What level of skill is required? (Newbie question)

Hello everyone. I am curious about skill level. As a complete newbie, I have questions. Sometimes short term and long term goals can help. Just for giggles, how much skill does it take to play this song? In the world of harmonica, is this beginner, intermediate, or advanced. I am a big fan of this dude and this is a song I would like to work towards as skills get better. The harmonica is played by Jimmy Zavala. Generic Blues - YouTube

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Hi @BlindFarmer

NOTE: I did not listen to the entire video.

The answer depends somewhat on how accurately you wish to reproduce the harmonica part. In my opinion it is at the advanced level because of several factors: it is fairly fast, it involves some techniques that often can take a while to master (bends, smooth fast warbles, fast warbles with bending of notes notes, etc).

Just my opinion – and it probably reflects my limited skills. So just keep it as a goal and see how closely you can approach it.

Regards,
– Slim :sunglasses:

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Thank you. Fun stuff. I was thinking advanced.

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Fricken GREAT harmonica playing here @BlindFarmer and ridiculous lyrics, lol, per the usual with Weird Al. I DID listen to the whole thing, @Slim (in spite of my better senses.)

This is DEFINITELY advanced harmonica. You can be playing JUST like this with as little as 10,000 hours of practicing and performing. :wink:

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Ahhhh, so ten hours a day for three years and I have it. Shweetness. I got to see Weird Al live last year during tour where he did only originals. No parody this tour. This song is a Weird Al original. It is claimed that B. B. King said that this was one of his favorite blues songs ever recorded.

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Just play with the song and listen closely, it is just wailin’ center reeds, 4-7 it seems from the little I heard. I just listened to the opening. Love Al, my granddaughter plays the accordian.

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Luke

Are you familiar with the album Quincy Jones wrote, You Got IT Bad Girl? It was released in 1972 and has some of the beautiful harmonica music on it I have ever heard. Its his album that has the theme song for Sanford and Son in it. We used to play winners in chess and listen to this album. Sometimes got a bit smokey in my room as our family home had a room behind the car port and five or six people showed up nightly. No cigarettes were allowed as I cannot stand the smell. The album has Summer In The City and A Tribute To Day Dreaming as well. This music can put you to sleep as it is so smooth and whoever play harmonica was about as good as one can get.

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Go to you tube, use “harmonica” in search and all kinds of songs you can emulate show up, from Amazing Grace to Danny Boy, send in the clowns, blues, straight harp, cross harp, etc… lessons up the ying yang mostly free, amp choices and reviews.

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YouTube is a great resource.

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