Ultimate diatonic harmonica lessons, blues, country music, rock; you will learn how to play on/off stage, solo/group
What you will learn
how to play the 12 bar blues, chords, rhythms, tone and chugging
how to breathe properly, use straight and swing rhythms
how to play single notes with pucker and tongue-blocked embouchures
scales, modes and positions, single/double/triple tonguing
how to use major and minor pentatonic scales for improvising and soloing
how to bend notes, use the hands properly, different types of vibratos and tremolos
how to play in the Masters’ styles – Sonny Terry, Sonnyboy Williamson etc
Description
*updated February 2023* Udemy’s BEST SELLING ultimate and complete harmonica course – with over 40,000 students.
No harmonica experience? No problem, I’ll walk you through nice and slow.
Did you ever fool around with a harmonica as a kid?
Would you like to learn to play the harmonica better now?
Do you play guitar, piano, ukulele or are you a singer and want to add harmonica into your act?
Do you want an instrument that’s easy to pick up, store and carry?
Did you inherit a harmonica and want to pay respect to the original owner??
Where you inspired by Bob Dylan, Sonny Terry, Little Walter, Mick Jagger?
Would you like to play in a church, campfire, band or jam session?
Do you think harmonica will help with COPD or other health issues?
Is this a retirement ‘bucket-list’ project?
If you answered yes to any of those who are in the right place.
This course will help you become a great harmonica player. All you need to do is follow the lectures in order plus some practice and you will start to feel a surge of confidence as you see your skills increasing daily.
This will be exciting, fun, and challenging – I think you will thoroughly enjoy it!
I think people recognise my passion for the harmonica. I’m not someone who plays bass, guitar, piano, drums and sings, records, gigs…I just (mostly) teach harmonica.
Sure I perform sometimes, gig with friends, go to jams, do corporate harp demonstrations but MOSTLY I focus on playing, learning and teaching harmonica.
So if you have a Hohner harmonica, a blues harmonica, hohner special 20, a chromatic harmonica (ok, not that one) a blues harp, a hohner big river, a harmonica holder, a harmonica set…you can start to play now.
Give me a shout if you need any help please.
MY PERSONAL GUARANTEE – I AM SO CONFIDENT YOU WILL LOVE THIS COURSE THAT IF YOU DON’T, AND SO FAR ALL BUT ONE PERSON WAS HAPPY, I WILL REFUND YOU ALL THE MONEY (within 30 days of purchasing) WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED. THIS IRONCLAD GUARANTEE IS BACKED UP BY UDEMY.
This big course contains some smaller courses (don’t buy them twice) such as:
- 7 days crash course – learn harmonica in a week
- Trainsounds for harmonica players
- Basic 12 bar blues foundation
- Masterclass on Improving Tone
- 12 bar blues bassline
- Box patterns – radical playing ideas
- Love me Do
- Big Walter Horton – Easy
- Note bending (simple)
- Note bending (advanced)
English
language
Content
Introduction
Introduction and overview
Introduction to this first section
DAY 1 Which harmonica do I need?
Start here – SEVEN harmonica days zero to hero! ( about 7 minutes a day)
DAY 2 Holding the harmonica and breathing
DAY 3 Chords, Chugging, Trainsounds
DAY 4 How to play single notes pucker style
DAY 5 how to play single notes tongue blocking
DAY 6 Starting to bend notes
DAY 7 playing scales
Outro and wrapping up this section
Quiz alert
Let’s have a quick learning check quiz to see how you are getting on!
Trainsounds
Promo movie
Introduction to Trainsounds
zzaka tikka
first easy exercise
Interview with Peter Treeby – he drove Flying Scotsman (google it)
Whistles
Goanese Trainsounds
Salty Holmes
George Bullet Williams
Would you do me a small favour?
Flying Scotsman
Palmer McAbee
Trainsound with shakers.
Silly sounds
Outro – wrapping up the trainsounds section
Metronome track
Quiz alert
Learning check – how’s it going so far?
Basic Blues
Trailer movie
Introduction to the
A little chord theory before we play
12 bar blues theory
Playing the chords – many downloads in this lecture
Blues story – more downloads in this lecture
Blues chugging
Review check
Single note lines – easy
Single note lines – harder
Bending hole 1
Learning to bend hole 4
Note Bending – hole 6
Final chorus using bent notes a little
Walking thru the blues alt video to 4th lecture in this section
Basic blues learning check – how’s it going now?
How to improve your sound on the harmonica
Introduction to getting great tone
Breathing
Haha Hoohoo breathing exercise
Changing the inside of the mouth (wee ahh)
Bad tone and good tone
More on mouth cavity tonal changes
Vocal Tract
Advanced points on Tone
Vibrato, hot air and pulsing the breath
Height of the tongue
Breathing and posture
Hands and bones
Big Walter explains his tone and use of hands
Relax! plus use of teeth
Which harmonica to use for best tone?
Supplementary optional material and case study on TONE
Phil’s playing – what’s changed?
Phil playing – at the beginning and end of the session
See Phil working on his tone
Wrapping up the the section on TONE
Basic 12 bar blues bass line – the fundamental part of the blues
trailer for the Blues course
Introduction
Counting the 12 bar blues and looking at the dots
Learning the first 8 notes
Practising the first 4 bars
Learning the second line
Learning the last line
Here are some other variants – MUST SEE – doubling up
Cul-pa or ‘Cool Pa’ tongue blocking
Here are a few ideas on how to vary your improvisation
How to get your single notes working better with ‘box’ patterns
Here’s the trailer
Introduction
Easy patterns – First pattern – holes 1&2 only
Second pattern – holes 12&3
Third pattern 123&4
Fourth pattern 1234&5
Fifth pattern 12345&6
Ta-ah
Ta-ah-ah
Sonny Terry rhythm
Figaro
JJ Milteau lick
Bends, over-blows and wrapping up this section
Learning the Beatles first hit Love Me Do
Promotional movie and trailer
Introduction
That FAMOUS riff!
Who taught John Lennon?
Kids playing the riff – join in!
McCartney’s tune
Lennon’s tune
Pleeeese
Bridge – easy
Bridge – harder
Harmonies on one harmonica/outro
Here’s how to improvise on this tune
This section is learning the 12 bar blues song ‘Easy’ by Big Walter
Easy – promo movie
Introduction
Sing through
The first line
Second line
Third Line
Turnaround
Playthrough
Dynamics
Verse 4 – heavy duty bending
Outro and wrapping up this section
The easy way to bend notes on HARMONICA – yes you can do it!
Promotional movie
Intro to the course – bending holes 1-6
Zoomed out overview of bending
How this part of the course works
Demonstration of all bends possible
What if you only have one or two harmonicas?
The physics of note bending – here’s what the eggheads say about it.
THE MOST IMPORTANT LECTURE HERE! My best ever tips and tricks on bending.
How to bend hole 1 on all 12 harmonicas
How to bend hole 4
How to bend hole 6
How to bend hole 5
How to bend hole 2
How to bend hole 3
Bending practice using only the low octave
Outro/bonus – what happens inside the body; MRI scans of bending
Advanced note bending for all HARMONICA players, even newbys
Promo and trailer – take a look
Introduction to this section of the course – why do you need to learn this?
Basic bending principles
Blow bending hole 7
Blow bending hole 8
Blow bending hole 9
Blow bending hole 10
Tricks to make it easier
Piano view of all bending
Overblowing hole 6
Holes 1-5 overblow
Hole 7-10 overdraw
Full chromatic scale demonstration
All 12 major scales demonstration
Ending this section. Watch me struggle on When the Saints in all 12 keys!
Here’s the great big bonus I was talking about!
NOTE – the old 2013 course follows. The one you have completed above is new.
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS THE OLD 2013 COURSE – IGNORE IF U LIKE! Manufactoring
How to study this course
Let’s look at some harmonica choices – good and bad
Which harmonica to buy?
