Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast

There's a classic Little Walter lick you love, and it's miles above your level. Do you leave it alone, or do you simplify it? In this episode Pete and I work out how to do that without wrecking the tune. Pete has been transcribing recognisable blues harmonica riffs and running into the same wall a lot of players hit - the music he wants to play sits above the skills he has right now. So we go through how to strip a lick back to something playable today. Taking the textures out first and playing the clean notes, simplifying a run of triplets down to the note that lands on the beat, and recognising that most heads are already 80% within reach with only a small section that needs a tweak. We also talk about the fear that simplifying will burn in bad muscle memory, why picking repertoire just outside your comfort zone beats brute-forcing a tune that's years away, and the "listen once, play once" approach I got from David Barrett for when your transcription gets so detailed you've forgotten what the music sounds like. Pete shares what he's found digging into "All Night Long" by Muddy Waters, including the call and response happening between the harmonica, the guitar and the vocal. If you're an adult player somewhere between beginner and intermediate who wants to play real blues rather than wait until you're ready, this one is for you. ⏱ Audio Chapters 0:00 – Pete's question: can you simplify classic blues riffs? 2:20 – Is it okay to simplify a tune? 4:40 – Taking the textures out first 5:21 – Simplifying the rhythm 7:10 – Will simplifying burn in bad habits? 8:06 – Picking repertoire at the right level 9:28 – When you over-analyse your transcription 10:35 – Listen once, play once 12:18 – Learning "All Night Long" by Muddy Waters 15:16 – Call and response between harmonica, guitar and vocals This episode is brought to you by the ever-growing Tomlin Harmonica School - where you get a proper step-by-step curriculum, real feedback from real teachers on your own playing, and a genuinely warm community of fellow Harmonicats. Try it free for 7 days at https://bit.ly/4xnYev7

Triplets make sense on their own, then you drop them into a tune and your mouth ties itself in a knot. Phil has hit exactly that, so in this episode we take it right back to basics. Phil is working through the Advanced Beginner course and can play triplets in a scale all day, but the moment they land in a musical context he panics and rushes them. When he plays for me, the first thing we spot is that what he's playing isn't actually a triplet at all - it's eighth notes, and you can hear it in where the accent falls. So we slow right down, count "one triplet, two triplet, three triplet", and strip the scale out entirely, just playing four blow, four draw, four draw with a proper triplet feel until the pulse is solid. We also talk about how many reps something really takes to move from conscious to unconscious, why getting some movement in your body helps you lock into the beat, and one practice detail that makes a big difference - building pauses into your repetitions so you practise hitting it from the start rather than always needing a run-up. If your timing falls apart the moment you put a technique into a tune, this one is for you. ⏱ Audio Chapters 0:00 – Phil's question: triplets fall apart in a musical context 2:55 – How many reps it really takes 4:50 – Where the two licks join 5:45 – Phil plays the blues scale in triplets 6:21 – That's not a triplet, it's eighth notes 6:49 – Slowing down and counting yourself in 7:41 – Stripping it back to three notes 8:15 – Getting movement in your body 10:04 – The metronome is your first musical context 10:26 – Why you should build breaks into your practice This episode is brought to you by the ever-growing Tomlin Harmonica School - where you get a proper step-by-step curriculum, real feedback from real teachers on your own playing, and a genuinely warm community of fellow Harmonicats. Try it free for 7 days at https://bit.ly/4gTxSei

Second position sounding strained once you climb above hole six? In this "Ask Tomlin" episode I help student Robert smooth out his upper octave major pentatonic scale. In this Ask Tomlin episode I sit down with student Robert, who's started exploring second position blues harmonica up in the high end - holes six through ten - and can't get his major pentatonic scale sounding as sweet as he'd like. He describes the airflow up there as a different beast entirely, and when a note doesn't come out clean it genuinely gives him a headache. We work through why the 6 draw feels so much more strained than the 6 blow, and I explain the physics behind it - your vocal cavity needs to shrink as you climb higher, the same way you'd tune a resonating chamber. I also show Robert how switching to a lower key harmonica, like a G, makes the upper octave far easier to access while he builds confidence, before working back up through A and eventually C. We finish on tongue blocking technique for the high end, including which side of your mouth to play from, and a simple daily practice plan for anyone finding the top of the harmonica unfamiliar territory. ⏱ Audio Chapters 0:00 – Robert's struggle with the upper octave major pentatonic scale 0:31 – What's the one thing to work on today? 1:19 – Robert plays the high end for the first time 2:21 – Getting the 6 draw sounding as good as the 6 blow 4:36 – The physics behind why high notes feel so tight 6:16 – Why it's okay to feel like a beginner again 6:54 – Using different harmonica keys to build up gradually 9:44 – Tongue blocking: which side of your mouth to use 13:07 – A practice plan for owning the upper octave This podcast is brought to you by the ever-growing Tomlin Harmonica School - where you get a proper step-by-step curriculum, real feedback from real teachers on your own playing, and a genuinely warm community of fellow Harmonicats. Try it free for 7 days at https://bit.ly/3RJKzA5

