Well hello again. A few things to talk about today. Lets dive in. Patreon / LH website and blog This blog has been running on low-steam for a long time. Now that I’m also delivering a Patreon subscription service too, all of my blog-style content is going up on there, and I don’t have time to update both. Not to mention posting two videos a week on YouTube (Life, Love and Blues Harmonica Licks, and Harmonica Miscellanea, more on these below). That means that there will be very few updates on the blog for the foreseeable future, and will likely not involve much instruction at all, if any. The P ..read more

It’s been a long time coming but I’m delighted to say I’ve published the first two Patreon only instruction videos. I’m exploring playing over non-blues chord changes. These follow up on the introduction video recently posted on YouTube. You’ll need to subscribe to my Patreon to see these. Sorry about that (but obviously, it would be great if you did. I’d love you for, like, ever). Meanwhile there’s always the weekly Life, Love and Blues Harmonica Licks and Harmonic Miscellanea video series. I hope you find them useful ..read more

Harmonica Miscellanea I’ve started a new video series on YouTube to run alongside and compliment the Life, Love and Blues Harmonica Licks series. I’m calling it Harmonica Miscellanea and I’m envisioning it will be a variable-format quick dose of something harmonica related each week. New videos will post every Friday. I’ve done an introductory video as well as the first episode proper. You can watch both below. New videos will be added to the playlist each Friday. I hope you get some benefit from them. I’m always open to comments and suggestions. Leeds Harmonica Patreon Following a lot of th ..read more

Around six or seven years ago, a singer and guitar player called Ben had a smart idea. Music is a powerful thing, he thinks. How much comfort could people facing end of life and their families get from writing and recording a song? A lot, he thinks. I should help people do that, he thinks. Long story short, Ben is now running a charity called The Swan Song Project. He and a team of musician’s and songwriters work with people near the end of their lives and their families. Writing a song helps people crystallise and vocalise their thoughts, feeling, wishes, regrets and more. Recording of the so ..read more

Phew. Innit a scorcher? Summer is definitely on the way. And with that, comes the inevitable onset of the harmonica player’s nemesis – hey fever. Every year it seems to be getting worse. Sure, it’s nice out and the sun is making everything look pretty (even the usually industrial monochrome of West Leeds) but playing the harmonica when you’re having trouble even breathing can be a drag. I talk about this is a recent Live, Love and Blues Harmonica Licks video. Speaking of which, the previously teased index which will be a navigation aid for all these videos is still in development. Finding a g ..read more

Why? Well, you should respect him anyway. He got where he is by doing the hard work, and doing his own thing. He’s not a confected product sculpted by focus groups, nor a reality TV “star”, nor a child prodigy who has basically been abused their whole life (for that, see Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber Et Al.). I’m not saying you should like his music – I don’t – but he’s a world apart from the rest of the morons. You should love him for another reason though. A much more important one. You may be aware that he was recently sued by the estate of songwriter Ed Townsend, who wrote the Marvin Gaye ..read more

My boy was two years old this weekend (bare with me, this isn’t a baby post, I promise). It’s absolutely astonishing how much more capable he is now than this time last year. I remember a couple of months ago I was thinking he seemed to have been at the same level for a while. Then, in the last few weeks I’ve noticed a huge advancement, both physically and vocally. it’s quite startling. He’s started toddling, for one thing, and he’s stringing words (or sounds-like words at least) together in new ways. The point being, it got me thinking about the learning process. People often feel like no mat ..read more

Time for a general update. As usual, I’d like to thank all you folk who are having sessions with me. I hope you are enjoying your learning. I’m open to any and all feedback so don’t be afraid to get in touch with questions, suggestions etc. If you’re shy you can do it anonymously on the contact page. I’ve been churning out Life, Love and Blues Harmonica licks videos each Tuesday at noon. Seems to be going fairly well and I’ve had positive feedback. If you’ve not seen them have a look, you might find them helpful (start with the first one). It’s been a positive experience for me so far. I reall ..read more

Last weekend I enjoyed playing a few songs with one of my favourite guitar players, David Broad. David has been playing fingerpicking guitar all over the country (and beyond) for as long as I can remember—an extremely skilled and experienced musician. We recorded a couple of videos. The first is a take on the Sonny Boy I side Another Half Pint (aka Sloppy Drunk). The second is David’s very chill arrangement of the eight-bar classic Sittin’ On Top Of The World. Often when I’m working with people I find that they are overly severe in their own estimation of their playing. We are all our own hars ..read more

Hey, look what snuck up on me. It’s nearly flippin’ Christmas again! As is customary, I’d like to thank each and every one of you who have taken lessons, sent emails, asked questions, read the site or have just been merrily blowing and honking their way through the year. It feels to me like interest in harmonica music, and people wanting to learn to play is on the increase. Long may that continue. Remember to be good ambassadors for our quirky little misery whistle. We’re on an uphill struggle most of the time to be taken seriously, but if you’ve tried to learn you’ll already know how deceptiv ..read more