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December 2010 Newsletter
Leader in Blues Harmonica Education
WHAT'S NEW!
UK/Germany Tour Thanks to all
of the players, organizers, sponsors
and students I met and worked
with on this year’s trip to
Europe. In England thanks to
Roger Trobridge and the rest of
the NHL (National Harmonica League)
team, Brendan and Laura Power,
Mick Kinsella, Lee Sankey, Ben
Hewlett, Ricky Cool, Alan Glen
and the Barcodes, Rachelle Plas,
Jon Vaughan, Oliviar Ker Ourio,
Frank Semus, and everyone else
I met on this wonderful trip
to the UK. In Germany thanks
to Steve Baker, the Town of
Trossingen (Frank, Wolfgang and
Annette), Hohner Harmonicas, Michael
Timer, Klaus Stetter, Joe Filisko,
Robert Koch, Olivier Ker Ourio,
Eric Noden, Gaz, Christian
Rannenberg, Steve Mushrush, Frank
Dappa, and all the others I
met on this trip to Trossingen.
See you next year! Mark
Hummel’s Blues Harmonica Blowouts For
those on the West Coast, or
for those who may want to
fly out for a memorable
weekend, Mark Hummel’s Blues
Harmonica Blowouts are back in
town January of next year. Artists
for this year are: Rod
Piazza, Sugar Blue, Billy Branch,
Carlos Del Junco and Mark
Hummel. For more information and
to check which artists will be
at each venue visit:
http://markhummel.com/calendar.html
Harmonica Repairs by Sissi Jones
Here’s a note from harmonica
repairwoman Sissi Jones, “I wanted
you all to know that I am
retiring from Hohner November 18th,
2010. This ends 34 years with
Hohner, which began in 1977 in
New York when Mr. Frank Hohner
asked me to join the
company. Working from the Richmond,
VA office for 28 years,
Customer Service has always been
my number one priority. I
have really enjoyed interfacing with
the many fabulous musicians and
keeping their instruments in top
condition. Having recently remarried,
I will be leaving Hohner
to relocate with my husband in
Leonardtown, Maryland. Hohner has
been my extended family all these
years, and I am blessed to
have had the opportunity to
work there. Now, I begin a
new endeavor as the owner of
HarmoniCare, where I will continue
to provide service and care to
my customers. For details and
information, please contact me.
[email protected] / Phone:
301-‐475-‐5522.” Good luck Sissi!
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BLUESHARMONICA.COM - WHAT'S NEW!
King/Queen of the Chug!
Entries for the competition are
now in and are being judged
as you read this newsletter by
Joe Filisko, Peter “Madcat” Ruth,
Tom Ball and me. Visit
http://www.bluesharmonica.com/share/king-‐of-‐the-‐chug
to listen to the entries. Below
are the prizes for the
competition. -‐ 1st Place:
One-‐of-‐a-‐kind T-‐Shirt for the
winner that says “King/Queen of
the Chug”; set of 7 Hohner
Marine Band Deluxe Harmonicas in
matching case; signed certificate by
judges
-‐ 2nd Place: Set of 7
Hohner Big River Harmonicas in
matching case; signed certificate by
judges
-‐ 3rd Place: Hohner harmonica
case and History of the Blues
Harmonica Concert 2xCD Set; signed
certificate by judges
Performance Training
Join me and a group of the
most experienced harmonica-‐backing blues
musicians on the planet for a
lesson on Grooves. Our band
for this lesson is Rusty
Zinn (guitar), RW Grigsby (bass)
and Marty Dodson (drums). In this
study we cover all the
common grooves played in blues:
Shuffle, Double Shuffle, T-‐Bone
Shuffle, Jimmy Reed Shuffle, Backwards
Shuffle, Chicago Shuffle, Floater
(Shuffle), Box (Shuffle), Lump
(Shuffle), Flat Tire, Swing, Two
Beat, Mojo Beat (Two Beat),
Train Beat (Two Beat), Rock
Beat,
Funk, Tramp, Slow Blues, Rhumba,
Modal, and more! Understanding the
names of grooves and how to
explain each instrument's role is
paramount in being a good
bandleader, accompanist and song
writer. New Contributor
Videos Beginning student Joe
Tartaglia continues his lessons with
me and performs his first
song on the bandstand at a
student concert. Contributor Aki
Kumar’s latest submission shows
behind-‐the-‐scenes performance footage of
the San Jose Harmonica Masterclass
Workshop. Bay Area blues harmonica
legend Gary Smith shares the
technique of “procession of notes”
and “masking the harp.” International
touring artist Mark Hummel shows
how to build a set list
and how to find other
like-‐minded musicians to play with.
