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The Most Important Thing In Music!

August 29, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be talking about The Most Important Thing In Music!

Don’t take it so seriously

It is really important to remember that the verb we use for doing music is “play”. We forget this a lot of the time and take it far too seriously.

Here are some ideas to help you have more fun with the instrument:-

1. Having Fun is Succeeding

2. You’re Not Too Old To Start or Improve

3. It Doesn’t Have To Be Perfect

4. Look After Yourself

5. Be Supportive

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

The post The Most Important Thing In Music! appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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Busking Tips for Harmonica Players (and Other Musicians!) feat. Harry Higgs!

September 5, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be joined by my buddy Harry to talk about how to get started busking and some tips for making the most of it!

What is busking?

When you see musicians on the street playing/practicing for money; that is busking!

Gear required

• Guitarist and Guitar

All of the links below will take you straight to Amazon where you an buy the gear mentioned in the video. I get a small affiliate commission if you do this.

• Battery Powered Amplifier

I highly recommend using some kind of battery-powered amplifier. The one that I use is the Roland Street Cube Amplifier

• Shure SM58 Vocal Microphone

Singing as well as playing harmonica is an excellent way to busk so I would recommend getting a vocal microphone like the Shure SM58 which you can use for both. It won’t give you that fat ‘Chicago’ sound but it will sound nice and clean!

• XLR microphone cable

You will also need a microphone cable to plug your microphone into the amplifier. Here is one you can get straight from Amazon – XLR cable.

P.S. You might also need a mic stand if you are not comfortable holding the microphone but this is not essential.

Top Tips

1. Be Courteous!

2. Give People The Choice To Not Listen To You

3. Great Way To Test New Material

4. Don’t Take It So Seriously

5. If It Feels Good, Keep Doing It

6. Don’t Worry About The Money

7. Always Share The Money Equally

8. Agree On A Key

Get out there!

Busking is the most fun thing you can do as a musician. Think of it as “Music in the wild”. It doesn’t matter how good you are, it will be a great experience for you.

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

The post Busking Tips for Harmonica Players (and Other Musicians!) feat. Harry Higgs! appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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Beginner Harmonica Lesson ‘Happy Birthday’ on C harmonica

September 12, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be showing you how to play Happy Birthday in 1st position in the upper octave.

You will need a harmonica in the key of C, and we will be playing in 1st position in the key of C.

Beginner Lesson

This is a nice easy tune for a beginner harmonica player to learn. However, be careful about hitting those high notes. They require less air pressure than the lower notes.

The other thing that you need to practice is jumping between holes that are not adjacent to each other accurately.

Lick 1

Lick 2

Lick 3

Lick 4

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

Want some help with the harmonica?

Check out my online Harmonica School where I will provide you with step-by-step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! Click here to find out more…

The post Beginner Harmonica Lesson ‘Happy Birthday’ on C harmonica appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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Tongue Blocking vs Lip Pursing…

September 19, 2018, 8:59 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be talking about Tongue Blocking and Lip Pursing.

I will tell you the pros and cons of each and why it might be useful to develop a “hybrid” approach to playing…

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

Want some help with the harmonica?

Check out my online Harmonica School where I will provide you with step-by-step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! Click here to find out more…

The post Tongue Blocking vs Lip Pursing… appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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Tomlin answers questions from the Youtube comments…

September 26, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica lesson where I will be answering some questions that I have received in the YouTube comments.

Here are the questions

Question 1

Tomlin, I just started playing not long ago and my problem is that my mouth hurts. I have problems keeping the strength up in my lips, it feels like my lip muscles are getting cramps! Is that normal?

Question 2

I want to ask which harmonica is good for beginners – Special 20 standard tuning or Special 20 country tuning?

Question 3

If playing the riff in 2nd position ‘E’ on an ‘A’ harp, why not play straight from first position on an ‘E’ harp? Am I missing something? I ask this because my main harmonicas are chromatic, I tend to primarily play straight harp.

Question 4

How many and in which key harmonicas should I have?

Question 5

I’m a pianist and when I play ‘Piano Man’ with a harmonica stand am I playing it wrong if I’m using that?

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope you found it useful. If you did, I would really appreciate you sharing it on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

Want some help with the harmonica?

Check out my online Harmonica School where I will provide you with step-by-step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! Click here to find out more…

The post Tomlin answers questions from the Youtube comments… appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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The River by Bruce Springsteen Harmonica Lesson

October 3, 2018, 9:00 am
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Advanced Beginner Level LessonHello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be showing you how to play the intro to The River by Bruce Springsteen.

You will need a harmonica in the key of D, and we will be playing in 3rd position in the key of E minor.

