I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all keys. Although solotuned instruments are not well suited for blues. But first lets look at what notes are available on the c harmonica. The scale below is what i like to call the master scale. Though one such hohner richter model is indeed called the blues harp, the original blues harmonica was the marine band 1896 classic, which is still manufactured today much as it was over 100 years ago and remains the instrument of choice for an enormous number of blues harmonica players worldwide. These play along harmonica lessons for developing or intermediate harp players are inspired by some of the best harmonica players we know. Figure 5 chromatic scale musicians tend to like to use the visual reference of the piano for this same information.
If youre practicing the blues scale, then choose a bluesy jam track, or even better, a minor jam track, this way if you accidentally step outside of the blues scale, or play a bent note out of tune like the 3, youll know it right away. This is the most popular minor key on a charmonica. I would like to prepare a lesson where i explain what context to use these different scales. Their construc tion enables playing techniques known as bending and overbending, which expand the range of available notes and create the legendary and unique sound. How to play a basic harmonica blues scale harmonica. An example of a chromatic blues harmonica piece is blues in the dark played by the legendary georg harmonica smith. Blues scale in 12 positions the notes below are for a harp in the key of c, but the tab holds for any key harmonica e. Chromatic harmonica scales guitar lessons for beginners. Understand, however, that you can perform any song in any key by simply using a differentkeyed harmonica. Depending on the region of the world, diatonic harmonica may mean either the tremolo harmonica in east asia or blues harp in europe and north. Below are the 12 minor pentatonic scales presented as chromatic harmonica tabs. Shure 520dx dynamic cable harmonica microphone mic harp.
This video shot in 2015, is an unedited take playing an improvised blues and country based jam and having a bunch of fun. But looking at later books like rock and improvising the cross harp scale is no longer mentioned. Instead the more classic major pentatonic 1,2,3 5,6 scale is more commonly referred to in addition to the minor pentatonic and the blues scale. I have collected a bunch of the blues songs that are popular at the blues jams that i go to. Reference material for the first time in blues harmonica history there is an abundance of lesson material available to study. Because blues is a simple, consistant form of music, it is a great place to begin your improv regardless of which musical styles you to play. These licks are to be played with a harmonica in the key of c. Harmonica, classical harmonica, hymns on harmonica, spirituals harmonica, chicago blues harmonica, country blues harmonica and whatever else the cat drags in. For additional charts, information on positions, and harmonica theory, visit the members area theory section.
This page shows how the blues scale can be played in three different keys on a single harmonica. Scale charts 6 minute read here is the definitive list of all the main scales that can be played in each of the first five positions. Blues riffs a riff is a slang term for a short musical phrase that is usually repeated or repeatable. With the technique of bending, a very bluesysounding scale, called the blues scale, is possible. Bare numbers represent blowing into the hole of the same number, bracketed numbers represent drawing sucking on a hole of the same number. Blues harmonica improv, what about other styles of music. The 20 notes of the diatonic harmonica cover a range of three octaves. The previous issue outlined ideas for practice, and introduced an exercise based on the major scale. Harmonica basics xiii harmonica lesson blues scale 1 octave in 2nd pos. Adobe flash player is required to watch this video. Free sheet music for harmonica diatonic download pdf. Oct 16, 2010 blues scale practice for diatonic harmonica warm up by trying the following with bends if possible.
Please find below downloadable scale degrees and position diagrams for diatonic harmonicas using natural bends. On this page youll find blues scale guitar tab, patterns and notation that will allow you to play blues scales all over the guitar neck. This time we look at the blues scale, and how it can enrich you. Why not try starting with the minor pentatonic scales. The blues scale is based on the ichord and the minor pentatonic scale connected to that chord. Guitar man demonstrates how to play a basic harmonica blues scale and how to bend a note on a harmonica. What to learn to play the chromatic harmonica in every key.