Bill Bucko Interview,
Hohner Diatonic Service Tech Join
me for an informative interview
with Bill Bucko, the diatonic
harmonica service technician for
Hohner Harmonicas. In this interview
we cover what a normal day
at the Hohner Service Center
looks like, common repairs and
how to care for your diatonic
harmonicas. Interview with
Harp Mic Tech Dennis Oellig
Join me for an interview with
harp mic repairman and customizer
Dennis Oellig. This lesson is
not up as of yet... coming
soon! Harp Tech Studies
with The HarpSmith Kinya Pollard
I’m proud to announce a new
series for the website on
harp tech studies with leading
harmonica tech author Kinya Pollard,
aka the HarpSmith. This series
starts off with the differences
between harmonica models and all
of the cool material options
(combs, cover plates, etc.)
available to those who want to
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customize their harmonicas. The series
will then go into maintenance,
tuning, gapping, reed replacement,
and much more over time. This
lesson is not up as of
yet... coming soon!
Jimi Lee Interview
Jimi Lee grew up in the
San Francisco Bay area. After
relocating to Hawaii, he spent
12 years captivating audiences from
around the world and was voted
Best In the State by the
Hawaiian Blues Society. He now
resides in Austin, Texas where
the Austin Blues Society awarded
him First Place in the Solo/Duo
category at the Heart O’
Texas Blues Challenge 2008, and
was first to represent Austin at
the Blues Foundation International
Blues Challenge 2009 in Memphis.
Jimi Lee won in Austin
again this year and made
Austinites proud when he won the
2010 International Blues Challenge
Semi-‐Finals in Memphis. He competed
at the Finals as one of
the top eight Solo/Duo acts
in the world. Jimi was
awarded
First Place in Blues in 2008
by the Austin Songwriters Group
for his song “Pocket Full
of Soul.” This followed his 2006
win with “Laundromat” and his
2005 win with “Where Are You
Tonight.” The 2005 contest was
held by Austin Songwriter Group
and Nashville Songwriters Association
International. He went on to win
even more that year with a
First Place in the Pop category
for “I Wanna Kiss You So
Bad”, and Third Place in Blues
Rock with “Cheap Thrills”. The
Austin Chapter of the Harmonica
Organization of Texas declared Jimi
Lee “one of the best in
the world” at playing harmonica
in the rack and guitar
simultaneously.” The 2008 spring
issue of Harmonica Happenings magazine
featured Jimi in an article
entitled “Rack ‘Em Up! Playing
Harp In A Neck Rack: A
Q&A With Jimi Lee.” “Jimi
is part of the tradition”, say
the organizers of the SPAH
(Society for the Preservation
and Advancement of the Harmonica)
convention, where he has performed
every year since his first
appearance in 2003. He travels
the country as harmonica and
guitar clinician; and shares
endorsements for Seydel Harmonicas
with James Cotton, Charlie
Musselwhite and Mark Hummel. Over
the years, Jimi has ignited
stages alongside giants such as
Muddy Waters, Bobby Blue Bland,
John Lee Hooker, Willie Nelson,
Clarence Clemons, Stephen Stills,
Coco Montoya, Pinetop Perkins,
Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Kim
Wilson, Mark Hummel, Jason Ricci,
and Chicago’s “shuffle master”
Sam Lay. Jimi is well known
for his stellar guitar, vocals
and rack harmonica playing. Be
sure not to miss my discussions
with him on rack-‐playing and
music theory. The interview was
recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota
August of 2010. This lesson
is not up as of yet...
coming soon! Complete Lesson
List Visit
www.bluesharmonica.com/lesson-‐list.com for a
complete listing of lessons on
the website... there are now
over 1,300 lesson videos!
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MONTHLY INTERNET FIND Live
at Steve Baker’s Harmonica Masters
Workshops 2010 Below is my set
from the Saturday evening concert.
Thanks to Eddy Vanschepdael for
shooting this footage. “Blow!
