“Blue Monk” on the Country-Tuned Harp: It’s All About the Chords
I last recorded Thelonius Monk‘s “Blue Monk” (which Monk originally released in recorded form in 1954) for my solo acoustic CD “The Act of Being Free in One Act” in 1994 as part of a medley that included Jimmy Reed’s “Let it Roll” and “Bright…
Video of the Day 4 September 2014: Brandon Bailey, “People Take My Soul”
What Works at a Jam Session
I jammed with some friends at a party in Driggs, Idaho on Saturday night (August 24). The musicians I played with weren’t spectacular, or even professionally competent in some ways, but it was a really enjoyable jam session. At some points, the combined sound of…
Hohner releases professional quality harmonica service videos aimed at the player
The post below is copied verbatim (with permission) from a message by renowned harmonica player Steve Baker to the Harp-L list. We agree with Steve that it’s important news for harmonica players. His message follows. In an unprecedented step for a major harmonica manufacturer, Hohner…
RP Tip #11: It’s a very good delay and reverb box
Most people who own the Digitech RP250/255/350/355 don’t think of it as a delay and/or reverb device, but the fact is that both the delays and the reverbs in these RPs are really very good, better sounding than many dedicated devices and most amp modelers…
What’s the best embouchure for harmonica?
A novice harmonica player posted this message to the Harp-l list: As a beginner, I pucker for everything, and find tongue blocking to be very difficult. Is it true that the great Chicago blues tone can only come from tongue blocking? I think I read…
A Few Words About Special Tunings
The majority of harmonica players play diatonic harmonicas almost exclusively, and most of those players have never played a harmonica that is not standard-tuned, i.e. tuned to a Richter scale in a major key where the lowest exhale note on the instrument is the root…
Here's How to Fatten a Fender Deluxe for Harp
Members of the Harp-L List regularly ask how they can achieve a “Chicago” style sound when using the PA system as the main amplifier for harmonica. This page offers a few solutions that have been tested and proved to work.
Brendan Power: How to Play Irish Music on the Chromatic Harp
Brendan Power, as visitors to this site know, is a remarkable stylist on both diatonic and chromatic harmonicas, many of which he modifies and retunes to meet the requirements of his traditional and modern repertoire. Power plays a wide range of material — Irish jigs,…
Alternate Tunings? Try Pat Missin's Altered States
Pat Missin is a UK-based harmonica technician and player whose modified and retuned instruments are used by some of the best players in the business. Pat’s incredible research into alternate tunings for diatonic harmonica is documented in his freeware publication Altered States, which to our…
