INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE. A video tutorial focused on Sugar Ditch, a jazzy blues recorded by Hank Crawford, alto saxist and former sideman for Ray Charles. Arranged for blues harmonica and hosted by Adam Gussow of Satan and Adam.

Although several blues harp legends, including Little Walter and Magic Dick, have freely adapted melodic ideas and techniques from sax players, more contemporary players would benefit from moving in this direction. When sax-men play the blues, they invariably phrase in ways that can broaden blues harp students willing to step outside the comfortable boundaries of todays prevailing Chicago/West Coast sound. Sugar Ditch is a great first step in this direction.

Technical challenges include unexpected phrasing and some harmonic adventurousness in bars 9 & 10. 2, 3, and 4 draw bends are required. NO OVERBLOWS NEEDED!

Harp key: C

Note: a PDF tab for this lesson is also available.

Running time: 31:16

Another Modern Blues Harmonica production (https://www.tradebit.com)