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Wow - hope you both feel better soon. ❤️ I've had little cough and the sniffles for 11 days now - I really want to feel better because a friend's band is playing Friday night and I don't want to cough over everyone 😞

Hi Jeff, I can try, which parts ? Speaking Singing over the backing Playing over the backing Cheers

Cheers Pete, like most people I don't like the sound of my own singing - but if you can sing a song it REALLY helps in band situations (eg I'll sing a song to give our main singer a break) and at open mic's it's great if you can sing.

Thanks Roger - have fun 😀

Did you mean the Diatonic harmonica Scale degrees and positions.pdf it's from here www.horvience.com/learning/scale-degrees-and-positions/ The position finders are from hotrodharmonicas.myshopify.com/products/instant-harp-position-finder-instant-scale-degree-finder-cards

Oh, it was from my local music store - It's a "classic" I think it's still in print Blues Harp Tony Glover

😀 that's Debi's guitar - "The Beast" A six string resonator custom made around a wooden pie cooler!! And she sounds awesome ❤️ Check out this one, 12 inch open back made for me with Australian timber ;) P.s. I'm only in the music clip that's not me on the song czcams.com/video/o5dnfAd7z6Y/video.htmlsi=bqV-fQGGYml7XLJS

@@MonsoonMal wow totally great! Good video! The sound on Debi's pie cooler guitar punches the bass out like yikes!!!

😀 thank you.

😀 thank you.

@MonsoonMal big man I find am running out of breath when am playing . Am good at improvising would you recommend anything???

Yeah, I tend to think about balancing my breath (not being too empty or full) while I'm vamping. Eg focusing on breathing in "more" to fill my lungs - or focusing on breathing out "more" to empty my lungs. Then I can use the vamp to get more or less air before I start to solo. There is nothing wrong with finishing the phrase and not playing anything while taking a breath in (eg like any other wind instrument or singer) don't feel forced to breathe through the instrument all the time. Hope that helps a bit 😀

@MonsoonMal mate thanks so so much for replying. . I will be trying this ..

😀 this one was just me solo - I'm sitting on a cajon with kick and snare pedals. For backing I'd try a metronome around 80 bpm that has a kick and a snare sound, something like this czcams.com/video/jAyCq94tZj0/video.htmlsi=sHbF1EchB3gyPeD2 Have fun

Thank you Michael. It's interesting how much the price of harmonicas has changed. I tend to remember marine bands being less than $50 in the 80's (AUD) Now they are about $80, but the Marine Band Deluxes that I like are almost$120 now...

Cheers Patrik 😀

Thank you David, glad you liked it 😀

Thanks Roger 😀

Playing just one note can be frustrating to learn. Take your time, take breaks and come back. Eg it's often better to try for a few minutes several times a day vs one long practice session.

Excellent Norm - enjoy 😀

Thank you Jack - enjoy, harmonica is fun

😀 thank you

Sure do, I get lessons every few months (more often when he is not on tour 😀 )

😀

Oh man, I think the clock is slow! czcams.com/video/6M4_Ommfvv0/video.htmlsi=6neyPzNulZZttCNV

@@MonsoonMal LMAO! Them were the days

Thanks Roger 😀

People usually buy a C to start out - most lessons use a C harp. Over time you want to add an A and D, then G - then eventually all the keys.

@@MonsoonMal Roger that my mate . 👍

Or having to play the "house kit" lol Harmonica is certainly portable - have fun 😀

Thanks Johan 😀

Cheers Michael, I find I'll either slightly slow down or speed up without some sort of drummer helping me 😀

Thanks Rita 😀

Cheers Patrik

❤️ thanks Norm. In a couple of weeks I'll do this rhythm again and start to add in some solos using the blues scale. Have fun 😀

Thanks Mal I’ll be certainly waiting for that lesson 🎼🎼🎼warmest regards Norm

😀 thanks

Thanks Ed 😀 I would be interested to know what key harmonica you would use to play with the backing track I used. czcams.com/video/NAAT3FIHEBs/video.htmlsi=fDt0fOhoZ4fjo1l3 While I started learning theory in the late 80's I only really applied it to harp once I started learning from Jason in 2016 - before that I would play by ear, with a chart to tell me what key harp to use for the key of the song.

