Greetings !! As an Intermediate player looking to get ( better) and proficient at the Harmonica and Being able to play Blues/jazz, what is the Music Theory One needs to learn? Any help on whats the best way to go about it?
Thanks everyone!
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2011 5:47 AM
A good start for the blues is to learn the 2nd position Blues scale – Adam has a lesson on this. And the standard 12 bar i,iv,v progression. Adam also has a lesson on this.
Get some Jam tracks, or some blues songs that use the 12bar progression (probably about 90% of blues music). Play the scale over the progression, get a feel for what works and what doesn't.
Also study Adams lessons on this site, the paid for ones. This will help yo build up a library of licks you can use, get you used to certain breathing patterns and also get you used to hearing what works where.
Listen to lots of blues. Not just harp players, especially singers.
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2011 6:33 AM
Assuming you are intermediate level; I would work on scales, arpeggios, and chord theory. Learn the chord tones and then practice the scales that contain those chord tones.
Hey Michael, im up to lecture 23 now. There are many teachers out on youtube that teach bending, give little bits and pieces of blues riffs , explain the blues scale. but seems so far you have a bigger picture in mind and that is that to give the foundation of music, start from scratch and built your way up. It takes patience. no doubt. Im so fascinated with how music works so this is good.
