Jason Ricci Workshop April 21, 2009

Photos from the workshop

Photos from the workshop

All of us who were at the workshop experienced a unique harmonica extravaganza. Jason was in fine form for 5 hours of harmonica instruction, discussion, storytelling, philosophizing, and marvelous examples of playing. You name it and he covered it, beginning with basic 12 bar structure and ending "round midnight" with an explanation of his rig.

There is no way to cover 5 hours worth of material on this blog but in outline form, here goes:

Code:
/ / is the marking for one bar usually 4 beats
2 draw note
4+ blow note
3b single bent
3bb 2 step bend
2+__5+ is a chord (block holes 3 and 4)

12 Bar Blues Structure


2nd position:

2 / 2 / 2 / 2
4+ / 4+ / 2 / 2
4 / 4+ / 2 / 2


2nd position "harmony" or 12 bars on one hole

3 / 3 / 3 / 3
3b / 3b / 3 / 3
3bb/ 3b / 3 / 3


3rd position

4 / 4 / 4 / 4
2 / 2 / 4 / 4
6 / 6+ or 2/ 4 / 4
2+5+

the 2+5+ is an alternative chord to be played over 9th bar (usually the V chord)


Pentatonic and Blues Scales


Cross Harp Pentatonic

2 3b 4+ 4 5 6+


Cross Harp Blues Scale

2 3b 4+ 4b 4 5 6+ notice that the difference is only the bent 4


1st Position Pentatonic

4+ 4overblow 5 6+ 6overblow 7


3rd Position Pentatonic

4 5 6 + 6 7+ 8 1b 2bb 3bbb 4overblow


Ladder Playing

6+
5
4
4+
3b
2

start somewhere and go up one, then down two,etc.


Hopefully,this should make some sense for those of you who were there. I recorded the session but don't hold your breath. Perhaps, in the future a few volunteers can divide up the audio, edit it, and then we'll compile it.