Lick 1

Slow

Lick 2

Slow

Play-through

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Change to schedule

As I mentioned in the video I will be uploading a new lesson every two weeks instead of every week so I’ll see you in two weeks time!

The post The River by Bruce Springsteen Harmonica Lesson appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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1st How to play Karma Chameleon by Culture Club on harmonica

November 1, 2018, 10:00 am
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Ask Tomlin Harmonica Questions 7/11/18

November 7, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica lesson where I will be answering some questions that I have received in the YouTube comments.

If you have your own questions that you want me to answer just post them as a comment under the YouTube video.

Here are the questions

Question 1

They say there are no stupid questions. Ha! When do you play Hi G versus Lo G Harp?

Question 2

Could you tell us what to Buy as a second harmonica (I know it’s mostly about the money, the easiest way to buy all 12 keys)

Question 3

What is swelling? And what are you suppose to do when it happens on a harmonica???

Question 4

About how long would you say it typically takes to become an “advanced intermediate?”

Question 5

Hello Tomlin, As always, thank you. I have a C an A and a G harp, well, a couple of each, and I was looking to get a D. My girlfriend had given me a Suzuki C harp a couple of years ago which I love. I like the feel and the sound, just everything about it. Anyway, she knew I was looking to get the D harp and she surprised on my birthday again, but it is a Suzuki Manji D minor. What a different sound it has, and obviously doesn’t do well with the D songs I’ve been wanting to put into my repertoire. I don’t know a lot about the technicalities of music and I was wondering if you could give me the shortened version of the difference.

Question 6

What harmonica are you using?

Question 7

I found a old Honer G Marine Band harmonica but it has 12 holes! It’s about 25 years old . What kind of harmonica is this and can I use it for anything ? ??

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope you found it useful. If you did, I would really appreciate you sharing it on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

Want some help with the harmonica?

Check out my online Harmonica School where I will provide you with step-by-step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! Click here to find out more…

The post Ask Tomlin Harmonica Questions 7/11/18 appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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3 Tips For Practicing Away from The Harmonica

November 21, 2018, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson. I’ve had a cold for the last few days and haven’t been able to put a harmonica in my mouth without feeling really gross. So, I thought it would be a good time to do a lesson on how to practice away from the instrument.

1) Listen to music (actively)

2) Visualise the instrument and imagine yourself playing it

3) Try transcribing music without touching the harmonica

Cognitively challenging

All of these practice techniques are challenging for your brain. This is because they are very powerful and should definitely form part of your regular practice routine.

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica lesson!

The post 3 Tips For Practicing Away from The Harmonica appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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What kind of harmonica player are you?

December 5, 2018, 9:30 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be talking about the two different kinds of harmonica student – creative or analytical.

I’m specifically going to give you some ideas for how to approach improvising over a 12 Bar Blues depending on what kind of person you are.

You will need a harmonica in the key of C, and we will be playing in 2nd position in the key of G.

Analytical Players

If you are an analytical person;

– Start with root notes and 1/4 notes
– Add in the 3 draw half step bend
– Experiment with one lick over each of the chords to hear how it sounds in different contexts

Creative Players

If you are a creative person;

– Start with root notes over each chord and improvise what rhythm you are using
– Pick 4 notes from the Blues Scale and noodle with them
– Play a lick and mess around with it

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you on the 19th December for a Live Q and A and a celebration of 2018!

The post What kind of harmonica player are you? appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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What’s happening with Tomlin Harmonica in 2019?

January 16, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2019 and I thought I would tell you a little bit about what I have been working on and what I have planned for 2019.

2019 Edinburgh Harmonica Workshop

I’m so excited about organising the 2019 Edinburgh Harmonica Workshop. I will have the great pleasure of teaching and performing alongside Lee Sankey, Ronnie Shellist and Liam Ward.

The workshop takes place from 19th to 21st July 2019 in Edinburgh Scotland.

Find out more about my workshops in this video…

Click here to find out more about booking your place.

Thank you

Thank you so much for watching this video. I would love to hear your thoughts about this kind of content.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post What’s happening with Tomlin Harmonica in 2019? appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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8 Bar Blues Harmonica Backing Track in G

January 23, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica video which is a backing track for you to play along to.

Info

Key: G

BPM: 120

Chord Progression:

I – V – IV – IV
I – V – I – V

Harmonicas You Can Use:

C harmonica in 2nd Position
F harmonica in 3rd Position
G harmonica in 1st Position

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post 8 Bar Blues Harmonica Backing Track in G appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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28 Day Harmonica Practice Challenge

January 30, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello, I hope you’ve had a good harmonica week?

