Thomas balinger american harmonica songbook blues harp in c more than 60 famous songs, arranged for easy blues harp in c a. The blues scale can also be used to improvise over a minor chord. How to play a bflat blues on harmonica wonderhowto. I have also included the 5 box patterns you need to learn in order to memorize the blues scales in all. The blues scale is used to convey a funky, downhome, earthy or bluesy soundfeel. Pentatonic scales are fivenote scales that sound good over just about any kind of music. Harmonicayoga or, zen and the art of blues harp blowing by david harp yoga can take many forms, and kripalu center for yoga and health, in lenox, ma, delights in offering a wide variety of classic and modern practices. Blues scales for chromatic harmonica these scales are designed to get you started playing the blues in all twelve keys. Blues harmonica almost blues scale harmonica lessons. The scales are identical except for the addition of one note, the b5 in the blues scale. At its most basic, a single version of this blues scale is commonly used over all changes or chords in a twelve bar blues progression.
The blues scale based on a minor pentatonic 5 notescale with the 1st. Harmonica articles, harmonica videos, learn about the harmonica. The arrows and numbers below indicate how to play the blues scale. At the end of this notation key i have provided a list of lesson material i have authored that i feel will help you to understand more about blues harmonica technique and its application. You will need a c harmonica and we are playing in 2nd position in the key of g. This articles shows the notes on a harmonica, and the reasoning behind their layout. Roseanne riff a very special thanks to alexey gribenko for the following riff video. For additional charts, information on positions, and harmonica theory, visit the members area theory section. Blues harmonica beginner blues harp riffs and licks, jamming, and bluesharp instruction. And because they use fewer notes than the standard 7note scales, pentatonics make it easier to play in multiple keys on one harmonica. Major scale exercises wildflower harmonica instruction. How to play a basic harmonica blues scale harmonica.
Blues harmonica improv, what about other styles of music. Small open circle above note head same as standard tongue block lips over four holes, tongue blocks three left holes, but the tongue starts off the harmonica, sounds the chord, and then slaps down to leave one note sounding similar to saying hal. The most common harmonica key is c, the notes on a c harmonica are shown below. This dvd is a workshop on techniques wh ile my other dvds support you in jamming once youve learned. By this stage you will probably know how to play the blues scale so now we will have a look at the major pentatonic scale. Try improving your single notes and bends first with these easy video lessons click here blues scale practice for diatonic harmonica warm up by trying the following with bends if possible. They are the 5 notes of the minor pentatonic scale, plus one additional note the note added is the diminished 5th o5 measured from the scale tonic. Harmonica, classical harmonica, hymns on harmonica, spirituals harmonica, chicago blues harmonica, country blues harmonica and whatever else the cat drags in. Each riff will be played for you at a fast speed, then a slower speed and then in most cases, at an intermediate speed. Then you just keep repeating that same 12bar pattern over and over for the length of the song. A major feature of the blues scale is the use of blue notes.
Some of you will be referencing this notation key along with your studies at. The description below is for the pdf and audio files. Jazz educator jamey aebersold describes the sound and feel of the blues scale as funky, downhome, earthy, or bluesy. This weeks harmonica lesson will show you how to play the real blues scale in 2nd position. Free harmonica lessons samples watch video lesson free. 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. Aug 03, 2016 introduction the major scale is a great way to practice your singlenote technique and learn to move around on the harmonica. Blues scales for chromatic harmonica andy wilson by ujimo95raser. The traditional 12bar blues has a total of 12 bars or measures of the iivv chords that keep repeating in 12bar blocks over and over.
Some years back i spent much of a summer holiday playing this exercise with a metronome. The blues scale is three blow, three blow, three inhale or suck, four blow, four suck, five suck and six blow. Learn single notes, bending, hand effects, and advanced techniques jam to the blues chromatic harmonica section, theory, scales, harmonica repair info, play guitar with harmonica, games, cds keyed, jamto midi files, and more. The blues harp cheat sheet this cheat sheet provides chords, cross harp key, 12 bar blues progression, and blues scale harmonica tabs covering all 12 keys. Here are the three most common positions, or keys, played on the c harmonica with their corresponding blues scales.
Harmonicas come in a variety of keys click here for more about harmonica keys and note names. How to play the major pentatonic scale on harmonica. Here is a simple chart for determining the 2nd position key of any standard 10hole major diatonic as well the 3rd and 5th position keys. Sh1 solo harmonica study 1 blues harmonica lessons.
Collection of free tablature and sheet music for harmonica in pdf format. Within a level you can study any listed topic in any order. Rhythm and blues players use this scale extensively. Since the key of d appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key. One of their more seemingly untraditional meditation workshops is presented by cognitive scientistauthorcorporate.
Harmonicayoga or, zen and the art of blues harp blowing. The note added is the diminished 5th o5 measured from the scale tonic. Discover how to go from the d pentatonic to the d blues scale on harmonica with the instruction of professional player ben hewlett and a bit of note bending. The solution below shows the a blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. The previous issue outlined ideas for practice, and introduced an exercise based on the major scale. A chromatic harmonica contains all twelve notes of. Discover what a pentatonic scale is, and see a demonstration on how to play it on a c harp. Spanning a wide musical range from classics like aura lee, jingle bells or morning has broken to. The blues scale may sound strange when it is played straight up or down.
Not sure how to play a blues scale on the harmonica. Other common blues progressions include the 8 bar, 16bar, and 24bar blues. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic presented by the gateway harmonica club, inc. Almost blues scale intermediate level riffs techniques improv 12bar blues target notes 65 jamto midi files. 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. Using the blues scale for guitar fundamental changes music.
