Teach on Udemy

Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.

Learn More

Your cart is empty.

Keep shopping

Play Dirty Old Town on HARMONICA today - quick and easy!

Name: Play Dirty Old Town on HARMONICA today - quick and easy!
Rating: 4.7 (16 reviews)

Learn to play clear single notes during seven lectures and that will help you play this tune and any others

Created byBen Hewlett

Last updated 11/2018

English

What you'll learn

play Dirty Old Town on your harmonica and sound great - they'll all sing along with you!
learn all the songs in the INSTANT HARMONICA series so look out for the courses coming up
play clear single notes on your harmonica
have fun with the harmonica!

Course content

6 sections • 17 lectures • 1h 37m total length

Introduction and sing through the song7:07
PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU WANT HELP WITH PLAYING SINGLE NOTES CLEANLY GO STRAIGHT TO LECTURE 10 AND COME BACK TO THIS LATER. It's a stand-alone course and is also included in my massive course 'Learn Harmonica, amaze your friends..'

But if you can already play single notes keep going here.

Firstly we will sing through the tune - it's the best way to learn music I reckon.

I met my love6:50
I think the word is 'croft' rather than 'wall' - it's hard to be certain on the recording I'm listening to from Mr McColl.
Anyway here is the first phrase to learn.
Please get this down before moving on.
By the gasworks croft5:39
This is the next phrase to learn - and once again I was annoyed with the inconsistency or the lyrics both written and sung by all the people who cover this song and the author; I now think Ewan McColl sings 'by the gasworks croft'. My chart says 'cry' and most people sing 'wall'.
It's up to you.

Promotional movie for this course0:45
This is the promotional movie to tell you what the course is about.
Intro to playing single notes0:59
This lecture is the introduction to the course - or I could say the NEXT part of the Dirty Old Town course.

The first thing is - do you actually need this course?

If you can already play single notes then NO you don't but if you would like to get some help on the subject you are in the right place

It tells you what you will learn and how you will do it
How to play single notes - the first stage and overview of all the notes6:53
This lecture starts very slowly giving you an overview of all the 20 notes.

Next I show you the main 8 notes we will learn in this course.

Now I'm showing you how to play hole 1 as a single note.

There are different ways to get single notes but I'm showing you the easiest.
Playing holes 1, 4, 5 and 106:37
Let's start with hole 1. Try to play it without letting hole 2 into the act.

Now we look at hole 10.

Where to play hole 10 to avoid marital breakups? I will advise you.

Next we look at playing hole 4 breathing out.

Now Hole 4 breathing IN.

Let's move up to hole 5 OUT and then IN.

Put those four notes together for the first part of our scale - the scale of C
The 'scale' of C6:55
Tricks to learning the scale of C

Using painters/masking tape to reduce choice and error

How do you hold the harmonica - let me show you

Different ways of holding the harmonica

Vibrato and 'wahwah'

Playing the scale going downwards

Reminder of why we're doing this - so you can play tunes - folk, jazz, blues, celtic, oh suzannah etc and also your favourite Neil Young solos or something by Nobel Peace Prize in Literature winning Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Jagger, Jones, Lennon...
Frere Jaques

How to work out the tune yourself

Keep practicing
Learning holes 6 and 78:22
Recapping last session on holes 4 and 5 - C,D, E, and F

Fragments of tunes - 'Praise Him, Praise Him' and 'Esso Blue' advert theme tune

Now adding G and A on hole 6

Eastenders theme

Long notes and short notes

Rhythm and beat

Metronomes - help you play in time

Explaining why two IN notes are next to other

Learning hole 7

Playing the whole scale CDEFGABC

Controlling the aperture in your lips
Finishing off the scale of C and starting some tunes6:55
Check your single note accuracy - 50%?

Playing a little faster

Hear and see it on the piano

Play along with the piano

Looping the scale

One cojon to accompany the playing

Playing in a continual loop for one minute to build skill, concentration and stamina

Speeding up - take the challenge

Playing all the OUT (blow) notes

Breathing issues

Playing all the IN (draw) notes

Twinkle Twinkle

When the Saints

Oh Suzannah

Now you are qualified to play single notes and are all set to plat the tunes in my INSTANT HARMONICA COURSES

What would you like to play?

Ode to Joy, Cockles and Mussels, The Kesh Jig, Cock o' the North, Summertime, Amazing Grace, Over the Rainbow, solos from Neil Young, Dylan, Jagger...
Outro - wrapping up the course0:54
Wrapping up

What next?

What are you now qualified to do thet you wern't before taking this course?

Now go to any of my INSTANT HARMONICA courses and play the tunes

Requirements

all you need is a ten hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C. You can get one locally or from my mail order shop sonnyboysmusicstore (link is on the last page of the course, in my profile or google it) - I'd recommend the Sonnyboys Special in C as a good all-round harmonica with low cost and great quality.

Description

INSTANT HARMONICA – play the wonderful Dirty Old Town now!

Respect and thanks to Ewan McColl 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.

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.”

Any recordings used in my courses represent less than 5% of the entire work and are already in the public domain on YouTube.
Any written transcriptions are written by me or my team to promote the work and the artist and to facilitate students who want to learn more about their music.
Any audio backing tracks are written and recorded by me or my team to promote the work and the artist and to facilitate students who want to learn more about their music.

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..

Who this course is for:

This course is for complete beginners; you don't need any musical experience, I'll walk you through the whole thing very slowly step by step. If you are an advanced player you will cover the whole thing very fast and you may find it is too slow for you. However if you add tongue blocking and playing an octave down or using a different key harmonica you will get a big challenge here!

Play Dirty Old Town on HARMONICA today - quick and easy!

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction to the course1 lecture • 7min

First part2 lectures • 12min

Second phrase2 lectures • 11min

Second half3 lectures • 21min

Extras1 lecture • 8min

HOW TO PLAY SINGLE NOTES - A STAND-ALONE SEVEN-LECTURE COURSE8 lectures • 38min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: