[Harp-L] new lesson + news from Modern Blues Harmonica

"Modern Blues Harmonica" <asgussow@xxxxxxx> · Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:42:15 -0000

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Dear blues harmonica friend:

The Blues Doctors (above) is my current in-town configuration, and we're going to be traveling this spring, playing a couple of gigs in South Carolina and working the streets during the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale.  Guitarist Alan Gross, a Connecticut native, has backed up a number of Mississippi bluesmen during his two decades in Oxford, including Terry "Harmonica" Bean and R. L. Boyce.  But he's also got a jazz background that syncs up beautifully with my own approach.  Here's some video from the woodshed in which we bring  (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/116y9) back on line. 

Lots more below, including a new lesson:

1)  Tongue Blocking I

2)  Gussow/Shellist in Memphis

3)  new Hohner page

4)  gigs

5)  from the archive

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1)  NEW LESSON:  TONGUE BLOCKING I

There's long been an argument within blues harmonica circles that can be summarized "lip pursing or tongue blocking?"  The truth is, both techniques are essential parts of a well-rounded approach to the instrument.  I spent the first decade of my own playing career as a lip-purser.  My playing was radically transformed in 1985 when my teacher, Nat Riddles, showed me that the sounds I lusted after--sounds made by players like James Cotton, Big Walter Horton, Little Walter, and Kim Wilson--were all produced by slapping the tongue directly on the harp.

I recently sat down and worked up a 45-minute introductory lesson that takes beginners--and more advanced players who have avoided the issue--through the first set of moves that tongue blocking demands.  I show you why tongue blocking is important by demonstrating a range of sounds that the technique facilitates.  You won't learn any new songs in this video lesson (and there's no accompanying tab), but you will learn how to make those sounds:  octaves, splits, tongued single notes, a counter-rhythm or two, and a couple of unusual-but-useful sounds that don't really have names.

The lesson uses a C harp.

Here's the link to Tradebit:  Tongue Blocking I (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/hu7y9)

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2)  GUSSOW/SHELLIST MEMPHIS WORKSHOP

As a follow-up to the sold out workshop in Philadelphia that Ronnie Shellist and I are about to put on in Philadelphia on April 6, we've decided to head for the mid-South for our next venture.

Although details haven't been finalized and we're not yet accepting registrations, the rough outlines go like this:  an all-day workshop and evening harp blowoff at Mr. Handy's Blues Palace on Beale Street on Saturday, June 22nd, featuring Ronnie, Memphis's rising blues harp star Brandon Santini and his band, and yours truly.

An added attraction:  for registrants who rent cars or find rides, Foxfire Ranch--the home of three epic Hill Country Harmonica events--will be in full flower on Sunday evening, June 23rd, fifty miles south of Memphis, featuring the best in north Mississippi blues.  I'm hoping that some of you will join me there and party down with the Hollowells and their kin.

Please save the date.  You may be sure we'll spread the word the moment we're taking registrations.   Here's the event homepage, which should have details about the event within the next few days:  Gussow/Shellist in Memphis (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/xm8y9)

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3)  AG'S NEW HOHNER PAGE

As an official endorser of Hohner harmonicas for several decades, I'm happy to share news of my recently upgraded page at HohnerUSA.com.  Please take a look:  AG at Hohner (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/df9y9). 

And if you like what you see, please "like" me.  Everybody (and every corporation) in the world seems to be soliciting "likes" these days; I hate the concept, but hey:  I didn't make this world, I'm just trying to play harmonica in it.

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4)  GIGS

The big news here is Satan & Adam in New Orleans on Sunday, May 5th:  not just a set in the blues tent, but a very rare club gig--our first in three years, our first ever in the Big Easy--that evening. 

We're playing the Little Gem Saloon,  a legendary space in which New Orleans jazz was introduced to the world.  One show only, 9:30 to 11 PM.  A great way to end your Jazzfest weekend.

