The essential guide to playing Amazing Grace on harmonica!

Any course in my INSTANT HARMONICA series needs only two things:

a harmonica (key of C, 10 holes, diatonic)

and the ability to play single notes - but I'll show you how to do that now in this lecture

Make your mouth into the shape you might use if you whistle - it's known as the pucker, pursed lip or kiss shape. Allow your lower lip to drop and push the harmonica in a little; the further it goes in the better it will sound! Relax your lips to let the harmonica in and gradually try to get the shape that gives you a single note.

Some people use a pencil or straw to model the shape you need so try that as well.

I have a bigger course with five lectures on this subject if you want to go deeper - it's called 'INSTANT HARMONICA - how to get single notes in 5 easy steps' so dive in and take that one if you like

The more complicated way is called 'tongue blocking' but I will not go into it here except to say you use your tongue to block the holes to the left (or sometimes the right) side of the hole you want to play. Here's another of my courses that explores the use of the tongue in harmonica playing - 'Killer Harmonica sounds using the tongue and bending notes'

This is the playalong track with me singing and playing a little bit and leaving spaces for you but offering my support.

Have a sing:

You get it three times round so right now I suggest you sing it first.

You can research the words but here are some to get on with:

1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
   That saved a wretch like me!
   I once was lost, but now am found;
   Was blind, but now I see.
2. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
   And grace my fears relieved;
   How precious did that grace appear
   The hour I first believed.
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
   I have already come;
   'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home.
4. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
   And mortal life shall cease,
   I shall possess, within the veil,
   A life of joy and peace.
6. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine.
7. When we've been there ten thousand years,
   Bright shining as the sun,
   We've no less days to sing God's praise
   Than when we'd first begun.

You are on your own here!

This is the playalong track without me singing and playing.

Just the band - and you.

You get it three times round so right now I suggest you sing it first.

You can research the words but here are some to get on with:

This lecture is all about playing the first two notes of the piece.

Please remember the downward arrow in red means BREATHE IN

We will study the transition between hole 4 draw and 6 blow

Work on the first two notes before moving on please

This lecture is all about learning the next three notes

I want you to watch my face and see if you can figure out what I'm doing

What does my face do differently breathing in compared to breathing out?

Can you see if I move holes or stay where I am?

Next we will play the whole of the first bar

Introducing triplets on the word 'zing'

Work on the notes we've learnt so far before taking the next lecture please

This lecture is about playing the whole of the top line - that is the aim

One note at a time

Remember that when two consecutive notes have the same breath direction and are next to each other you can play the transition very smoothly by continuing to breathe and leaving no gaps

So in this case 7 draw to 6 draw can be very smooth

As indeed can the notes 6 draw to 6 blow which are your next two notes

This lecture is about finishing off the first line.

That completes the first line so let's play it with the band to practice

Guess what? the second line is pretty much the same as the first line at least to start with

So you are covering familiar ground

Try playing from the top now - with and without the band

Although we've got halfway we are actually three quarters through because of the repeated parts

Good progress - well done!

This lecture is about staring the second half - line three

Start with the pickup notes (7 and 8 draw) at the end of the second line

Lots of draw notes in a row can tend to make people explode so how to we deal with breath management?

BREATH OUT!

At a discreet time so the flow of the music is not interupted

Lets play it from the top with the band

You can break out here and use the backing tracks if you like

Play it round a number of times before taking the next lecture

This lecture is about seeing the repeats hidden in the structure of the music

Most of line three is the same as most of line one!

So let's play from the top and play the first three lines with and without the band

This lecture is about spotting the repeats again

It really reduces the amount of music you need to learn

Writing the numbers and arrows is handy but isn't music

Always test the numbers and arrows (harmonica tablature) to check the sound

It's much easier to hear the right notes than see them I think

Now we'll play it round three times for good luck!

Here are some other ways to play this tune.

Play it with chords

Use single notes as in the course but add others that sound good - major pentatonic notes sound great

Play it in C starting 6blow, 7blow, 8blow, 8draw, 7blow, 8blow (A-ma-zi-i-ing Grace..etc)

Learn to bend notes and 'blues' it up a bit

Use the tongue to get a strong rhythm

Try these things and develop your playing

Come and join us for another tune in the INSTANT HARMONICA series when you want to learn another tune!