Chords for Country-blues style [HARMONICA LESSON]

_ Hey everybody, Alex Paklin is here.
Today's lesson is gonna be dedicated to country style of
harmonica playing.
How to play in this style?
What you're gonna need?
How it's gonna sound?
What techniques are involved?
All of that we're gonna cover in this video.
So I'm gonna give you the list of main characteristics of
country blues harmonica playing as I understand it.
So the first one would be second position.
_ Just as blues
country music is often played, I mean almost always played in second position
because it has the most useful bends.
I'm gonna demonstrate it on A harmonica.
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _
Major _ _ _ _ pentatonic.
Major pentatonic is one of the most important things when you play country.
[E] It's a very happy and at the same time bluesy scale.
Five notes involved. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G#m] _ _ _ [C#m] _ [B] _ _ [C#m] _ [D#] _
_ So as you may [E] or may not know,
the steps that major pentatonic involve are one two three
five six
so _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ one
_ _ [F#] five _ [G#m] _ _
and [G] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [C]
the same in all octaves.
_ [G#] _ _ [D] _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G#m] _ [E] _ _ _ [G#m] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ So _ as you can see just by playing this scale I already have something
country sound-ish, especially if I add bends.
_ [G#m] _ _ _ [A] _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Bending the third hole.
It is one more distinctive feature that
_ always comes across in the country music.
I already played it a bunch of times.
Yeah, it sounds like this. _
_ _ [E] _ [N] So _ _ _ _ it's kind of a moaning sound.
At the same time it sounds bluesy and it has that flavor of country music. _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ Then double stops.
Double stops are usually played on holes like three and four. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Imitating the steam train sound but it can be played on four five as well. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Sounds more bluesy though, but sometimes it can be used.
And of course you can use the chords which are one and four on the bottom of harmonica.
Inhaling and exhaling. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[F#m] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [N] _ Then something that I would call kissing a harmonica.
It sounds like this. _
_ _ _ And it's done just exactly the same way as you do the kiss.
Put your lips together,
release it and inhale fast.
_ _ _ [B] _ It can give you a cool texture when you play chords.
_ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [C#] _ _ _ [F#] _ [E] _ _
_ _ [C#m] _ _ _ [N] _ Growling.
This is a sound which is similar to what you produce when you snore.
On inhale it's done on single holes usually on bends.
Good for creating an expressive sound and it sounds like this.
_ _ _ [C#m] _ _ _ _ [Em] _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [N] Imitating the steam train _ _ [E] _ _ [B] _ _ [N] _
_ _ sound.
So I'm gonna play an example for you and we're gonna break down the phrases that I played.
Here we go. _
_ [G] _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [Em] _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ [G] _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ [Am] _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ [D] _ [Em] _ [A] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ [Em] _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ [Gm] _ [D] _ [Em] _ _
[A] _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ [Em] _ [D] _ _ [G] _ [A] _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ All right, so now let's break down the phrases that I played.
So there were phrases like this.
_ _ [D#m] _ [C] _ _ _ By the way, I'm playing the D harmonica.
_ _ _ [C#m] _ [C#] _ _
[F] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [G#m] _ _
_ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _
You can play something like this.
[N] _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [G] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[C#] _ _ _ [C#m] _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Something like this.
_ _ _ _ _ [B] _
_ _ [E] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [B] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
[E] _ [N] You can use patterns like this. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ You can also play circulated phrases like this.
_ [E] Also _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C#m] _ _ [N] _ _ _ _ _
one more thing to say.
Which artists would you listen?
So the first name that comes to my mind is
Charlie McCoy.
He plays very traditional country harmonica style.
Very clean and he has very distinctive licks.
Then check out players like Wayne Rainey,
D.
Ford Bailey, Mike Stevens and if you can think of somebody else write it down in the comments.
So I hope you liked the lesson.
Press like if you enjoyed, subscribe, contact if you wish to get a private lesson.
But for now,