I’ve been busy preparing for a very intensive February…

For the whole month of February I will be practicing 3 hours per day to get better in the Upper Octave. Watch the video to find out more…

Challenge Facebook Group

If you are NOT a student of my Online Harmonica School, I recommend that you join the ’28 Day Harmonica Practice Challenge’ Facebook group. You will be able to see what everyone else is working on and post your own personal goals and update videos. Click here to join now.

Harmonica School Student?

If you are a student at the Online Harmonica School then you can log into the forum and join the 28-Day-Practice Challenge Section where I will be giving personalised feedback on your practice.

Thank you

Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, please Share it on your favourite platforms (it really helps my search rankings if you do this)

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post 28 Day Harmonica Practice Challenge appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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How to play Happy Birthday (1st position) Lower Octave C harmonica – Good Bending Practice

February 6, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be teaching you how to play Happy Birthday.

This is excellent practice for your bends in the lower octave!

You will need a harmonica in the key of C, and we will be playing in 1st position in the key of C.

Line 1

Line 2

Line 3

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post How to play Happy Birthday (1st position) Lower Octave C harmonica – Good Bending Practice appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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12 Bar Blues (Quick Change) Fast Swing Harmonica Backing Track in G

February 13, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica video which is a fun 12 Bar Blues backing track for you to play along to. It is a fast swing style and features a quick change. A quick change simply means that you go to the IV chord in bar 2 for one bar then you go back to a I chord in bar 3. From there, everything is normal…

It is super speedy which is a good challenge. Although, I would advise that you don’t have to play quick notes over it. It is sometimes nice to play longer held notes when the band are playing something really fast!

Info

Key: G

BPM: 150

Chord Progression:

I – IV – I – I
IV – IV – I – I
V – IV – I – I

Harmonicas You Can Use:

C harmonica in 2nd Position
F harmonica in 3rd Position
G harmonica in 1st Position

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post 12 Bar Blues (Quick Change) Fast Swing Harmonica Backing Track in G appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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Tongue Blocking for Lip Pursers!

February 20, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be showing you how to add some Tongue Blocking into your playing if you are a Lip Purser!

Full disclosure – I am a lip purser and I just use tongue blocking for extra textures in my playing. If you want to do the same then this lesson is for you. If, on the other hand, you want to be a Tongue Blocker full-time then you might want to head to a more detailed lesson from David Barrett over at http://www.bluesharmonica.com.

You will need a harmonica in the key of C, and we will be playing in 2nd position in the key of G.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4


Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post Tongue Blocking for Lip Pursers! appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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How to play The River (solo) by Bruce Springsteen on D harmonica

February 27, 2019, 9:00 am
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Advanced Beginner Level LessonHello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be teaching you how to play The River (solo) by Bruce Springsteen.

You will need a harmonica in the key of D, and we will be playing in 3rd position in the key of Em.

Line 1

Slow

Line 2

Slow

Line 3

Slow

Line 4

Slow

Line 5

Slow

Line 6

Slow

Full playthrough


Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post How to play The River (solo) by Bruce Springsteen on D harmonica appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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The Result of 28 Days of Practice

March 6, 2019, 9:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica video where I will be telling you how I did with my 28-day practice challenge in February!

Thank you

Thank you so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, please Share it on your favourite platforms (it really helps my search rankings if you do this)

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post The Result of 28 Days of Practice appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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12 Bar Blues Boogie Harmonica Backing Track in E

March 13, 2019, 10:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s harmonica video which is a 12 bar blues boogie harmonica backing track for you to play along to.

Info

Key: E

BPM: 170

Chord Progression:

I – I – I – I
IV – IV – I – I
V – IV – I – I

Harmonicas You Can Use:

A harmonica in 2nd Position
D harmonica in 3rd Position
E harmonica in 1st Position

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post 12 Bar Blues Boogie Harmonica Backing Track in E appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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How to play “Allergic to work” by Pat Ramsey on D harmonica

March 20, 2019, 10:00 am
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Hello and welcome to this week’s lesson, where I will be teaching you how to play the intro to “Allergic to work” by Pat Ramsey on D harmonica.

You will need a harmonica in the key of D and we are playing in 2nd position in the key of A.

Lick 1

Slow

Lick 2

Slow

Lick 3

Slow

Lick 4

Slow

Full Playthrough Slow

Full Playthrough Full Speed

Thank you

Thank you so much for taking part in this lesson. I hope it was useful for you. If you enjoyed it please feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

See you next Wednesday for the next harmonica video!

The post How to play “Allergic to work” by Pat Ramsey on D harmonica appeared first on Tomlin Harmonica Lessons.

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