I'm currently enjoying the free 1 month at Tomlin's school - definitely recommended to people. Winning that free year would be a dream come true as me and my partner are trying to live on half a single pension at the moment so money is more than tight.
When I taught guitar I used to tell my students '2 hours a day practice to improve, 2 hours a day for 2 years to get good'. I've only just started my harmonica journey but I suspect (something like) this advice will hold true.
I think not only hours are matter, but how you spend them. Cause I’m pretty sure someone can spend 2 hours each day for two years and won’t come anywhere
That will get you there quickly for sure. As long as you are making regular investments into your practice you will keep getting better. It may be quicker or it may be slower but it's a marathon not a sprint :-)
I thought I was a bad player growing up, but my "teacher" was my uncle Charlie McCoy. And all he plays are Special 20's as do I in most of my videos. Love your stuff bro! Harmonically your friend...
Thank's Tomlin really appreciated your advice. but like everything else you have to ''think out of the box '' and play Harp or Guitar with your soul and brain a bit like playing Blues or Jazz
Everything you said In this video it’s so spot on it’s not even funny. except for, I have not taken the harmonica out of my hand since last December pretty much, like it’s a problem. I always have it in my hand. I’ve lost and or damaged three special 20s. Also the whole part of not knowing whether I’m doing good or not is driving me nuts and keeping me held back. I have been taking you course so mind paying the monthly fee wasn’t a problem. I just I don’t know where I fell off. I seem to jump around on there quite a bit too. I need to get my ass back on enrollment ASAP . thank you so much for what you do.
Doing it by yourself is indeed the #1 thing that holds people back. This is especially true with people who are already musicians. I "taught myself" for a long time because I thought being a person with a music degree (and able to play many other instruments) indicated that I could handle the harp myself. Boy was I wrong! I took a lessons for a little less than a year from Winslow Yerxa. This was an inflection point on my playing, and in the two years that followed, my playing took a giant swing upward. Then I started weekly playing sessions working on Jazz pieces with a Sax player. Again, massive improvements in my playing. And I'll be starting some more lessons soon. The difference it makes is so large that I could even say that it is the single biggest thing you can do to accelerate your progress.
I'm a beginning student with the Tomlin school and the curriculum is really good. I'm about 6-8 weeks in and have learned a lot. That said, I learn a lesson, practice it, and get ready to record the "homework", and immediately choke while recording something I have learned pretty well. I haven't found the sweet spot yet where I can say, "Yeah, that's good enough" and just submit it for review. At least I get a lot more practice in while doing that! 😂
That's what happens to me all the time too. Stick with it - it becomes less of a problem the more you progress and the more comfortable you become (I'm at about a year now!)
Same it’s for me with violin and guitar. It’s a common issue. The trick is to understand that teachers know you won’t be perfect , and don’t expect it. Turn in what you have and move on.
I learned country harmonica in the late 70s when it was everywhere. However, by the 90s it was pretty much gone. Also, I learned before the Internet when you just started blowing and seeing if it sounded ok. Or playing along with an 8 track. Lolol
It really wasn't until three years after Terry McMillan died (he passed in 2007) that harmonica stopped appearing on the country records and now the only sense of harmonica on those songs are Dylan style. The 90s had strong harmonica players like Terry, Mickey Raphael, Jelly Roll Johnson, and even Travis Tritt's harmonica player (I can't remember his name) did a good job. Country harmonica isn't just about Charlie McCoy and playing fiddle tunes, you know.
@@goldenteledy2002 that's true. I liked whoever Willie Nelson s harmonica player was. Still, by the 90s, it was a lot less than the 60s and 70s. Plus, by the 90s, country sucked. I was almost exclusively listening to bluegrass
Hello! I started 10 hole diatonic harmonica in C. Although I start with EASIEST HARMONICA BOOK by May ben. But which books should I follow for long time learning?
