Sophomore Year

The beginning stage has passed, and you are becoming a player worth hearing. This year further develops the techniques needed for this.

You should now be playing melodies, the beginning tunes in particular. This year will build upon this initial repertoire. You will learn a common tune structure, known as "AABB". Once this is understood, new tunes will be much easier to learn.

Blues improvisation requires the notes (and tone) which come from bending. Freshman year introduced bending, this year teaches the essential bends needed for blues. You may now be seeking musical partners to play blues and other music with. There is a set of backing tracks to help prepare you for this.

The computer is an important tool for musicians, particularly for recording. You may wish to begin recording yourself, along with the backing tracks on the tunes page. Details of computer based recording are here. While the harmonica is known mostly in blues and traditional music, it also works well with other music types. for example, try playing with these hip hop beats.

All musicians love shopping. It is best to know what to buy, as unused items leave a hole in your pocket, preventing needed purchases. Look at the shopping list to see our recommendations.

Most people find learning an instrument difficult to begin with. However, once you start, it is hard to stop playing. Hopefully you have reached this stage, if so, you wil be a musician for life.

Tunes Lessons

Blues Lessons

Shopping List