I am needing help advancing my harmonica playing, I am able to play single hole melodies, and bend all notes on my 10 hole C harmonica and I have given up on YouTube and cheap websites for learning bluegrass solos so any help would be great.
Harmonica help
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I am curious to see if you get some replies about this… and I hope you do!
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I might be able to help. What might you be needing and how long have you been playin?
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It was the first instrument that I took seriously, I have played many different songs and collectively I’ve played it for a year
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I’m friends with an outstanding harp player named Lonnie Joe Howell, who has some resources out (check for vids too): https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Texas-Harmonica-Lonnie-Howell/dp/B00001OPIU
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Well one thing is of course plenty of practice! The other thing is you need Is more than one key, to be able to play with a group or certain tunes you need to find the key that fit’s that is to say what ever the key the rest of the band is playing in you will be in a different key there is a circle chart You can make or find ( not sure where, I found it in a tutorial DVD some years ago) like the circle of fifths, it gives you a rough guide as to what key you should be in.
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Check, How about building bluegrass solos?
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Hi Jesse
This guy seems to have a handle on things.
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Well, in my experience you as the harp player are usually playing the role of back up and filler parts , depending on the tune and vocals. Then you need to work out with the other members of the band when it’s your turn to shine/ step up to play a lead or solo. Sometimes less is more and up to the collective of the rest of the musicians. Remember though the harp in the wrong place at the wrong time can be out of place and will get you those dirty look’s hope that helps. Good luck, 
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Thanks
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The harmonica can fill the space of a fiddle, if played correctly, so it would be helpful to listen to a lot of fiddle music.
You say you can bend all notes? Is that including overblows and blow bending?
Go binge watch Buddy Greene. He’s one of the best harmonica players there is.
And work on picking out fiddle tunes, both in first and second positions, cuz that’ll help your dexterity and speed.
It might also be worth buying a country tuned harp (5 draw is tuned half step up) cuz that will really help with playing major tunes out of second position
Hope that helps
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Ok I love to watch Buddy Greene, I’ve researched the use of harmonica in music, but I’m trying to find a pre fabricated solo like you said to replace the fiddle like for cripple creek for example.
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Oh those are almost non existent, there is one on YouTube that I know of, search gold rush on harmonica and watch the one by harp baby channel, it’s a ready made solo for gold rush, and it’s really fun to play!
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Ok I’ll search it. The trouble is I’m not good at building solos, any advice?
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My advice would be to just build solos until you are good at it. You can slow it way down, think about which notes to play or not play, and then put it together and work back up to speed.
I would also recommend using some of the blues harmonica lessons on YouTube, cuz they do help you with musical ideas that you might not otherwise have
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Ditto! What Gunner said, It’s just a matter of playin the tune and figuring out where you fit in or were the rest off the band want’s you to or need’s you to fill the space.
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Ok thanks
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