I'm a harp player. I perform monthly with The Brooklyners in NYC. Some years back I had some throat surgery done at Lenox Hill . I told the surgeon I was a harp player and asked if the procedure would hurt my playing. He said it wasn't and and asked me in a nice way why there are so many bad harp players around. I found the question really disturbing. I told him that harp is an easy instrument to play but hard to get good at. Years later I started playing with the blues community in NY and was one of a half dozen or so harp players that were regulars. The harp players were consistently the weak links on stage and played exclusivly in 2nd position. The ones I spoke to didn't know about any other position. So here you have hot shot guitar players all over the place and harp players bringing the whole sound down as soon as they start blowin'. A fine keyboard player on a break told me that he doesn't like harp players. He said that about as nicely as you could. Harp players need to students of the instrument. The bad news is there's lots of rotten players around. The good news is it's easy to move to a higher more musical level. Harp on!
In my opinion, the problem is not that I'm not surrounded by blues players. There are just too many in that field. My biggest problem as a harmonica player is that I'm not surrounded by more Gen X and younger country players who like the same music that I do. The older crowd always wanted me to change to please them by telling me that I have to tongue block all the time and I should give up trying to sound like Terry McMillan, my favorite harmonica player, and imitate Charlie McCoy and Little Walter instead. I have my friend, Todd Parrott, but I feel like I need more people that have similar harmonica interests like mine.
Hi can you suggest a small portable amp for playing 'clean', bot blues harmonica? I play in pub folk sessions and need a little extra volume. Thanks Pete
I would probably just plug into the PA system and if there isn't one then I would look at getting an "Acoustic guitar amplifier" Something by Roland would be good.
I like the Peavey Solo. It's small, about 1ftx1ft, 6" thick. Battery powered (8 "D" batts.), has 2 mic inputs; 1 low imp. and 1 high imp. 1/4 " jacks. No reverb or echo, tho. I like taking it to jams where there isn't a 120v plug. A bit heavy, tho. I use it with a Shure 520DX "green bullet" mic. Hope this helps.
Hi - Any tips on practising harmonica if you live in a terrace house with paper thin walls and grumpy neighbours? And I don't have a car to practise in. cheers
I feel your pain - I used to practice on the roof of my apartment building. I would recommend doing a lot of listening practice when you can't actually play harmonica. Then, try practicing when you are out and about. I used to do a lot of practice walking around town. It's not ideal but it is better than not practicing.
Why do manjis low draw reeds(1-3) sound fuzzy or airy? I own 3 keys Eb, F, D, and an olive C and they all have the issue even after trying to gap them. I don't have this problem on hohner harmonicas.. is it a manji thing that their reeds are far less responsive and airy?
This is very common - the Manjis are extremely sensitive to any tension in your playing. They fight you. The solution is to work on relaxing as much as possible.
Sometimes I feel what's lacking is a curriculum for people who have been learning for a while. At that point it's still difficult to know how to keep progressing. There are lots of great courses for beginners but then...
I wonder, is the "harmonica is the best-selling instrument" possibly misleading, since most players own a whole bunch of harps? People usually don't have 12 guitars (although I see you over there in the corner, Rick Beato).
but once you buy the guitar, all you need to do is replace the strings when needed, that's cheap compared to getting all the keys and buying new harps when they get off key.
@@TomlinHarmonica luckily, I was only drinking my coffee and smoking my cigarette. I am too unexperienced to play in publice due to "ear police" and even more due to "ear police brutality" 😎
I want to play better. I can play simple melodies and such, but blues is some sort of barrier for me to figure out. Don't know why, I have not the musical fantasi
The title of this video reminded me of something I've been wondering for years: Why are there no good female harp players? I've been a pro nightclub band harp player since 1972 and have never personally met a harp-playing woman. Not even a bad one! None! Why don't women want to play harmonica? By the way, one of my complaints about the high price of today's harps is that they don't last long and must be replaced often, especially if your really honk on them. Once you buy a good guitar, they basically last forever.
