How to play Summertime in 8 fun & easy lessons on harmonica

This lecture describes the course and how it works

It explains how easy it will be to learn and how you will learn

It tells you who I am and describes some of the content

There are two backing tracks here

1. With guidance from me - use this one first

2. Without guidance - just you and the band. Use this one later!

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'

Let's start with one note - hole 6 breathing in.

Now keep breathing in and drop down to hole 5 and back up to hole 6

Most of this tune uses breathing IN notes

Practice this after a count-in of two beats

Hold the long note for a count of four beats and then stop playing

Bending the note a little sounds great so let it happen if you like it

The first three notes sounds like the Charles Bronson 'Man with Harmonica' theme from 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (1968) "C'era una volta il West" (original title) It's the epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad. Director: Sergio Leone.

But it's not that tune so let's move on

'And the living is easy' is our next bit so let's play it now

Starting with the two pickup notes at the end of the first line, let's look at the second line.

But first can we play it through from the top.

Note the phrase 'and the cotton is' uses only draw notes and the the holes are next to each other so it's a nice fluid phrase for you to play.

Let's play from the top and listen to the piano chords.

Because of the repetition that you always get in music the third line is the same as the second line - it's easier than you thought!

Now play the piece from the top please.

That's 75% done!

Let's start the last line now.

We have modified the tune slightly to avoid having to bend notes here but if you want to study this technique take a look at one of my courses called 'Play tunes on harmonica and learn how to bend some notes' where I go into it all quite deeply.

Or forget that for now and do it as I suggest!

Take this next part at a swing and sing the words in your head as you play it.

Welcome back - let's play from the top.

You can use the backing tracks if you like to get you engaged with the rhythmic feel.

Just four more notes to learn and we've finished the tune.

The words are 'Do-n't you cry'

If you are repeating the tune use the two pick-up notes as written

Now we've learnt the tune let's look at a few variations in the way you play Summertime:

• glissando up to the starting note
• bending the 6 draw like in the movie Charles Bronson soundtrack we mentioned earlier
• adding vibrato of many different types on long notes
• adding fill in notes
• impro notes - use all breathing in notes (less good are holes 3 or 7)
• bending other notes
• play tongue blocked
• playing it an octave above or below

This lecture explains what all the notes are and where they are

Here you will learn the scale of C which is a very useful tune for playing tunes

If you aldeady know this stuff you can skim or skip it

Like I said earlier, 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

I hope you've enjoyed learning this tune, and come back for another tune when you are ready!