Blow! Blow!” is a swing in
F played on the B-‐flat
Harmonica in 2nd Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4LQdYS5lo8
"Highway 59" is a funky minor
tune in A played on the G
Harmonica in 3rd Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-‐0Jgw478W4
"Left Overs" is in C and
played on the Low-‐F Harmonica
in 2nd Position to start and
then goes to 3rd Position on
the B-‐flat Harmonica.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-‐buAX5XNhKg
"The Tub" is in G and played
on the G Harmonica in 1st
Position to start and then goes
to 2nd Position on the C
Harmonica at 2:45.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxHiJTRl3wg
"Dimples" is in Fm and is
played on the B-‐flat Harmonica
in 2nd Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhhnMWEEhiQ
"I Love You More Everyday" is
in D and is played on the
G Harmonica in 2nd Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwfoRcavEDU
"Feelin' for the Blues" is in
A and is played on the G
Harmonica in 3rd Position, D
Harmonica in 2nd Position and A
Harmonica in 1st Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnTUu6fhKw
"Unchain My Heart" is in Am
and is played on the G
Harmonica in 3rd Position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBimv4Uzy-‐c
“Butter Strut” is in G and
is played on the C Harmonica
in 2nd Position
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QXCJFbBK7o
“Matchstick” is in E and is
played on the A Harmonica in
2nd Position
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDr9wLIcDD0
Amanda’s Roller Coaster An
amazing musical event happened in
October at Bob Corritore’s Rhythm
Room in Phoenix, Arizona called
“Amanda’s Roller Coaster.” The
Who’s-‐Who of the harmonica and
blues world was there and there’s
tons of video footage of
it! Search “Amanda’s Roller Coaster”
on YouTube or click on
this link:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Amanda’s+Roller+Coaster&aq=f
HarmonicaSessions.com Reminder
Check out the current free
articles by Kinya Pollard, Winslow
Yerxa, Fritz Hasenpusch and me
at http://www.harmonicasessions.com/
Blues Revue Magazine
Reminder Check out my current
article “Right on the Number”
in Blues Revue Magazine.
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TRANSCRIPTION OF THE MONTH This
month we’ll look at Big Walter
Horton’s 1953 recording of “Easy.”
The transcription is at the end
of this newsletter. General
Comments
This song is famous for
multiple reasons. The song is
an instrumental version of Ivory
Joe Hunter’s popular 1949 tune
“When I Lost My Baby I
Almost Lost My Mind.” This is
a great example of Horton’s use
of a popular song of the
day for writing an instrumental
(an idea to be repeated
throughout his career). Note the
great use of repetition within
the song. The first three
choruses are the same, with
slight variation. He deviates in
the fourth chorus and returns
back to the melody for the
fifth chorus. This is a very
melodic song and Big Walter’s
great use of textures makes it
a blues masterpiece.
His throat tremolo plays a
very important role in the
intense presentation of the song.
The throat tremolo is where you
use the vocal chords in a
light coughing fashion to create
rhythmic variations in volume. (A
vibrato is where the pitch
fluctuates—he’s not using a vibrato.)
Most players (including myself)
use a slower throat tremolo than
Horton is using here. Work on
speeding up your tremolo to
match his intense sound (it
will take time) if that's what
you're looking for. 1st Chorus
- ABC Chorus Form This first
chorus presents the main melody.
There’s nothing difficult here
except for mimicking his tremolo.
Take extra time working on the
turnaround (measures 11 through 12).
Each turnaround will be slightly
different, making them easy to
mix up when performing. For
advanced players, focus on matching
his tone and presentation… this
is not an easy task! 2nd
Chorus - ABC Chorus Form Note
the use of half step bend
pickups for variation. Note that
on the third measure we’re
playing a shake for the 3
draw/4 draw instead of a
chord. Drop your volume quickly
enough to prepare for the
triplet pickup to the IV7 Chord.
Note the new turnaround (this
is an often-‐used turnaround and
is worthwhile memorizing). 3rd
Chorus - ABC Chorus Form We
now present the main theme
with shakes. You can omit the
triplet going into measure three
if you find it hard to
play among the shakes (most
newer students do). On the
second beat of measure three he
plays a 5 blow instead of
a 5 blow shake. You may
wish to play that as a
shake as well to keep the
shakes going (this will be
easier and smoother than what
he plays). Note the rhythm at
the turnaround. 4th Chorus -
A B/A1 C Chorus Form This
is where Walter starts kickin’
some butt. Bending control and
good tone are the key thoughts
here. Focus on making your
bends sound strong without an
airy quality. If your bends
sound airy you’ll need to
experiment to find the best
position of the tongue. Note
the quartertones used in the
third measure on the 3 draw.