As somebody who has been playing the harmonica for 5 years and relating to the experience female harp players, I'd say it's because from being in the online harmonica space, a lot of the men and supposed "respected" players that I've met in the community are just straight up toxic. Don't get me wrong, there are many nice men in the harmonica world like in country and gospel harmonica scene (which is where I mostly hang out with) but it's mainly the older blues players who I have encountered that are the most toxic people. I don't know if they have had bad experiences in the past, but a lot of them have harassed me for liking Terry McMillan and wanting to sound like him, not like Charlie McCoy or Little Walter. One guy even made fun of me for being a bedroom musician who wants to be a session player as a career, and he didn't believe that I got bullied by him. Which is why I created my own harmonica group which is a safe space for people who often get discriminated by toxic players in the community. If you want to meet other female players, check out Female Harmonica Players on Facebook. A lot of the women there are super nice and understanding.
@@goldenteledy2002 Thanks for your input! Speaking of toxic, when I was first starting out back in the early 1970's, I was crazy about the blues. One evening I was sitting on a park bench by a beach, just wailin' away on my harp when a middle-aged black couple walked up an listened for a moment. Then the man launched into an angry tirade. "Betcha feel like you's back on the plantation, don'tcha Boy!" "You's sho got da blues in yo soul, don'tcha Boy!" His wife had to drag him away, still raging about what these days we would call "cultural appropriation" and how this white boy had no right to it. I immediately realized he was right, and this Florida Cracker immediately switched to Country and never looked back, especially once I also mastered the fiddle. Stay away from MY music, Beyonce'
Consider that these guys weren't distracted by TV, TH-cam or any other modern distraction. DeFord Bailey came from a family of excellent fiddle players and also had polio as a kid, the only thing he could really do was play harmonica while bed ridden. While he probably never had lessons like the one Tomlin gives, he definitely had some guidence in regards to learning music.
The average good, professional Blues harmonica player these days is boring to listen to imo. They can't even be a rhythm instrument really as well. They're just someone there that sits back till they can ride on what you're putting down. I do love harmonica but only if it's played by old harmonica players who are all dead now
Easiest instrument, hardest to master. After spending many years playing harmonica, I finally tired of being a 'one trick pony'. There is more to being a musician than jumping up at a blues jam with a diatonic instrument and doing your thing. Maybe you'll progress to guitar or some other instrument and learn the amazing diversity of music beyond The Blues.
I can understand where you’re coming from although I respectfully differ; you could try working playing harmonica in different styles( jazz, funk, rock ) and different positions, also if you’re willing to put in time you could take up the chromatic harmonica and play as brass/ woodwind instrument, cheers
This video was sponsered by T.L harmonica school! Why aren't people..? Because if they joined my school they could avoid those mistakes... I stopped watching when I got that the goal was to create an hidden ad...
I listened to blues recordings first and soaked up the music before I ever touched a harmonica. I think that helped me.
I thought I was playing terribly so I recorded myself playing only to find out that I was absolutely correct. Lol
😂
Hehe same
I'm currently enjoying the free 1 month at Tomlin's school - definitely recommended to people. Winning that free year would be a dream come true as me and my partner are trying to live on half a single pension at the moment so money is more than tight.
When I taught guitar I used to tell my students '2 hours a day practice to improve, 2 hours a day for 2 years to get good'. I've only just started my harmonica journey but I suspect (something like) this advice will hold true.
And the key to motivation is to enjoy the noise you're making. If you don't enjoy that - find something else to do.
I think not only hours are matter, but how you spend them. Cause I’m pretty sure someone can spend 2 hours each day for two years and won’t come anywhere
@@Kirill_Ku agree very much. I said two hours 'practice'. That practice needs to be planned/focussed/guided/assessed etc.
That will get you there quickly for sure. As long as you are making regular investments into your practice you will keep getting better. It may be quicker or it may be slower but it's a marathon not a sprint :-)
I thought I was a bad player growing up, but my "teacher" was my uncle Charlie McCoy. And all he plays are Special 20's as do I in most of my videos. Love your stuff bro! Harmonically your friend...
Wow!!!
Thank's Tomlin really appreciated your advice. but like everything else you have to ''think out of the box '' and play Harp or Guitar with your soul and brain a bit like playing Blues or Jazz
I'm getting my harmonica today, and I'm going to try, thanks.
Thanks!
Wow thank you so much!!
I think this should bode well with your ventures.
Ps- I hope to catch up after a while.
