2025

THE 12 BAR BLUES


Build up your in breathe with this:


1) DRAW

2) DRAW DRAW

3) DRAW DRAW BLOW

4) DRAW DRAW DRAW BLOW DRAW


 Take your time ..... if you need to miss out any bars... do so.

Use the 'SLOW' blues track below.


Please remember to do what you can!

If it is too much 'STOP'

If you start coughing 'STOP'



COUNTRY POP GUITAR TRACK



use a C MAJOR harmonica

JAMMING ON THE HARMONICA!


TRY THIS.     -4    4     -3    3     -3      3     -1


Note: Mix these notes up... Long notes short notes etc

SLOW BLUES TRACK

Use a C MAJOR HARMONICA



TRY THIS -  (1) D D B D x 4    (2) B B D B x 2   (3) D D B D x2    (4) WAIL x 1         

                                    (5) B B D B x 1     (6)  D D B D x 1    (7) WAIL x 1


IMPROVISATION


JAM in DM (3rd POSTION)


HOLES

  4 -4   5 -5   6 -6


TRY THIS : -4 5 -5 6 -6



Roman Numerals can help us with the chord progression of the blues!


Please have a look at the page opposite .... We use 3 chords in the blues... these chords are played in various ways for all different structures of the Blues.


All we need to know is this ...  please not a minus sign means to DRAW


I     =  (-1 -2 -3) played together

IV  =  (1  2  3 )                "

V  =   (-4 -5 -6) The Wail          "


I have also included the C Major Scale ... try and practice this everyday!


We will learn lots of different examples of how the blues is played throughout our sessions together.


I have not showed the chords ( C , G etc...) on purpose... you can then play this on any harmonica in any Key.


If we use roman numerals as a map then this will help us to play riffs and licks in future sessions!


Richard Taylor joined us for a session on the harmonica - here is the video of that session!

Below I have also added backing tracks and the sheets for download (see below)


We learnt these musical  phrases


Crescendo - Gradually getting louder

Diminuendo - Gradually getting quieter

Staccato - To bounce

Legato - Played smoothly


Arrows in Harmonica Music


"Arrows" are another way of knowing how to breathe in harmonica playing.

Arrow up means - blow

Arrow down means - draw

Its confusing at first but take your time to get use to this method... it can be very useful as some books use this!




Please note: that he is not a Harmonica For Lung Health leader and please do what you can and work on little parts of this workshop.