How to play harmonica with no hands!
In Sweden a harmonica is called a Munspel. Here’s crazy Filip Jers from Sweden showing us how to play harmonica with no hands…and read the paper at the same time.
Tack så mycket Filip. Thanks very much Filip.
I’m gonna make your life so sweet!
Time for some Bubblegum Pop. This is a style of music that was first enjoyed by children and teenagers in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Bubblegum music mixes catchy dance beats with sugar-sweet lyrics to make easy-listening, fun-time songs.
In 1969, a cartoon pop group called The Archies had a number one Bubblegum hit called Sugar, Sugar. It’s a great groove for the harmonica. So let’s put the pick’n’mix on hold and work on some real ear candy. (more…)
What do you call a group of four musicians?
Robbie stood up in class today and played a perfect rendition of the nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down. It was only his third week of learning the harmonica and he did really well.
“What do we call one musician playing alone?” asked the teacher. Lots of hands went up. The teacher pointed to one child. “Solo!” came the answer. “That’s quite right, well done you, and well done Robbie for being our very first soloist!” replied the teacher. (more…)
Robert McClung – Pigskin Parade (1936)
Welcome back to our crazy harmonicas series. This clip comes from the film Pigskin Parade made in 1936, which featured a young harmonica specialist called Robert McClung. Robert lived from 1920-1945.
At 16 years of age, watch Robert play a Fox Chase (mixing a galloping harmonica with the sound of baying fox hounds), use his nose to play harmonica, and demonstrate a harmonica steam train. No microphones, no amplifiers, just the amazing natural sounds of harmonica and human voice. Truly amazing
Don’t blame it on the sunshine
Now you’re hip to the groove and diggin’ it! Ok, ok, ok, getting down with the funk. Time to check out the lead part dudes.
This takes two forms. The chorus and the verse. Basically the bit that goes before the A-ha, Aha’s and over the chord accompaniment we learned in part 3. Ok, let’s keep on truckin’
Yeah they were dancin’ and singin’
Well now we’re really motorvatin’. We’ve worked out the chorus and the intro, so now it’s time to learn a chord accompaniment to fit behind the verses.
This won’t take long at all. You just have to play some long notes and keep to the beat. Let’s get movin’ to the groovin’. (more…)