Everything you said In this video it’s so spot on it’s not even funny. except for, I have not taken the harmonica out of my hand since last December pretty much, like it’s a problem. I always have it in my hand. I’ve lost and or damaged three special 20s. Also the whole part of not knowing whether I’m doing good or not is driving me nuts and keeping me held back. I have been taking you course so mind paying the monthly fee wasn’t a problem. I just I don’t know where I fell off. I seem to jump around on there quite a bit too. I need to get my ass back on enrollment ASAP . thank you so much for what you do.
Sounds like you are doing great Miles. Don't forget to post a recording for us to hear in the "Student Submissions" section.
Doing it by yourself is indeed the #1 thing that holds people back. This is especially true with people who are already musicians. I "taught myself" for a long time because I thought being a person with a music degree (and able to play many other instruments) indicated that I could handle the harp myself. Boy was I wrong! I took a lessons for a little less than a year from Winslow Yerxa. This was an inflection point on my playing, and in the two years that followed, my playing took a giant swing upward.
Then I started weekly playing sessions working on Jazz pieces with a Sax player. Again, massive improvements in my playing.
And I'll be starting some more lessons soon.
The difference it makes is so large that I could even say that it is the single biggest thing you can do to accelerate your progress.
Winslow is amazing!!
I'm a beginning student with the Tomlin school and the curriculum is really good. I'm about 6-8 weeks in and have learned a lot. That said, I learn a lesson, practice it, and get ready to record the "homework", and immediately choke while recording something I have learned pretty well. I haven't found the sweet spot yet where I can say, "Yeah, that's good enough" and just submit it for review. At least I get a lot more practice in while doing that! 😂
That's what happens to me all the time too. Stick with it - it becomes less of a problem the more you progress and the more comfortable you become (I'm at about a year now!)
Same it’s for me with violin and guitar. It’s a common issue. The trick is to understand that teachers know you won’t be perfect , and don’t expect it. Turn in what you have and move on.
I got 250 Harmonicas and play all of them at least once every 8 weeks. Blues are easy peasy !!!
Yes good advise
I learned country harmonica in the late 70s when it was everywhere. However, by the 90s it was pretty much gone.
Also, I learned before the Internet when you just started blowing and seeing if it sounded ok. Or playing along with an 8 track. Lolol
Yeah, In those days I jammed along with Little Walter and Charlie McCoy vinyl LP's until I got it right!
It really wasn't until three years after Terry McMillan died (he passed in 2007) that harmonica stopped appearing on the country records and now the only sense of harmonica on those songs are Dylan style. The 90s had strong harmonica players like Terry, Mickey Raphael, Jelly Roll Johnson, and even Travis Tritt's harmonica player (I can't remember his name) did a good job. Country harmonica isn't just about Charlie McCoy and playing fiddle tunes, you know.
@@goldenteledy2002 that's true. I liked whoever Willie Nelson s harmonica player was. Still, by the 90s, it was a lot less than the 60s and 70s.
Plus, by the 90s, country sucked. I was almost exclusively listening to bluegrass
Hello! I started 10 hole diatonic harmonica in C. Although I start with EASIEST HARMONICA BOOK by May ben. But which books should I follow for long time learning?
Yeah would love to win and surprise my dad with some good songs! My grandfather gave my dad his first harp and my dad gave me mine!
You're Terrific!
Jason!
Thanks bro!! You're Terrific too :-)
Just a word of advice. An East Top is just as good as an SP20 and costs less. It's not a perfect choice but it's in the top 5.
I'm a harp player. I perform monthly with The Brooklyners in NYC. Some years back I had some throat surgery done at Lenox Hill . I told the surgeon I was a harp player and asked if the procedure would hurt my playing. He said it wasn't and and asked me in a nice way why there are so many bad harp players around. I found the question really disturbing. I told him that harp is an easy instrument to play but hard to get good at. Years later I started playing with the blues community in NY and was one of a half dozen or so harp players that were regulars. The harp players were consistently the weak links on stage and played exclusivly in 2nd position. The ones I spoke to didn't know about any other position. So here you have hot shot guitar players all over the place and harp players bringing the whole sound down as soon as they start blowin'. A fine keyboard player on a break told me that he doesn't like harp players. He said that about as nicely as you could. Harp players need to students of the instrument. The bad news is there's lots of rotten players around. The good news is it's easy to move to a higher more musical level. Harp on!