@@MonsoonMal Mal I would play a b flat. I would pick this by either sampling a 2 Draw sound or .................using the chart which I have done since i started maybe 5 or 6 years ago. I can usually figure out the key to play on most of the stuff I would listen to. I stated the theory stuff a few months back by enrolling in an on-line course. It has been very difficult to follow the course matter once the positions came in. I really think it is the vocabulary the instructors use is easy for them and foreign to me. They slip into and out of the language so easily but it throws me for a loss. Going from positions, to scale structure, to flat this flat that, to chords etc. Might just be an age thing (70 years old) LOL. Thanks again for your help. Your genuine spirit of loving to play comes through load and lear.

Thank you Ed :) Theory can be really confusing, It's not an age thing. With that backing track I linked, play along on your Bb harp You are playing in the key of C (C minor but let's just say key of C for now) The hole numbers that have notes included in the C blues scale are 1 2'' 3B 3''' 3'' 4B 4 5 6B 6' 6 7B 8 9 9B 10 10B Scale starts on 1draw 4 draw and 8 draw Now with that same backing track, play along on your F harp You are still playing in the key of C The hole numbers that have notes included in the C blues scale are 1B 1' 1 2'' 2 3' 4B 4' 4 5 6B 7B 8 9 10B Scale starts on 2 draw 6 blow You are always playing notes from the C blues scale Notes C Eb F Gb G Bb C But those notes are in different places (positions) on your Bb harp and F harp (this is more noticeable when you do it, rather than just read about it) So for harmonica playing a Bb harp in the key of C can also be called playing in 3rd position playing a F harp in key of C can also be called playing in 2nd position Depending on what key harmonica you use, and what position you play it in to play a C blues scale, some notes will be easier to play, some harder, and some notes will even be missing.

@@MonsoonMal Mal great explanation. I tried with both key harps. I can hear the difference and as long as I have position chart that tells me the key, I am fine. Question I have comes in your last sentence. "So for harmonica playing bf in C can be called 3rd position". How do you know it is third position without a "position chart"? This is where the confusion comes. Say I am listening to a Jason Ricci lesson and he says we are playing a Bf harp in third position. I don't know what the heck that means. All the instructors do this and it confuses the heck out of me. I am sure I am not alone. Does that sound familiar?

Hi Ed, I’m glad playing 2 harps with one backing track was helpful. I’m going to change your question slightly. “We are playing a Bb harp in 4th position” I don’t know how to do that either - I have to look up a chart like the one I linked in the video, it has all 12 possible positions that you can play on harmonica, with that chart I can find out what notes are on which holes, and what key the harp plays in. “We are playing a Bb harp in 3rd position” This I know because I have memorised where the blues scale is in 3rd position Eg holes 4 5 6B 6' 6 7B 8 And I memorised that a Bb harp in 3rd position plays in C minor Most harp players end up memorising the positions they usually use, and where the scale starts in those positions (eg for me 2nd position starts on 2 draw, 3rd position 4 draw or 1 draw) They often also memorise what key the harp plays in those position, but we usually also keep a chart in our harp cases for quick reference (like those circles I show in the video, they are “circles of fifths” ) What key the harp plays in also becomes quick to work out depending on how much music theory people know. Eg 3rd position = 2 semitones up from the key of the harp, so a Bb plays in C (Bb B C) 2nd position = the 5th of the key of the harp (that “circle of fifths” music theory) or 7 semitones up Bb harp plays in F (Bb B C Db D Eb E F) Which brings me back to numbers - all they are is replacing note names with numbers Lets use a C major scale Instead of the notes C D E F G A B Replace the notes with numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The 5th of a major scale - is note number 5 = G A flat 3rd is the 3rd note of the major scale flattened So the blues scale in C 1 b3 4 b4 5 b7 = C Eb F Gb G Bb If we change to F sharp blues scale F# A B C C# E in numbers that is still 1 b3 4 b4 5 b7 Why do this? Once you can play a scale on one harmonica eg lets say a blues scale 3rd position - you can play in all 12 keys just by selecting the correct key harmonica and playing in 3rd position. The position of the notes you want to play is the same on every harp - even though the letter names of the notes are different for every key.

It's all good, I like this sort of stuff :) I'm not using exactly the same scale in all positions here. At 1.30 I start with the major scale in 1st position 4B 4 5B 5 6B 6 7 7B , mostly to show how hole 7 draw sound a bit "off" Then for 1st position I'm mostly playing. 4B 3' 2 2' 2B 1B (sort of a C dominant 7th scale, because minor pentatonic or a blues scale is really only possible on the high end of the harp in 1st position) You probably don't want to know this part yet but playing a 12 bar blues in C on a C harp I play in 1st position for the C chord, 12th position for the F chord and 2nd position for the G chord. 2nd position is C minor pentatonic scale (on an F harp) 2 3' 4B 4 5 6B 3rd position is C minor pentatonic (on a Bb) 4 5 6B 6 7B 8 BUT a 10 minute video like this can't explain how to do all of that (I have several videos on positions and there are heaps of others by lots of great teachers) The link in the description also has where the notes are on the harp for every position. Here I was mostly trying to show using 3 different key harps to play in the same key (C) as you mentioned playing by ear. Hear how the 3 harps sound very similar and can basically play the same thing - but some sounds are easy or unavailable depending on what position I'm playing. If you have a F and Bb harp as well as a C harp, try playing them over a C 12 bar blues backing track.