Play Harmonica – Beginners level 1, starting nice and easy
Intro to the first part
Starting out making sounds and playing blues right away, use any holes from 1-5
Moving on after practising the Hoochie Coochie and the Blues Shuffle
Breathing, tone, and chords
More breathing skills, rhythmic patterns
Origins of the harmonica
Chords – where are they and what can you do with them. Playing chordal tunes
Jambalaya
Ear training – Rhythm – the essence of music
New techniques – vibrato, tremolo, warble, head roll, playing with a shaker
Decorating your music, ornamentation, tips and tricks
Wrapping up this section
A bit of engineering for you
Fixing your Harmonica
Retuning Your Harmonica
Maintaining Your Harmonica
Play Harmonica – Beginners level 2, How to play easy tunes on your harmonica
Introducing the next section
My hole 2 sounds weird – why?
Scale of C on the 10hole
Tonguing notes
Easy note Box patterns
Extending box patterns
New and groovy scale excersises
Learning E minor – and the other modal scales
Smallest harmonica in the world – bonus
Wrapping up this section
Play Harmonica – Beginners level 3, tunes, draw bending
Introducing the next section
Learning Love Me Do
Learning The Can Can
Learning Yankee Doodle
Learning Amazing Grace
Learning Autumn Leaves
Learning Love me Tender
Checking out the first three positions
Overview of all 12 positions concentrating on the 7 modal positions
Bending hole 1
Bending holes 4, 5, and 6
Bending hole 2
Bending hole 3
Wrapping up this section
Play Harmonica – Beginners level, 4 improvising on harmonica
Introducing the next section
Improvising with C, G, and F major pentatonic scales
More on major pentatonics
Third position Dminor improvising
Converting minor pentatonic scales into blues scales – Dm to D blues
Converting minor pentatonic scales into blues scales Em to E blues
Converting major pentatonic scales into blues scales Gmajor to G blues
How to start constructing a solo
Going to a jam or session – how to approach it
Roles for the harmonica player at a session
Sonny Terry session
Wrapping up this section
Play Harmonica – Intermediates, level 1, starting blues
Introducing the next section
How to hold your harmonica, let’s play some blues!
Breathing, tone, and chords
Meet ‘Fat Tone’
Exploring the resonant cavity within
Embouchure, aperture, using the tongue
More on tongue blocking
Figuring out the chords on your harmonica
Chords – where are they and what can you do with them. Playing chordal tunes
Sonny Terry chugging
Wrapping up this section and previewing the next
Play Harmonica – Intermediates level 2, bending notes
Introducing the next section
How the harmonica arrived and what is an EMBOUCHURE
Decorating your sound like a pro
How to get all 20 single notes
Bending hole 1 and learning the doh re mi scale
Bending hole 4 and clever box patterns
Bending hole 6, Blues impro
Wrapping up this section and previewing the next
Play Harmonica – Intermediates level 3, bends & Tongue Blocking
Introducing the next section
How to improvise in 7 modal keys without bending notes
How to get draw bends on holes 1, 4 and 6
How to improvise in 7 keys without bending notes using pentatonic scales only
How to get draw bends on holes 2, 3 and 5
How to get blow bends on holes 7, 8, 9 and 10
Overview of overblows and overdraws (overbending)
Tongue blocking the blues
How to do Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller)’s tongue block style
How to do Tongue Block split 3, 4, and 5s
How to do tongue switching and the rolling block
Vamping – how to do it
How to use a metronome and tuner to help your playing
How to play some more Sonny Terry licks
Wrapping up this section and previewing the next
Play Harmonica, Intermediates level 4, let’s play some great tunes
Introducing the next section
Learning Fireball Mail Part 1
Learning Fireball Mail Part 2
Learning Fireball Mail Part 3
Learning The Maids of Michelstown Part 1
Learning The Maids of Michelstown Part 2
Learning The Red Haired Boy Part 1
Learning The Red Haired Boy Part 2
Learning The Red Haired Boy Part 3
Learning Little Walter’s Juke Part 1
Learning Little Walter’s Juke Part 2
Learning Sonnyboy Williamson 2’s Don’t Start Me Talking
Learning Sonny Terry’s Sitting On Top Of The World
Let’s wrap it up
Wrapping up this course
Extra Learning Resources