Don’t bend the 3 draw down
too much. But note that the
3 draw is at the half
step bend (not the quartertone)
on measure six. On the IV7
Chord we’ll usually play the 3
draw bent exactly to the half
step; whereas on the I7 Chord
we bend it only down a
quartertone. When you get back
to the I7 chord in measure
seven go back to using
the 3 draw quartertone. Measure
nine brings the chorus back to
the repetitive melody. 5th
Chorus - ABC Chorus Form
You’ll now play the melody in
shakes for the first eight
measures. Note the interesting choice
of notes in the shake for
the second line (measures five
through eight). Usually the bottom
note caries the melody in
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the shake... in this section it
switches to the top note to
keep the shake line from
becoming too dissonant with the
use of the 7+ in the
shake. Note the missing
2 at the end of measure
ten; this is a nice rhythmic
change to set up the ending
lick. Final Comments This
deceptively simple song is a
real winner at jams for its
focused melody. You can stretch
out and improvise more in the
body of the song if you
wish. What to Tell the
Band Key: F Groove: Shuffle
Start: From the I (One Chord)
Special Note: This song is
commonly played in two ways… 1)
Bass or guitar playing the bass
line only, and drummer using
brushes to play the snare on
the beat and hi-‐hat on the
backbeat (beats two and four).
2) Full band, but have them
play very mellow. RECOMMENDED
LISTENING With Mark Hummel’s Blues
Harmonica Blowouts right around the
corner I wanted to highlight
some of the best live
recordings on the market... ones
right from the blowouts themselves.
Below are the four 2xCDs sets
from these shows. Blues
Harp Meltdown Volume 1 (2cds)
Disk 1 -‐ 1. You Messed
Up -‐ RJ Mischo 2. Sleepin'
In The Ground -‐ RJ Mischo
3. Gary Smith Intro -‐ Mark
Hummel 4. You're So Fine -‐
Gary Smith 5. Gary Smith
Comments -‐ Gary Smith 6.
Elevate Me Mama -‐ Gary Smith
7. Minor Mambo Intro -‐ Gary
Smith 8. Minor Mambo -‐ Gary
Smith 9. Mark Hummel Intro 10.
They Don't Want Me To Rock
-‐ Mark Hummel 11. Can't Judge
Nobody -‐ Mark Hummel 12.
Humblebug -‐ Mark Hummel / Disk
2 -‐ 1. Billy Branch Intro
-‐ Mark Hummel 2. Billy's
Boogie 3. Eyesight To The Blind
-‐ Billy Branch 4. Blues
Keep Following Me Around -‐ Billy
Branch 5. James Harman Intro
-‐ Mark Hummel 6. Helsinki
Laundromat Blues -‐ James Harman
7. Harman's Comments 8. Back
Door Rhumba -‐ James Harman 9.
Rick Estrin Intro -‐ Mark
Hummel 10. Rick Estrin's Comments
11. Your Gonna Need My Help
-‐ Rick Estrin 12. Estrin's
Rap 13. Work With Me -‐
Rick Estrin 14. Kim Wilson
Intro -‐ Mark Hummel 15. Don't
Lose Your Eye -‐ Kim Wilson
16. Just A Dream -‐ Kim
Wilson
http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=3125
Blues Harp Meltdown Volume
2 (2cds) -‐ EAST MEETS
WEST Disc 1 -‐ 1. Telephone
Blues (R.J. Mischo) 2. Moe's
Blues (R.J. Mischo) [Inst.] 3.
You Can't Hurt Me No More
(Gary Smith) 4. Story Telling
Woman (Gary Smith) 5. It
Ain't Right (Gary Smith) 6.
Intro. 7. All These Blues (Paris
Slim) 8. Intro. 9. Seven
Nights To Rock (Mark Hummel)
10. I'm Gone (Mark Hummel)
11. Love Shock (Mark Hummel)
12. Nothing But The Devil
(Annie Raines) / Disc 2
-‐ 1. Intro. 2. Even Good
Women Have Bad Days (Annie
Raines) 3. Little Dog (Annie
Raines) 4. Annie's Rocker [Inst.]