There's no dedicated show page yet, but here's the club homepage:  LGS (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/t79y9)

Lots of other gigs in the coming season.  If you see me on the road, or here in Mississippi, please say Hi:

4/6/13:    Philadelphia, PA - The Twisted Tail (workshop w/Ronnie Shellist + evening show with Ronnie and Nate Myers & his band (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/9zaz9) - 10:30â6:30 + 9 PMâ1 AM)

4/13/13:  Clarksdale, MS - Juke Joint Festival (Blues Doctors busking in front of Southern Exposure, near   Ground Zero, all afternoon)

4/18/13:  Winnsboro, SC - 145 Club (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/psbz9) (Blues Doctors)

4/20/13:  Clemson, SC - Clemson Blues Festival (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/5kcz9) (Blues Doctors, details TBA)

4/26/13:  Oxford, MS - Rooster's Blues House (Blues Doctors, 5:30 - 7:30 PM)

4/27/13:  Oxford, MS - Double Decker Festival (Blues Doctors busking outside Rooster's Blues House, all afternoon)

5/5/13:    New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/lddz9) (Satan & Adam in the Blues Tent - time TBA)

5/5/13:    New Orleans, LA - Little Gem Saloon (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/15dz9) (Satan & Adam, 9 - 10:30 PM)

6/1/13:    Orangeville, Ontario, CANADA - Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/hyez9) (clinic + blowoff + gig, times TBA)

6/2/13:    Orangeville, Ontario, CANADA - Orangeville Blues & Jazz Festival (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/xqfz9) (acoustic tent, time TBA)

6/8/13:    Oxford, MS - Midtown Farmer's Market (Blues Doctors, 8-10 AM)

6/29/13:  Waterford, MS - North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/djgz9) (OMB - 10:30 AM)

7/20/13:  Oxford, MS - Oxford Blues Festival (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/tbhz9) (New Delta Jukes, time TBA)

7/25/13:  Saint Georges, DE - Saint Georges Country Store (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/93hz9) (OMB, TBA)

7/26/13:  Steelton, PA - Blue Front Lounge (OMB, 8 - 11 PM)

8/7/13:    Summit, NJ - Reed-Reeves Arboretum (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/pwiz9) (OMB, 7-8 PM)

8/8/13:    Charlottesville, VA - Blue Moon Diner (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/5ojz9) (OMB, 8-10 PM)

8/9/12:    Gaffney, SC - Daddy Joe's Beach House (OMB, time TBA)

8/24/13:  Oxford, MS - Midtown Farmer's Market (Blues Doctors, 8-10 AM)

8/30/13:  Como, MS - Otha Turner Picnic & Goat Roast (Blues Doctors, time TBA)

9/28/13:  Fairview, TN - Mid-Pointe Harmonica Festival (one-hour free clinic, 1-2 PM + Blues Doctors, time TBA)

10/11/13: Helena, AR - King Biscuit Blues Festival (Blues Doctors, busking on streets, 3-10 PM)

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5)  FROM THE ARCHIVES

albums:

Adam Gussow, SOUTHBOUND (2011) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/lhkz9)

Satan and Adam, BACK IN THE GAME (2011) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/19kz9)

Adam Gussow, KICK AND STOMP (2010) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/h2lz9)

Satan and Adam, WORD ON THE STREET (2009) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/xumz9)
Adam Gussow and Charlie Hilbert, LIVE IN KLINGENTHAL (2008) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/dnnz9) 
Nat Riddles and Charlie Hilbert, EL CAFÃ STREET LIVE! (2007) (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/tfoz9)

YouTube stuff:

If you would like to own a COMPLETE SET of my YouTube blues harmonica video tutorials--a total of 196 videos, from .000 all the way through my "final video" with Jason Ricci at the crossroads--you now have that option.  I have bundled the videos into three very large zip files (roughly 1.1 gigs each), and they are available either individually (for $19 each) or together (for $49, a savings of $8).  These are the ORIGINAL VIDEOS as uploaded to YouTube in the MPEG-4 format.  Perfect for PCs, laptops, and iPhones!

