
This short movie is the same as the promotional video so feel free to skip if you've seen it.
In this lecture I will introduce the course and give you an overview of the whole thing.
Please note that all the downloadable resources start in lecture 5 - you get the backing track, the chords, the lyrics, the harp tab, the notation.
The best way to learn a song in my opinion is to sing it and in this lecture we will sing through the whole piece many times and I hope that will give you good basis for learning it on the harmonica. This is called PRACTICE and now is your chance to practice getting the song under your skin.
This lecture is intended to help you improve your single note playing. You can skip it if you are already very good at playing single notes but make sure you watch the final lecture as this will enhance your skills considerably.
Just before we start playing the tune proper, I would like to talk to you about time signature of this piece colour and how the beats work and how the rhythm feels so we will use the introduction section of the song and work on the timing and the groove.
So now we start the tune itself. The first line and the second line are similar so we will know both of those right now. Please note that the resources (downloads) start at this point in the course. You will need the track called ‘Hallelujah - CAm groove.wav’ for this lecture and I have also provided the tablature, chords, lyrics and written music in this lecture.
In this lecture we learn the phrase that starts ‘but you don't really care for music do you’. Please be careful to coordinate your phrasing with the placement of the chords as this will help you play the song better.
In this lecture we will learn the third line that starts ‘well it goes like this…’. Please follow the video instruction and don't forget to play along with the practice track provided in this lecture.
In this lecture we come to the focal point of the song. When you hear the massive E major chord on the 'po' of the word composing you can feel that you have reached the top of the mountain. Enjoy the climb and don't forget to download the backing track for this phrase supplied in this lecture.
This part of the tune is like a warm-down; you can take your foot off the gas at this point and relax as you play the for repeats of the word hallelujah. The final repeat of that word is somewhat extended so watch out for that and don't forget to download the backing track in this phrase which is provided in this lecture under resources.
This lecture is a run through of the whole tune. I would like you to play the whole tune over and over many times to get to know it and enjoy this beautiful piece of music. The backing track provided is for the entire tune so please use it and have a great time with it.
This lecture is all about the structure of the piece and focuses on the chords that Leonard Cohen has used here. It should help you to understand the song better and to get a feeling of the harmony.
IMPORTANT
The final lecture in this course is about improvisation. I will teach you to scales that you can use and then demonstrate the use of them. After that it's up to you but the nice thing is about this piece is that it's very hard to play notes that sound wrong and if you do just shift to another one that sounds right. Or take the Miles Davis strong idea approach which is to play it again but louder!
Thank you for joining me on this hallelujah journey and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.
Let's play.
INSTANT HARMONICA – play the wonderful Hallelujah now!
Respect and thanks to Leonard for writing and performing this amazing song.
If you have a tune that you would like me to teach please message me.
Take this course and play the tune instantly. No musical experience needed.
You will pick it up straight away without needing any music skills. This is easy to play and really fun to learn. You will be proud of your achievements and happy with the results.
'INSTANT HARMONICA' is a new series of courses where you learn one tune per course. You will find it is taught in a friendly and encouraging manner and most importantly is it taught v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.
Ben Hewlett is a very experienced music teacher who is able to be very patient and methodical. Each lecture will introduce you to the next group of notes – usually just 4 new notes and that's it.
This method is very easy for you to pick up the tunes as they are repeated over and over again until you have got it. You can even re-run the video if you find it useful.
Take one course and learn your favourite tune. The try another. Remember you can always get your money back if you wish but otherwise you have lifetime access to the course.
Imagine how amazing it will feel when you whip out your harmonica and play this tune – your friends and family will carry you shoulder high in triumph. Hopefully they don't carry you out of town and dump you in the river, but hey, swimming's good as well.
The health benefits of playing the harmonica are well documented – google it. Your lungs get exercised, your lung capacity increases, aerobic movement is good for you, playing music makes you smarter they say.
You will have fun on your own and with your friends, and more oxygen to the brain will make you think you are having a good time so it's all good.
COPYRIGHT POLICY
Respect and thanks to all the artists for writing and performing these amazing song that you want to learn.
The Copyright and Rights in Performances (Research, Education, Libraries and Archives) Regulations 2014 (extracts)
I quote:
"Not more than 5% of a work may be copied under this section by or on behalf of an educational establishment in any period of 12 months, and for these purposes a work, which incorporates another work is to be treated as a single work.
Fair dealing with a work for the purposes of private study does not infringe any copyright in the work.”
So
If you are a copyright holder and feel I have used too much of your work please contact me on benhewlett@me.com or 07973284366 and I will remove whatever you feel is inapropriate without question..