Struggling with the 2 draw whole step bend on your lower key harmonicas? It's not a small mouth problem and it's not a talent problem - it's completely normal. In this coaching call I work with Patti, one of my students, on getting her 2 draw whole step bend working on the B flat and A harmonicas. We start on the C and straight away hit a useful lesson about bending apps - handy at first, but leaning on them stops you trusting your ears. Then I explain why low key harmonicas are harder to bend: you're tuning your vocal cavity to the note you want, and the lower the harmonica, the bigger that cavity has to be. Think of the C as your easy dumbbell, the B flat as the next weight up and the A as the one you're building towards. It's not about power - it's about finding the position and getting comfortable holding it. We finish with a simple practice plan for working down through the keys - perfect if you can bend on your C but come unstuck when you play lower harmonicas with other people. ⏱ Audio Chapters 0:00 – What we're working on in this coaching call 0:22 – Patti's problem: the 2 draw bend on lower keys 1:35 – Testing the bend on the C harmonica 2:08 – Why you should wean yourself off bending apps 3:19 – Why low key harmonicas are harder to bend 4:55 – The dumbbell analogy: building bending strength 6:24 – Trying the bend on the B flat 8:00 – Trying the bend on the A 9:23 – A simple practice plan for lower key bends 12:32 – From practising alone to playing with other people This podcast is brought to you by the ever-growing Tomlin Harmonica School - where you get a proper step-by-step curriculum, real feedback from real teachers on your own playing, and a genuinely warm community of fellow Harmonicats. Try it free for 7 days at https://bit.ly/4hA2CD1

► WIN one year of tuition at Tomlin Harmonica School AND a Hohner Special 20 in C https://kingsumo.com/g/1dy2e91/back-to-school-blues-harmonica-giveaway/     In the sixth (and final) episode of this series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be talking about the reason that most people never learn how to play Blues harmonica despite it being the biggest selling instrument on the planet.     ❤️ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode!   —————————————————————————   STAY CONNECTED! 🔗   👋 Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomlinharmonicalessons 👋 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomlinharmonicalessons   ► Tomlin's Free Blues Harmonica Toolkit https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/blues-harmonica-toolkit

In the fifth episode of this series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be telling you the 3 mistakes I see everyone making when they start learning harmonica. Avoid these mistakes and improve faster!!  

There is a lot of arguing online about lip pursing vs tongue blocking on harmonica. As a beginner harmonica player I think it is really important that you understand the difference between the two and why you might want to learn both. In this episode I will explain the difference between the two, the advantages of both and how to pick which one to learn first!

In the third episode of the series for Beginner Harmonica players, I’ll be answering the question “are you too old to learn harmonica?”. I’ll also be sharing some tips from some of my older students.

A lot of people think that they don’t like the Blues or that they just want to play a few simple tunes on the harmonica BUT I think that everyone should learn Blues Harmonica and this episode will tell you exactly why.  

This is the first episode of a short podcast series for Beginner Harmonica players. Today I’ll be telling you the things you should know before you start learning harmonica.   ► Which harmonica should you start with? A 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C major. I recommend a Hohner Special 20. ► FREE Harmonica Foundations Course https://foxly.link/p5ugYk   ❤️ Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode!     —————————————————————————   🔥 JOIN OUR HARMONICA SCHOOL & COMMUNITY   ► FREE 14-day trial at Tomlin Harmonica School. If you want to learn Blues Harmonica quickly and easily then you should check out my online harmonica school.   Click here for a 14-day free trial NOW -> https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/harmonica-school-page —————————————————————————   STAY CONNECTED! 🔗   👋 Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomlinharmonicalessons 👋 Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomlinharmonicalessons   ► Tomlin's Free Blues Harmonica Toolkit https://tomlinharmonicaschool.com/p/blues-harmonica-toolkit