COMPLETE:  http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/103181302-gussow-blues-harmonica-tutorials-on-youtube-complete (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/97oz9)

lessons and jam tracks:

Top Five All-Time Blues Harp Sampler

For INTERMEDIATES and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATES who want to plunge right into the heart of the blues harmonica tradition, I've bundled five video tutorials on classic songs by the best of the best into an easy-to-download zip file, with the tab sheets thrown in for free.  Included in this package are Little Walter ("Blues With a Feeling"), Big Walter ("Have a Good Time"), James Cotton ("How Long Can a Fool Go Wrong"), John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson ("John Lee Williamson's Blues"), and Sonny Boy "Rice Miller" Williamson ("Sonny Boy's Blues"), all for only $25, a savings of $10 off the item-by-item price.

www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/3044545-Documents-eBooks-Music-Tutorials (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/p0pz9) 

Blues Harmonica Play Along Sessions (jam tracks)

For blues harmonica players of ALL levels: a set of 11 jam tracks (46 minutes total) plus a 58-minute video by Adam Gussow in which he shows you how to play along with each track, offering a wealth of tips, hints, and suggestions to help you make the most of your practice time.  "Play Along Sessions" (2007) is the creation of the Hills Blues Collective, a well-known Dutch trio featuring Martin Hills van Heuvelen (bass), Little Steve (guitar), and Theo Thumper (drums). The eleven tracks, professionally recorded, feature shuffle, swing, rhumba, rock, funk, and slow blues grooves--the core of the urban blues tradition--in the keys of D, E, F, G, and A.  In order to play along with all the tracks, players will need harps in the keys of A, B-flat, C, and D. (Only one track requires a B-flat.) On two of the songs, a G harp will also work.

www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/4537012-blues-harmonica-play-along-sessions-zip (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/5sqz9)

"Upper Octave Boogie":  INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE, although ADVANCED BEGINNERS will be able to get most of it.  An original composition that breaks open the upper octave and make it available for further exploration.  Please check out the free preview available on either Tradebit page below!

    Harp:  C

     Video:  http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/102135100-upper-octave-boogie-mov (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/llrz9)

     Tab:  http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/102135099-upper-octave-boogie-pdf (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/1dsz9)

"Worried About My Baby":  Howlin' Wolf played some wonderful stuff with Eric Clapton and other Brits on THE LONDON HOWLIN WOLF SESSIONS; I've transcribed and adapted it for solo harp.  Appropriate for INTERMEDIATE players, although ADVANCED BEGINNERS will get a great 4 draw bend workout from this and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATES will quickly add a new power-harp groove to their repertoire.

    Harp:  C
    Video: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1816136-Documents-eBooks-Music-Tutorials (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/h6sz9)
    Tab: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1816137-Documents-eBooks-Music-Tutorials (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/xytz9)

"Tequila":  For ADVANCED BEGINNERS through ADVANCED INTERMEDIATES.  This is THE perennial favorite bar-band instrumental, and it happens to lie well on the harmonica in cross position, although the back-and-forth movement between 2 and 3 draw bends makes it a challenge.  The diminished chord on the breakaway gives it a special sizzle.  I used to play this one on the street. 

     Harp:  A
     Video: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/5697634-tequila-mov (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/druz9)
     Tab: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/5697635-tequila-pdf (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/tjvz9)

"Help Me":  This is arguably Sonny Boy Williamson's best-known song--a harmonica blues staple of blues bands and jam sessions the world over.  An amazing amount of harmonica knowledge is packed into this 12-bar solo:  warbles, angular triplets, chuck-chuck accents.  For INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE players.

     Harp:  B-flat
     Video: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/3993478-help-me-gussow-mov (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/9bwz9)
     Tab: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/3993479-help-me-gussow-pdf (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/p4wz9)

"Adam's PowerHarp Groove":  This is my own personal workout--an original 12-bar instrumental designed to tone and energize INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE players.  NOTHING on the harmonica instructional market can match the power-to-weight ratio of this top-fuel juggernaut!

    Harp:  B-flat
    Video: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1747744 (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/5wxz9)
    Tab: www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1747745 (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/lpyz9)

    preview:  www.tradebit.com/usr/asgussow/pub/9003/Adam--s-PowerHarp-Groove--Gussow.clip-.mov (http://e2.ma/click/tf0ke/dnn7n/1hzz9)

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That's all for now.  Have a happy holiday--Easter, Passover--or just catch the spirit of rebirth from whatever direction you care to.  Busking weather is almost here......

--Adam

402 Meadowlawn Drive | Oxford, MS 38655
www.modernbluesharmonica.com | asgussow@xxxxxxx

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