Greetings and thanks for taking the time to check out my question!
I’ve been practicing everyday for about half a year with Luke’s playlists and am have found rhythms from Ronnie Shillet to be what I enjoy most. (Back porch blues, chugging in A/G).
My situation is that I can really get into the rhythms and my timing is decent, but those empty fills where I should play something like singular or ‘riffs’ really frustrates me as trying to imitate or learn these methods beyond scales is becoming elusive. For example, bending on 4 - into 5 - types of fillage I’m not getting better at. Do you have any advice on what to practice or learn in order to improve on my fills (where to go, how to practice bending into other notes, things like this)
I can practice scales all day but it seems everytime I get into a chug, I keep playing the same fill over because I miss the bend into or from other notes. I attached the latest I’m currently on and if I’m not clear on what I’m asking - the specific thing is at 3:54
THanks so much! Ronnie’s Latest Chug
I feel like the best way to learn fills is through listening to different harmonica players and imitating their licks. You don’t have to learn every lick from every player on the planet, as you might lose interest very quickly, but getting a few signature licks from a few players you like might help you to develop your sound. It also helps with versatility when it comes to other genres that aren’t blues, but have crossover appeal.
I remember when I started dedicating myself to the harmonica, I would listen to a lot of Terry McMillan for lick and solo inspiration, and I still do. Terry was a well-known Nashville session player who had a distinctive playing style that often blurred the lines between the blues and country music. He was also a versatile player who can play sweet traditional country licks like on the Randy Travis records to high energy blues licks which he usually played on stuff like “Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)” by Garth Brooks.
However, people keep saying that I’m “limiting” myself for falling into that rabbit hole. Because I’m autistic, having a niche interest is actually helpful for me since I tend to hyperfocus a lot on things I enjoy instead of things that are boring to me. Sometimes I swear I also have undiagnosed ADHD because of the “hyperfocusing on my niches instead of looking into the bigger picture” thing.
Great advice from @KeroroRinChou (who is a lot further along and more knowledgeable than me) I would add to what they said that practicing over backing tracks may be a good way to improve your riff building.
Best
Mike
I pick songs that require moving all over the harp. I has helped me with single note play. It sounds like rhythm and timing are ok. From here on in practice is the best teacher. Once you learn a tune without tabs you will play it better and all the clean up like timing, etc. Is you last step. Tabs are good to start with but the songs I can play without them are better. I am not sure I have answered your question but playing tunes the require you move from -3 to -7, as an example, are what I am referring to.
Thank you all for such great advice! I’m not particularly interested in tabs and learning songs so much anymore as for me I grinded on that road playing guitar and in doing so now thirty years later, I can’t improvise as much as I’d prefer.
With learning the harmonica, I’m really trying to stay away from anything beyond beginner songs and into more freestyle and having fun!
So, while I appreciate listening to other composers and musicians - a lot of what they can do I’m trying to figure out in terms of their tricks like bending into another note or being able to keep my time with a basic rhythm while not just having to play a scale up/scale down type of fill.
Thanks again!
I am not good at improvising. I have but have picked a tough one by John Barry to learn. I listen to the music and follow the tabs. What surprises me is how much of the track has numerous individual songs he has extracted from the sound track. Unless you know the rhythm its tough to spot. What amazes me is how the same riff can sound so very different played faster the timing modified with few notes deleted or added. He was a brilliant song writer.
For fills and improv I’d recommend listening to horn and piano players. Could be jazz or blues. But they are the master of fills.
Improv (and fills) Check out Quiqui Gómez who is equally adept at playing and sliding between jazz, blues, reggae, soul, etc. Or some Mickey Rafael if you’re more country oriented.
The 3 riffs in this vid are really all you need! Question, answer, and trill baby. Ready to rock!!