To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to. An example of a chromatic blues harmonica piece is blues in the dark played by the legendary georg harmonica smith. Many beginning players are confused about harmonica notes, particularly since some of them appear to be missing. Harmonica course volume 6 101 blues riffs hello and welcome to the 6th in our series in which we offer you 101 blues riffs to learn, use, modify, and take over their ownership. Bobs blues harmonica the harmonica is a very powerful instrument. Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. The 12 bar blues progression is based on the 1, 4, and 5 chords of a particular key. The 3rd is often played as a neutral note, inbetween the. Use the chart to find out whether the note is played by blowing or drawingdair. Now that you can bend notes the next thing we should look at is the blues scale. You can get more charts in with custom tunings using my interactive scale generator here. With the technique of bending, a very bluesysounding scale, called the blues scale, is possible. If you are wishing to order the pdfmp3 files please go to the correct page as this product is for the pdf file only. Once again, the most challenging part of the scale is switching the order of blowing and drawing between holes 7 and 6.
When playing a blues solo, the blues scale is treated interchangeably with the minor pentatonic scale. Blues harmonica riffs beginner bluesharp instruction and licks. Guitar man demonstrates how to play a basic harmonica blues scale and how to bend a note on a harmonica. Here are the harmonica tabs for going down the major scale. This gives you an idea of just how important it is. Harmonica players list a short list of harmonica players and some of their recommended cds to listen to.
Acoustic guitar electric guitar resonator guitar slide guitar harmonica blues harp. The solution below shows the d blues scale, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. Preface george goodmans harmonica cheat sheets is a combination of four great tools to kick start your harmonica playing. The real blues scale in 2nd position harmonica lesson. Ive begun loving the blues, both playing, and listening.
Using the blues scale for guitar fundamental changes. Jazclass blues scale lesson, blues scale in all keys by. This pdf contains the scale charts for the blues scale in all keys for guitar in standard tuning. Experiment with the blues scales listed below and apply them to recorded tracks on your. These licks are to be played with a harmonica in the key of c. You can also access our site through your mobile phone.
For the first time in blues harmonica history there is an abundance of lesson material available to study. Well look at the basic scale, and then two exercises. Knowing your major scales is an essential tool for any harmonica player interested in improvisation whatever style you choose be it rock, blues or jazz. Scroll down for free harmonica lessons sample videos. So, when i play this scale, im visualizing the scale step that im on. The notes of the scale can be reordered to create solos in. Its really a blue note over the minor pentatonic scale 1,b3,4,b5,5,b7. Each of the cd tracks utilize the same 12 bar blues chord progression. This is just a series of seven notes which help the harmonica sound bluesy, so playing this scale over and over is excellent training. For example, when i change it to e scale, is there any equation to do. The blues scale is closely related to the minor pentatonic scale with just one extra note. A scale is an ascending sequence of musical tones or pitches.
And because they use fewer notes than the standard 7note scales, pentatonics make it easier to. The blues scale is a foundational element of blues harmonica playing. Student guide for solotuned harmonica part i diatonic. Bread and butter, salt and pepper, fish and chips, harmonica and blues.
Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player. Blues harmonica blues harp riffs, licks, jamming, and. Next to each technique i will reference to which of my methods teaches it. Learn how to play bflat blues beats on harmonica using the 4 hole added variant on the blue third. Harmonica scales for beginners while learning to play. Below are some of my very own harmonica licks in tabulature form. Learn to play blues scale practice on your harmonica, the tab is below. The 6 overblow is needed to complete the blues scale in the middle octave, but that note is the flat 5th, which is the least important note of the blues scale. George goodmans harmonica cheat sheets by george goodman. If you are just starting out, take a look at the beginning blues. The term blues scale refers to several different scales with differing numbers of pitches and. Chicago blues legend, little walter, discovered very early that blues can be played on a chromatic. The type of scale you base your composition is important and can change the overall ambiance your composition exudes. They are the 5 notes of the minor pentatonic scale, plus one additional note.
This scale is the basis for bluesand it is very prevalent in. Since the key of a appears on the circle of fifths diagram as both a major and minor key, the lesson steps explain both ways of constructing this blues scale for this key. How to play the blues scale in 2nd position on harmonica hello and welcome to this weeks harmonica lesson which is a short but really important one how to play the blues scale. Jp allen gives a harmonica lesson on the basic blues scale. Chromatic harmonicas are also tuned to a major scale, but the slide mechanism. I just kind of figured the blues to be more of a male thing, and i also never really listened to it much, nor played much blues on the harmonica. Pentatonic scales wildflower harmonica instruction. Generally, the composer will vary the intervals when creating blues based melodies. Generally, the composer will vary the intervals when creating bluesbased melodies. 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. You can play the blues scale with any g instrument. Blues scale junior year blues lesson 9 harmonica academy has online lessons that really work a very good site for learning how to play the diatonic harmonica tabs, blues backings, audio. Cross harp, or second position, is what you get when you play in the key of g on a c harmonica.
Get blues scales for chromatic harmonica andy wilson pdf file for free from our online librar. Jamto blues midi file if you would like a quick, easy background song to. Although solotuned instruments are not well suited for blues playing, they are ideal for playing melodies and are simpler to learn. Rock, country, blues, folk, and world music all make extensive use of pentatonic sounds. The 1st construction, using the major scale, starts at lesson 3.
Gordon is he feels, one of his most important books because of the nature of the blues scale and how it is used to improvise in many. But ever since ive started listening to big mama thornton, kat baloun, geneva red etc. Sep 06, 2017 how to play the blues scale in 2nd position on harmonica hello and welcome to this weeks harmonica lesson which is a short but really important one how to play the blues scale. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link. Tongue blocking and bending study songs represent the core lessons on the sitethe majority of your practice time should be spent on those. It is so fundamental that many professional players continue to practice it daily. Another good position for blues that is used much less often is 5th position. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master.
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