I play an East top 008k always wondering where's all the O's At 😘
In my opinion, the problem is not that I'm not surrounded by blues players. There are just too many in that field. My biggest problem as a harmonica player is that I'm not surrounded by more Gen X and younger country players who like the same music that I do. The older crowd always wanted me to change to please them by telling me that I have to tongue block all the time and I should give up trying to sound like Terry McMillan, my favorite harmonica player, and imitate Charlie McCoy and Little Walter instead. I have my friend, Todd Parrott, but I feel like I need more people that have similar harmonica interests like mine.
Hi
can you suggest a small portable amp for playing 'clean', bot blues harmonica?
I play in pub folk sessions and need a little extra volume.
Thanks
Pete
I would probably just plug into the PA system and if there isn't one then I would look at getting an "Acoustic guitar amplifier" Something by Roland would be good.
I like the Peavey Solo. It's small, about 1ftx1ft, 6" thick. Battery powered (8 "D" batts.), has 2 mic inputs; 1 low imp. and 1 high imp. 1/4 " jacks. No reverb or echo, tho. I like taking it to jams where there isn't a 120v plug. A bit heavy, tho. I use it with a Shure 520DX "green bullet" mic. Hope this helps.
Hi - Any tips on practising harmonica if you live in a terrace house with paper thin walls and grumpy neighbours? And I don't have a car to practise in. cheers
I feel your pain - I used to practice on the roof of my apartment building. I would recommend doing a lot of listening practice when you can't actually play harmonica. Then, try practicing when you are out and about. I used to do a lot of practice walking around town. It's not ideal but it is better than not practicing.
Why do manjis low draw reeds(1-3) sound fuzzy or airy? I own 3 keys Eb, F, D, and an olive C and they all have the issue even after trying to gap them. I don't have this problem on hohner harmonicas.. is it a manji thing that their reeds are far less responsive and airy?
This is very common - the Manjis are extremely sensitive to any tension in your playing. They fight you. The solution is to work on relaxing as much as possible.
Easy , Big Walter ... Cat Squirrel, Cream and Deal the Cards , William Clark .
Sometimes I feel what's lacking is a curriculum for people who have been learning for a while. At that point it's still difficult to know how to keep progressing. There are lots of great courses for beginners but then...
There will be once more people get through the beginner stages :-)
There is no comparison between the amount of materials and craftsmanship that goes into a harmonica compared to a guitar or saxophone.
I wonder, is the "harmonica is the best-selling instrument" possibly misleading, since most players own a whole bunch of harps? People usually don't have 12 guitars (although I see you over there in the corner, Rick Beato).
To a certain degree, yes, but it's also something that is a popular gift.
but once you buy the guitar, all you need to do is replace the strings when needed, that's cheap compared to getting all the keys and buying new harps when they get off key.
I spend more on guitar strings each year then I do on harmonicas. I get my harmonicas retuned and repaired when they need to be.
Duke Ellington -"Django's incapable of playing a note that isn't pretty" there you go: the word's ok.
Much appreciated!
Not all of us harmonica players are blues players. Myself I'm into country harp.
Harmonica police, that made me go lfmao, and due to being on a tall bar chair, is very, veeeery dangerous 😂😂
Careful playing harmonica at the bar ;-)
@@TomlinHarmonica luckily, I was only drinking my coffee and smoking my cigarette. I am too unexperienced to play in publice due to "ear police" and even more due to "ear police brutality" 😎
Judging from the number of vids on TH-cam, It looks like we are surrounded by blues harmonica players.
Playing harp4yrs thn found out bt blw n draw.😊
I want to play better. I can play simple melodies and such, but blues is some sort of barrier for me to figure out. Don't know why, I have not the musical fantasi
Time and effort
I come from violin. A crossover is less than a set of strings for me
Amen!
The title of this video reminded me of something I've been wondering for years: Why are there no good female harp players? I've been a pro nightclub band harp player since 1972 and have never personally met a harp-playing woman. Not even a bad one! None! Why don't women want to play harmonica? By the way, one of my complaints about the high price of today's harps is that they don't last long and must be replaced often, especially if your really honk on them. Once you buy a good guitar, they basically last forever.
You need to dig a little deeper there's many very good female players
@@BrianKretschmer Okay fine. Who?
As somebody who has been playing the harmonica for 5 years and relating to the experience female harp players, I'd say it's because from being in the online harmonica space, a lot of the men and supposed "respected" players that I've met in the community are just straight up toxic. Don't get me wrong, there are many nice men in the harmonica world like in country and gospel harmonica scene (which is where I mostly hang out with) but it's mainly the older blues players who I have encountered that are the most toxic people. I don't know if they have had bad experiences in the past, but a lot of them have harassed me for liking Terry McMillan and wanting to sound like him, not like Charlie McCoy or Little Walter. One guy even made fun of me for being a bedroom musician who wants to be a session player as a career, and he didn't believe that I got bullied by him. Which is why I created my own harmonica group which is a safe space for people who often get discriminated by toxic players in the community. If you want to meet other female players, check out Female Harmonica Players on Facebook. A lot of the women there are super nice and understanding.
@@goldenteledy2002 Thanks for your input! Speaking of toxic, when I was first starting out back in the early 1970's, I was crazy about the blues. One evening I was sitting on a park bench by a beach, just wailin' away on my harp when a middle-aged black couple walked up an listened for a moment. Then the man launched into an angry tirade. "Betcha feel like you's back on the plantation, don'tcha Boy!" "You's sho got da blues in yo soul, don'tcha Boy!" His wife had to drag him away, still raging about what these days we would call "cultural appropriation" and how this white boy had no right to it.
I immediately realized he was right, and this Florida Cracker immediately switched to Country and never looked back, especially once I also mastered the fiddle. Stay away from MY music, Beyonce'
@@IMBrute-ir7gzIndiana Sfair
I wouldn't mind betting that Deford Baily or Noah Lewis never had lessons.
Consider that these guys weren't distracted by TV, TH-cam or any other modern distraction. DeFord Bailey came from a family of excellent fiddle players and also had polio as a kid, the only thing he could really do was play harmonica while bed ridden. While he probably never had lessons like the one Tomlin gives, he definitely had some guidence in regards to learning music.
Sales by unit... Comparing harmonica to a set of guitar strings or epectric bass strings would make more sense. 😉
They are expensive. If you get good you wear them out fast.
I've not worn out a harmonica in around 10 years
The holes are too small.
Drat missed it by a month or so lol
You must KNOW a tune, and not just know about a tune.
You should be able to whistle or hum it?
The average good, professional Blues harmonica player these days is boring to listen to imo. They can't even be a rhythm instrument really as well. They're just someone there that sits back till they can ride on what you're putting down. I do love harmonica but only if it's played by old harmonica players who are all dead now
lol who else thought they were gonna be taller? .
We are not surrounded by blues harmonica players, because there is a Jason Ricci. No need to
Easiest instrument, hardest to master.
After spending many years playing harmonica, I finally tired of being a 'one trick pony'.
There is more to being a musician than jumping up at a blues jam with a diatonic instrument and doing your thing.
Maybe you'll progress to guitar or some other instrument and learn the amazing diversity of music beyond The Blues.
I can understand where you’re coming from although I respectfully differ; you could try working playing harmonica in different styles( jazz, funk, rock ) and different positions, also if you’re willing to put in time you could take up the chromatic harmonica and play as brass/ woodwind instrument, cheers
That's why I play sooooo many instruments...😉👍🥳🎵
Except you play your grandma's piano but not her harmonica
This video was sponsered by T.L harmonica school! Why aren't people..? Because if they joined my school they could avoid those mistakes... I stopped watching when I got that the goal was to create an hidden ad...
Hopefully it's not hidden :-)
It's because nobody cares and Harmonica playing doesn't make money.