Hi Ed 😀 12 bar blues in key of C - the backing track is the same, always in the key of C. So you can play in the key of C with 3 different harmonicas, C harmonica, F harmonica and Bb harmonica - or more if you know more positions, I just use 1st 2nd and 3rd here.

I'll ask Jason what he used 😀 He is currently on tour, so I'll wait till he is not so busy. But the relative minor/major is very interesting because I used that a lot on saxophone, was easy as same scale just different root notes, modes were good like that too. But on harp for me personally I don't play 4th position, key of A on a C harp, because (while I love jazz) I don't want to accidently play a #5/b6 I do not like the sound of me playing that. Especially as I really focus on blues (different story in a non blues song) Eg here I played with 3 harps using the same backing track, that used dominant 7th chords. So C harp 1st position major sounded a bit weird due to the natural 7. 2nd position perfect b7 b3 if you want it. 3rd is usually for Cminor , but against that dominate 7th backing I just avoid the minor chord (456D) use octaves instead(14D) and minor pentatonic sounds great over major chords, mose sow with a dominant 7th.

​@@MonsoonMalWooow you played sax, i wanna learn it one day too, i just love the sound of it. However, I love that b6 note in blues, i dug some aeolian stuff recently mb that is why Yeah, ask Jason about that Rocker thing please, i am convinced he used D harp in 2th position so playing Am relative to C major

Hopefully this one explained a bit more 😀 eg how a C harp can also play in the key of F and D.

I agree, best scale charts I've ever found online.

Thanks Wayne 😀

Enjoy the tour J ❤️ Will catch up when you are back home.

You are correct a C harp in 2nd position is playing in the key of G. I am changing to different harmonicas to play in the key of C. An F harp to play in C (2nd position) And a Bb harp to play in C (3rd position) For a C harmonica 2nd position plays key of G 3rd position plays key of D 4th position plays key of A 5th position playes key of E ... 12th position playes key of F

Yes yes yes of course. Said I’m easily confused! Still shows I know something anyway. Like you and all the other great teachers say…. One of the best things to do is Listen!!!! Cheers again

Thank you Michael 😀

Hey Ed, positions ARE confusing. I love this question, thank you. I think will do a video on this. I feel it's a harmonica specific problem as most instruments are chromatic (eg all the keys on a piano) vs diatonic (eg just the white keys on piano = diatonic = an instrument tuned to play a scale, usually major scale, like most harmonicas) So other musicians don't really understand harmonica positions. And music theory evolved to explain 18th century European music ie. Classical music - so it doesn't explain harmonica positions very well either. Let's see if I can make a video that helps 😀

@@MonsoonMal Mal if you figure out a way to teach this in layman's term it would be amazing. I have watched and read countless versions and I still do not get it. I am not a beginner but I can only play be ear.

Thanks again for the question czcams.com/video/2LIwjSSgU7Y/video.htmlfeature=shared

Hi Ed. C harmonica. I try to only use C harps for my lessons. Have fun 😀

It's the best day 😀

Thanks mate 😀

Thanks Chris 😀

Thanks Norm. I'm just so happy I've been able to help people enjoy harmonica - the lessons will continue for sure :) Thank you for your support 😀

Cheers Robert - hope you are doing well

:) thanks Ian

Thanks you Johan 😀

I love the vamping stuff you do! The rithem and swing in it.

Thank you :) I probably should have done a blow bend on hole 10 to get the full scale - but I don't practice them that often 😱 so I didn't want to mess it up !

@@MonsoonMal I’m with ya! Great job though. You’re a great harmonica player. I enjoy your videos! Thanks!!

@@MonsoonMal I like the shirt you have on sometimes too! ‘My retirement plan’ Haha! I like that!!

It's true too!I just want to travel along the coast playing blues at local bars etc. Did that last couple of years, it's awesome fun - only problem is I'm only 50 and can't retire yet 😞

😀 thank you.