This dvd is a workshop on techniques wh ile my other dvds support you in jamming once youve learned. Sep 06, 2017 the blues scale is a foundational element of blues harmonica playing. Fun blues harmonica jam here are dave gages sons, brody and alex, now called the brothers gage, back when they were 10 and 12 year old kids. The minor pentatonic is used in a bunch of different genres but if we add one extra note it will become particularly wellsuited to blues music. Scales with a minor character built into a charmonica are. It is still used today by many blues, folk and country music players. The harmonica and irish traditional music by don meade. This allows you to play minor chords easily without straining the lips, the lungs or the mind. The blues is not often thought of as a complex musical form, and its trueit does not have to be. The extra note is the 4 draw bend also known as the the flat five. The notes of the scale can be reordered to create solos in the blues without regard to chord changes.
The story of the harmonica began with the chinese emperor nynkwya, who invented a freereed instrument called the sheng sublime voice in 3000 b. The second position blues scale is 2d 3d 4b 4d 4d 5d 6b. Harmonica, key of c 10 hole 20 tone blues diatonic harmonica deluxe mouth organ with case, user manual and. Pentatonic scales are killer scales to play over blues.
So, each of the three phrases will typically consist of a sung phrase the call lasting about 2 bars, followed by a short. A bar of music also called a measure of music is an agreedupon number of beats that will define the rhythmic feel of a song. Sourcebook of little walterbig walter licks for blues harmonica harmonica. To view and print adobe acrobat pdf format documents, you need the free. The blues scale is a foundational element of blues harmonica playing. The scale used on a diatonic harmonica can start on any one of the twelve notes used in western music. Gussows classic blues harmonica videos 520,984 views.
Blues harp players 101 the ben hewlett harmonica course arranged and transcribed by paul lennon l. Use the chart to find out whether the note is played by blowing or drawingdair. Try playing the two scales and listen for the difference. Read on for a complete blues scale guitar lesson what youll learn. It gives a safe path to a bluesy sound over the 12bar blues. A c harmonica can be played in the key of c in what is called first position and in the key of g in what is called 2d position. Reference material for the first time in blues harmonica. I suggest you print these out on a4 paper, and fold. This early instrument is considered the forerunner of the modern harmonica. This is just a series of seven notes which help the harmonica sound bluesy, so playing this scale.
However, you can play songs in all the keys on just a c harmonica. Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master. Fasttrack harmonica book pdf free download as pdf file. Blues harmonica for beginners even if you cant bend. On a c major chromatic harmonica it sounds like this. This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Each hole can play two different notes, depending on whether you are exhaling blowing or inhaling drawing. The scale on the g harmonica is an octave lower than the one on the c harmonica. Fasttrack harmonica book pdf harmonica blues scribd. Pentatonic scales are fivenote scales that sound good over just about any kind of music. For the major pentatonic scale use a jam track with a light feel, like a rhumba or swing. To see the blues chord progressions with their relevant blues scales.
Achieve greater fluency on the blues harmonica, with awardwinning mat walklate using the c diatonic harmonica, mat covers topics like note bending, solo development, vibrato and playing in alternative positions to create great sounding solos over the 12 bar form. Jp allen gives a harmonica lesson on the basic blues scale. Many highly advanced blues guitarists make use of not one single scale, but combine many different scales. If you cant yet manage bends, then just play 2d 4b 4d 5d 6b. This is because it is a major third, whereas the blues scale has a flat third. Harmonica publications blues harp, diatonic, chromatic. We call this section basic blues harmonica improv, but the information here applies to most types of popular music you would like to jam to. In fact there are so many other scales that we can use to solo over a blues progression, that it would be a pitty to only use one scale all of the time. It is so fundamental that many professional players continue to practice it daily.
The key of the harmonica is usually stamped on the metal or painted on the wood someplace. If you blow out exhale on any three holes of the harmonica. Then try the following go crazy insert bendsextra noteschords wherever desired. The blues scale is probably the most common piece of practical blues harmonica music theory that people do learn.
The only thing that changes are the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale. Key of c blow draw a mixolydian scale commonly used in funk, blues, and rock music played in the key of g in 2 position on the c major diatonic harmonica. Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. Rock, country, blues, folk, and world music all make extensive use of pentatonic sounds. It would be cool to have a video with a bunch of blues harmonica licks that we could practice and apply. Five notes have been altered from standard major tuning. Natural minors are the missing link that enable you to really wail on those soulful or funky minor blues tunes. This gives you an idea of just how important it is. Blues harmonica blues harp riffs, licks, jamming, and.
