Harmonica Lessons

Every student has different goals. For some, this might be the mastery of a particular song or even just a single riff, while for others it might be learning to hit clean and consistent single notes or improve their vibrato. Rob's lessons are tailored to each student's needs, and frequently adjusted to ensure that progress is being made towards the goals that matter most to you!

Rob is also quite familiar with the plateau that many intermediate players find themselves on. This is a challenging moment where despite all the self-guided practice and even performing, we don’t seem to be improving. The simple solution for overcoming this plateau is a real-life coach to give us a new perspective and help us develop a plan of attack.

"That’s where I come in. Wonderfully, we all benefit from these arrangements: student and teacher alike."

I think it is both fascinating and empowering as a player to have a solid understanding of why the harmonica makes a particular sound: like a sympathetic reed bend, an over-blow, or that dying cat sound we’ve all made at one time or another… I always seek out new learning opportunities, and for a relatively small instrument, the harmonica provides us with an exceptional number of things to study and explore. By practicing a concept on the harmonica, and exploring the physics behind achieving the desired effect, we can better train our muscles to more reliably produce the tones we desire. It’s a similar principle to a sports scientist helping an athlete understand the mechanics behind their sport and their training, only we’ll be doing it with music!

The harmonica also provides an opportunity for musicians familiar with other instruments to reinforce their knowledge of music theory. The blues harp approaches familiar topics in music theory from a perspective altogether different from the piano or guitar but builds a more complete understanding of those concepts that can be translated back to other instruments you play. There are excellent lessons to be learned in transposition, improvisation, harmonic theory, and more.

I am a confident and versatile harmonica player and technician, who is drawn not only to the music that you can play on the harmonica, but also the curious physics and theory pertaining to how the harmonica works. I’ve been playing harmonica for over the decade, and building my own musical instruments for almost as long. I’m an experienced educator and trainer, teaching youth and adults alike to understand both theoretical and applied concepts.

Lessons are scheduled for either 30 or 60 minutes, but will often run a bit longer at no extra charge. In the first lesson, I’ll get to know you, and your musical goals, allowing me to develop a training plan tailored to your needs. From there we can schedule more time-bound lessons on a regular basis, ensuring that you get the reinforcement and insight you need to reach your goals. As those goals are achieved or altered, I want to ensure that the lessons change right along with you.

I’m glad you asked! You’ll probably have noticed that I also play a handful of home-made instruments, in strange tunings and styles. If learning how to play a 3-stringed (sometimes-4) stick-dulcimer style instrument, like the Strumstick, or Seagull Merlin M4, is of interest to you, I am able to offer some lessons and mentorship there as well. I do have a “one-off” lesson for stick-dulcimer in the list of lessons. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in recurring lesson packages.

It’s never too late (or too early!) to start learning the harmonica… Many people start after retirement when they no longer have the pressures of a busy work week or young families. Many of those late-bloomers are now some of the best harmonica players in the world! The harmonica is also an exceptionally portable instrument. You can fit it in your pocket, and you can practice while waiting for the bus, walking home, or on a coffee break. That means that just about anyone, no matter what their age or occupation, can learn the harmonica.

It’s never too late (or too early!) to start learning the harmonica… Many people start after retirement when they no longer have the pressures of a busy work week or young families. Many of those late-bloomers are now some of the best harmonica players in the world! The harmonica is also an exceptionally portable instrument. You can fit it in your pocket, and you can practice while waiting for the bus, walking home, or on a coffee break. That means that just about anyone, no matter what their age or occupation, can learn the harmonica.