(Annie Raines) 5. Intro. 6.
Everything's Gonna Be All Right
(Johnny Dyer) 7. Mojo Boogie
(Johnny Dyer) 8. Long Distance
Call (Johnny Dyer) 9. Blow Wind
Blow (Mark Hummel) 10. Intro.
11. Real Gone Lover (Gary
Primich) 12. Can't Stand You
When You're Drinking (Gary Primich)
13. Playgirl (Gary Primich) 14.
Intro. 15. Ain't She Trouble
(Gary Primich) 16. Goodye 17.
Goodbye Little Girl (Gary Primich)
http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=372
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Blues Harp Meltdown Volume 3
(2cds) Disc 1 -‐ 1. Mark
Hummel Introduction 2. Mark Hummel
Where Y'at 3. Mark Hummel City
Livin' 4. Mark Hummel My Kind
Of Baby 5. Mark Hummel
Rollercoaster 6. Steve Freund My
Little Playhouse 7. Steve Freund
Done You Wrong 8. Willie "Big
Eyes" Smith Hoodoo Man Blues 9.
Cephas & Wiggins Piedmont Blues
Jam 10. Cephas & Wiggins
Big Boss Man 11. Cephas &
Wiggins Going To The River 12.
Cephas & Wigginss Walkin' Blues
13. Cephas & Wiggins Broke
And Hungry / Disc 2 -‐
14. Mark Hummel Introduction 15.
Carey Bell Dirty Shame 16.
Carey Bell It Ain't Right 17.
Carey Bell I Shudda Did 18.
Carey Bell When I Get Drunk
19. Carey Bell I'm Ready 20.
Carey Bell Too Bad, Too Bad
21. Carey Bell One Day 22.
Lazy Lester Instrumental Alley Rock
23. Lazy Lester Blues Stop
Knocking 24. Lazy Lester Bloodstains
On The Wall 25. Lazy Lester
Nothing In This World 26. Lazy
Lester Raining In My Heart 27.
Lazy Lester Jambalaya 28. Lazy
Lester Sugar Coated Love 29.
Mark Hummel Hummel's Sign Off
http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=11906
Mark Hummel's Blues Harmonica
Blowouts -‐ (2CDS) 1993-‐2007
(Previously unreleased tracks) Disc 1
-‐ 1. Harpo-‐Ventilating -‐ Mark
Hummel 2. In A Sentimental
Mood -‐ Lee Oskar 3.
Pontiac Blues -‐ Magic Dick
4.You're Sweet -‐ Johnny Dyer
5. Lonesome Bedroom
Blues -‐ William Clarke
6. Blues And Trouble -‐ Paul
DeLay 7. I Got To
Go -‐ Carey Bell 8.
Extra Napkins -‐ James Harman
9. I Done Quit Getting
Sloppy Drunk -‐ Sam Myers
10.Stretch My Money -‐ William
Clarke / Disc 2 -‐ 11.
Gettin' Out Of Town -‐ Rick
Estrin 12. Sugar Gal
-‐ Billy Boy Arnold 13.
Can't Stand Your Evil Ways -‐
Paul deLay 14. Sugar
Coated Love -‐ Lazy Lester
15. Mean Old Frisco -‐
Paul DeLay 16. Hard
Hearted Woman -‐ Mark Hummel
17. High Temperature -‐ Magic
Dick 18. Sweet Home
Chicago -‐ Sam Myers
19. Lee's Blues -‐ Lee Oskar
20. Chrome Jumpin' -‐
William Clarke 21. Summertime
-‐ Mark Hummel
http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=15933
A final quick note that
Lynwood Slim just released a
new CD with the Igor Prado
Band called “Brazilian Kicks!!” on
Deltagroove
http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/product_info.php?products_id=18039
More to come in future
issues… Best Regards, David
Barrett The Future of Blues
Harmonica Education IS HERE!
www.BluesHarmonica.com President,
Harmonica Masterclass Co.
www.harmonicamasterclass.com Founder/Director,
School of the Blues
www.schooloftheBlues.com Author, Mel
Bay Publications & Blues Revue
Magazine www.harmonicamasterclass.com/books.htm
& www.Bluesrevue.com
-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Thanks to Diane
Smith for proofreading! -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐
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