my way through the first 4 bars, which are
easy. I get stuck at the 2/5 draw because i can't tongue-block. Trying to tongue-block i always end up in drooling, you don't want any details on that. ;-).
I don't wanted to start a discussion if that piece is easy or not. Easy is relative.
I'm just a beginner asking for a kind of simplified version.
If there is none, i can live with that.
No problem.
LW00D
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hvyj
253 posts
Apr 04, 2010
11:57 AM
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I'm not very familiar w/ this tune, but try playing the 2-3-4-5 chord instead of the 2-5 split interval if you want to make it easier to play. It'll sound a little different but it will probably work just fine.
Suggestion: If you are drooling when you try to TB, perhaps you need to get the harp DEEPER into your mouth when you play. It should be so deep that the harp is pressing against the corners of your mouth as you play. If it's not, you are not using sufficiently deep embouchure.
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eharp
607 posts
Apr 04, 2010
3:38 PM
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there you go, lw.
you have identified 2 problems. drooling and octaves.
drooling- hv has given you 1 solution. i would suggest you play with your chin raised a little.
octaves- you could draw the chord or maybe just pick 2 holes for a slow warble. or maybe just make up a simple riff to cover those beats.
myself- i still cant vibrato worth a damn. so in addition to practicing it (even without the harp), i cheat and do a harp shake which is more in/out than side-to-side. in other words-i improvise something. (and i aint using the term in a strict musical sense.)
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Kyzer Sosa
274 posts
Apr 04, 2010
7:43 PM
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Gussow 024 is a grrrrrrreat ditty for an advanced beginner to learn. Everyone who knows me here know I dig it. I dissected the hell out of it, in defiance of tabs, determined to get it down. It covers the spectrum (minus OB's) of all that one should encompass in playing a slow blues of any kind.
I posted a video response to that lesson in late december, which is a simplified version of the same tune. Check it out. I didnt use as many octaves as Adam did, sustained single notes, etc...and well, I dont have the time put in to learn the intricacies Adam possesses. Just hammer it down bit by bit. the end result it just too damned rewarding.
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Kyzer's Travels
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groyster1
9 posts
Apr 05, 2010
5:03 PM
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I really appreciate adams you tube lessons it is up to the individual to pick up as much as possible as the harp is very up close and personal its not the same as getting guitar or piano lessons
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Alexander
6 posts
Apr 06, 2010
6:07 PM
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I also love the front porch blues lesson. I am working on it from time to time. I just pick a part and work it; and when I don't see any progress, I put it to the side and play some other things for a while (some weeks).
Just today I began to be able to play most of the tabed song. Listening to other peoples front porch blues on youtube helped me a lot too. Especially after listening to Kyzers Front Porch Blues today, I was able to play it way better myself - I have no idea why, but it helped me alot (Thanks Kyzer). There are many people playing this on youtube; everybodys version could be helpfull in some way.
I guess it would be helpfull to listen to some recordings in this style of slow harmonica blues to learn to improvise like that. But I don't know any - does anybody here know of some??
Recently Adam mentioned David Baretts book "Improvising Blues harmonica" in one of his videos; I assume it would be helpfull on that topic too.
peace,
Alexander
Last Edited by on Apr 06, 2010 6:15 PM
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