![]() Wonder has continued to play the harmonica but this early slab proves that he already had a gift in childhood. Stevland Morris was all of 12 when he recorded it in 1963 and it became not only his first single to chart but his first #1. Speaking of starting things, this is where it all began for the genius-and it’s one of the first pop/rock hits with a prominent role for the harmonica. We all know that Alvin started this whole thing. No need to include The Chipmunks’ 1959 #3 hit “Alvin’s Harmonica” though. We know we’ve left out a ton of other cool harmonica-infused songs and we’re sure you’ll let us know which ones in the comment section. Some of these songs are by artists whose primary instrument is the harmonica most are lead singers who double on harp. We got to thinking about the role of the instrument in classic rock, and we came up with dozens of great tunes featuring harmonica, which we’ve narrowed down to 20. Whammer Jammer was the GR20 recorded direct to the sounds great that way. This was recorded with a room mic so you hear the natural string sound mixed with the synth. Throughout the course of rock history, many songs have featured harmonica parts that are indelible-you can’t even imagine that song without the familiar harmonica lead-in or break. Here’s the GR 20’s alto sax sound I used for David Sanborn’s parts in Bowie’s Young American. Still, that doesn’t mean that many don’t at least try, and in rock, especially, the harmonica has long been used-particularly by lead singers-to inject a bit of bluesy, earthy authenticity into a song. Some players work at it their entire lives, but relatively few get really good at it. Sure, anyone can blow into the holes and get sound out of the instrument, but relatively few-as is the case with any instrument-can master the harmonica (alternately called the mouth harp, or just the harp, not to be confused with the other kind of harp that’s really large and has lots of strings on it). It works every time.īut first, one thing a performer should know is that it’s not as easy as it looks. You can request a sing-along or a handclap-along or feign a sexual act on one of your bandmates. You can drop a reference to drugs or alcohol in one of your songs (Neil Young: “And I felt like getting high.” Audience: “Yaaaayyy!”). You can mention the name of the city you’re performing in (“How ya doin’ tonight, Cleveland?!”). If you’re the frontperson in a band and you want to get a rise out of your audience, there are several tried-and-true tricks you can pull out that are guaranteed to get a reaction. ‘Anthems We Love’ Book Digs Deep Into 29 Classic Songs.Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts Add Stars London Show Will Be Streamed Live.Blocking and Puckering Magic Dick tongue blocks most of this solo section, including the straight and bent trills. Pull slightly off the harp at the same time, allowing it to resonate naturally. ![]()
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