User:Nacoran/Portal:Blues harmonica
BLUES HARMONICA PORTAL
Welcome to wikipedia's portal on Blues Harmonica.
Blues Harmonica is a harmonica genre based on the blues scale, often played in the twelve bar style. Blues harmonica is usually played on the ten-hole Richter-tuned harmonica, as opposed to the chromatic or tremolo harmonica, although some virtuoso players play blues on more than one type of harmonica.
Blues on the harmonica are most typically played in the second position, that is, using the 2 draw as the root of the key, followed by the 3 draw bend (Blue Third), the 4 blow, the 4 draw bend, the 4 draw, the 5 draw and the 6 blow.
The Twelve Bar chord progression is:
I I I I
IV I V I
V IV I I/V (Turnaround)
Basics
- Harmonica
- Blues scale
- Twelve-bar blues
- Richter tuning
- Richter-tuned_harmonica
- Tablature#Harmonica tab
What is a Harmonica?
- Aerophone
- Mouth organ
- Brass#Brass Types
- Diatonic harmonica
- Tremolo harmonica
- Chromatic_harmonica
- Hohner#Other harmonica types
Performance
Harps & Manufacturers
The history of the harmonica as we know it started in Europe in the early part of the 19th century. Its production quickly expanded to the rest of the world and this reality is reflected in the list of manufacturers:
- Hohner - A German manufacturer and probably the most well known
- C. A. Seydel Söhne - A German manufacturer, founded in 1847, the longest continuously operated manufacturer of harmonicas
- Tombo - A Japanese manufacturer, known for its Lee Oskar line
- Suzuki - A well know Japanese manufacturer with many different product lines
- Bushman - An American manufacturer
- Hering - A Brazilian manufacturer
- Huang - A Chinese manufacturer
Prominent Players
- Howlin Wolf 1910-1976
- Sonny Boy Williamson II ????-1965
- Sonny Terry 1911-1986
- Sonny Boy Williamson I 1914-1948
- Big Walter Horton 1917-1981
- George Harmonica Smith 1924-1983
- Big Mama Thornton 1926-1984
- Little Walter 1930-1968
- Junior Wells 1934-1998
- James Cotton 1935-
- Paul Butterfield 1942-1987
- Charlie Musselwhite 1944-
- Magic Dick 1945-
- Rod Piazza 1947-
- Lee Oskar 1948-
- Sugar Blue 1949-
- Kim Wilson 1951-
- Howard Levy 1951-
- Billy Branch 1951-
- Nat Riddles 1952-1991
- Adam Gussow 1958-
- Carlos del Junco 1958-
- Son of Dave 1967-
- John Popper 1967-
- Jason Ricci 1974-
Learning & Teaching Harmonica
Blues Harmonica Techniques
There are several different ways to separate play individual notes on the harmonica. There are essentially embouchure that use the lip to select an individual note, lip pursing and lip blocking and embouchures that use the tongue to select the individual note, tongue blocking and U-blocking, and several variations that use a combination of different techniques.
Gear & Equipment
Gear and equipments play an important role in Blues Harmonica, after all the sound of blues harmonica is highly characterized by the use of a bullet microphone and a tube amplifier.
Tabs & Backing Tracks
Customizing & Repair
Harmonica customizing and repair plays an important role in the Blues Harmonica community. Contrary to many other instruments, the harmonica is often mass-produced and it is almost impossible to buy a hand-made harmonica from a major supplier. These harmonica, as they come out of the factory, are rarely prepared with the attention necessary to satisfy a professional player. Most players have learn how to disassemble their instrument and modify them in a way that make them sound better, more responsive and generally better instruments.
The customizing process involves many different techniques:
- Reed embossing
- Gapping
- Arcing
- Comb sealing for wooden combs
- Tuning
Featured Article
Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), was an American blues harmonica player whose revolutionary technique has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix[1] for its innovation and impact on succeeding generations. His virtuosity and musical innovations fundamentally altered many listeners' expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica.[2] Little Walter's body of work earned him a spot in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008[3][4] making him the only artist ever to be inducted specifically for his work as a harmonica player.
Harmonica Community
Positions & Music Theory
- ^ Glover, Dirks, & Gaines. Blues With A Feeling - The Little Walter Story, Routledge Press, 2002
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Allmusic Bio
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Material Girl becomes a Hall of Famer, MSNBC, December 13, 2007
- ^ Little Walter's official entry into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2008,