Richard – Page 5 – The Toot Suite

That’s The Way I Like It (Part 1)

June 21, 2011July 8, 2011 Richard 5 Comments disco harmonica, funk harmonica, Harmonica tab, Junior harmonica, KC & The Sunshine Band, That's The Way I Like It

Whatever it is, it’s got be funky!

Ok, ok, ok, disco time people! And here’s the groove to really lay it on. Get your harmonica chops ready for KC & The Sunshine Band….aaaah that’s the way, a-ha, a-ha, I like it, a-ha.

That’s The Way I Like It was a disco hit in 1975 when trousers were so flaired they called them bell-bottoms and the waist band came up so high you could count the buttons. In the summer time, a short trouser emerged which they named ‘hot pants’. And as for the shoes they called spoons…go ask grandad! But hey, whatever it was, as long as it was funky, it was cool. Now let’s go disco. (more…)

10 Hole Harmonica 4 Hole Harmonica Tunes to Play

One Love/People Get Ready (Part 1)

May 24, 2011May 24, 2011 Richard 0 Comments Bob Marley, Harmonica tab, Junior harmonica, Learn to play harmonica, One Love harmonica, People Get Ready harmonica, Reggae Harmonica

Let’s get together and feel all right

Here’s a great song to play in harmonica groups. One Love/People Get Ready was written by the great man of music and peace from Jamaica, Bob Marley.

Bob Marley’s musical style is called reggae. The reggae rhythm, or skank, uses the up-beat to create a relaxing and happy groove. We’ll be looking at this more closely in the final part of the series.

In this post we’re looking at the chorus of the song. So let’s get together and work out how a group of junior harmonica players can enjoy performing this cool instrumental. (more…)

Announcements

Harmonica Poem

March 12, 2011April 25, 2011 Richard 1 Comment Harmonica poem, Junior harmonica, Learn to play harmonica

Cool as…

Vegas is learning harmonica at school and she recently wrote a poem about it for the school forum. It’s great!

Other children at school have been writing their own tunes at break time and playing them in their music classes.

Why not try writing your own harmonica or musical poem too? Here’s Vegas’ harmonica poem.. (more…)

Crazy Harmonicas

Peter ‘Madcat’ Ruth

March 11, 2011June 26, 2011 Richard 0 Comments Craziest harmonica, Dave 'Mad Cat' Ruth

What’s the craziest harmonica in the world?

Regular visitors to the Toot Suite will know we feature all kinds of unique and whacky harmonicas. Here’s our friend Dave ‘MadCat’ Ruth demonstrating some of the crazy things he can do. We reckon this is the whackiest harmonica in the world. Enjoy!

Harmonica Stories

The Harmonica by Tony Johnston

March 3, 2011September 1, 2011 Richard 3 Comments Henryk Rosmaryn, Ron Mazellan, The Harmonica, Tony Johnston

The Harmonica by Tony Johnston

The harmonica is a true story about a boy from Poland who survived life in a concentration camp during the Second World War.

Henryk’s father taught him harmonica at home.

I played the harmonica while my parents danced. In our dream we believed the world to be good.

One day Henryk’s family were arrested by Nazi soldiers. They were separated and Henryk never saw his parents again. (more…)

10 Hole Harmonica 4 Hole Harmonica Tunes to Play

Wimoweh Part 2 – Melodies

February 26, 2011May 18, 2011 Richard 0 Comments Harmonica tab, Junior harmonica, Learn to play harmonica, Wimoweh on the harmonica

Near the village, the peaceful village

Welcome to part two of our African extravaganza! Last time we learned where the word Wimoweh comes from and what it means. We also learned about where the song was composed.

Now we’re going to look at how one player – a soloist – can perform the main melodies. Some parts sound slightly better on a 10 hole harmonica, others work fine on a 4 hole. Purple music is for four hole harmonicas. Orange music is for ten hole harmonicas. A number tells you which hole to play. D is draw (breath in). B is blow (breath out). We’re using harmonicas in the key of C major (more…)