Scales a scale is an ascending sequence of musical tones or pitches a diatonic scale is a sequence of eight tones spanning an octave as explained in the next section. A member of the modern blues harmonica forum posted these breath. Blues harmonica music theory blues harmonica kaizen. This fast track book and cd teaches chords, scales, and riffs, 87 songs and. Some years back i spent much of a summer holiday playing this exercise with a metronome. Heres a chart that lays out pentatonic scales in six positions click on the image to download the fullsized chart pdf. So my question is did you change your teaching approach to scales. The chromatic scale lists every note available in our western european diatonic music system.
Private harmonica lessons buy a harmonica online live harmonica classes paperback or pdf. This course is designed to teach beginner level players the basics of playing the 12hole solotuned diatonic harmonica, which is tuned differently from the standard 10hole diatonic instrument. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at. By the 1920s, when recording companies began to look for blues acts, blues harp was a common sound in the southern part of the united states. They are arranged in such a way that only the middle octave contains a complete eightnote scale. This is just a series of seven notes which help the harmonica sound bluesy, so playing this scale over and over is excellent training.
The blues scale is very similar to the minor pentatonic scale, but with an additional lowered 5th note lowered by half a stepsemitone, or blues note. Masterclass complete blues harmonica lesson fiddle time scales 1. Jerry portnoys blues for big nate additional helpful material. Specifically, using a c harp i will provide harmonica tablature to play the blues scale in c first position, g second position, and d third position. First 50 songs you should play on harmonica by hal leonard corp.
Pentatonic scales play in six different keys on one. Connect with harmonica blues collectors across the globe and complete your collection. You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here. Buy arthomes harmonica major key of c blues harmonica 10 holes 20. Blues scale practice for diatonic harmonica warm up by trying the following with bends if possible. Adapted from blues and rock harmonica by glenn weiser. Most blues use the notes of a pentatonic scale, and playing a gtuned. The notes of the scale can be reordered to create solos in the blues. Chicago blues legend, little walter, discovered very early that blues can be played on a chromatic. And because they use fewer notes than the standard 7note scales, pentatonics make it easier to play in multiple keys on one harmonica.
After world war ii, a large relocation of blacks from the rural south to the urban north took place. Discover the most collected and trending harmonica blues music. Simple blues riffs are perhaps the most common way for one to begin improvising on the diatonic harmonica. You can also access our site through your mobile phone. Here are the three most common positions, or keys, played on the c harmonica with their corresponding blues scales. Pentatonic scales wildflower harmonica instruction. Blues scales for chromatic harmonica these scales are designed to get you started playing the blues in all twelve keys. Chicago blues legend, little walter, discovered very early that blues. This scale has a major sixth b that gives it a strange, haunting quality.
You can play the blues scale with any g instrument. For now, if you have a chromatic harmonica try the five hole splits on both types of harp. David barrett presents a useful and informative book of scales and scale based exercises for the harmonica. Below are some of my very own harmonica licks in tabulature form. But the fact is, the blues can be as complex as you choose to make it. The first 5 notes of these different scales are exactly the same. Blues harmonica for dummies gives you a wealth of content devoted to the blues approach. The harmonica is classified by the note on which the scale starts. Standard diatonic harmonicas are available for all twelve, some in both high and lowpitched versions. Harmonica type and layout key of c these lessons are designed for the diatonic ten hole marine band style harmonica or similar harmonica. Blues harmonica riffs beginner bluesharp instruction and. Bobs blues harmonica the harmonica is a very powerful instrument. This scale has a minor 2nd degree that gives it a vaguely middleeastern quality. Includes an explanation of harmonica notation and tablature, plus a diagram of the.
Figure 6 piano keyboard 1 draw is the note d and the 1 blow is the note c on the harmonica. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic. The blues scale is three blow, three blow, three inhale or suck, four blow, four suck, five suck and six blow. A member of the modern blues harmonica forum posted these breath patterns his name is john potts. Playing the blues scale now that you can bend notes the next thing we should look at is the blues scale. This note is the 3d from the scale on the c harmonica. Also check this lesson to hear how the blues scale sounds. Diatonic harmonicas are tuned to a single major scale and are available in different keys. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales.
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