CANCELLED: Harmonica 102: Blues and Beyond
- Blues
- Folk
- In-Person Classes
- Instrumental
- Roots
- Trad
CANCELLED DUE TO LOW ENROLLMENT
This class is designed for harmonica players who have some familiarity with the instrument (for example, alumni of the Harmonica 101 class). If you can play a few melodies, but you aren’t totally sure how to bend notes or play in “cross harp,” this is the class for you! This exploration of blues theory and techniques on the harmonica will elevate your playing and prepare you for just about any jam.
By the end of this class, you will be able to…
play scales, and some songs, in first, second, and third positions
play chords and single notes with either puckering or tongue blocking, and play octave splits with tongue blocking
add ornamentations to melodies, such as bending, vibrato, and variations in dynamics and phonetics
use close listening to repeat “licks” by ear
improvise over the 12-bar blues song form
Successful completion of this class will give you the skills you need to join Annie Raines’ Harmonica Ensemble, Harpageddon!
Study songs may include…
Love Me Do
Folsom Prison Blues
Work Song
St James Infirmary
House of the Rising Sun
Easy (Big Walter)
Requirements
10-hole diatonic harmonicas in the keys of C, G, and Bb
Your enthusiasm and openness!
Thursday: May 7, May 14, May 21, June 28, June 4
Time: 8:00-9:15pm ET
Location: Passim School of Music, 26 Church Street, Cambridge, MA(Classrooms are located on the second floor; unfortunately, there is no elevator.)
Ages: 18+
Please Note:Pre-sales are highly encouraged! Online sales end 2 hours before the class begins. A minimum of 4 students is required for the class to run. If canceled due to low enrollment, you will be notified and receive a full refund.
Elise Brown
Elise Brown is a multi-instrumentalist and educator based in Jamaica Plain. They play a combination of vocals, guitar, ukulele, banjo, bass, and – their true love – harmonica in the Goddamn Brass Band, a project of the Fork & Shoe Theatre Cooperative. Elise has been giving private harmonica lessons to newcomers for over a decade, and as a teacher, they have been praised for their infectious enthusiasm and their ability to make complex ideas feel accessible and exciting. In addition to playing in GDBB, Elise also plays in Harpageddon (Annie Raines’ harmonica ensemble at Passim), frequently sits in with local Americana acts such as Old Tom & The Lookouts and Think Twice, and hangs out at blues, R&B, and jazz jams across Greater Boston.
Elise has been playing diatonic harmonica (“blues harp”) since they were a teenager in an Oregon suburb. Initially inspired by Bob Dylan, they went down the rabbit hole of his influences and eventually became an acolyte of Little Walter, James Cotton, Sonny Terry, and Paul Butterfield, as well as more recent players such as Indiara Sfair and Christelle Berthon. At Wellesley College, where Elise double-majored in political science and music, they were the jazz program’s first (and so far, only) blues harp player! Since then, they’ve taken lessons and workshops from harp innovators including Catriona Sturton, Jason Ricci, Annie Raines, Ronnie Shellist, and Shane Sager, and they’re thrilled that at Passim, they get to share some of that wealth of knowledge with new players. Elise is also passionate about building solidarity among fellow LGBTQ+ musicians, and they have become one of the loudest voices in the harmonica community speaking out against queerphobia and transphobia.
