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Harmonica Instruction

In some ways, the mouth organ was my first true love. Inspired by masters like Sonny Terry, Junior Wells, and Big Walter Horton, I immersed myself in the harmonica like no other instrument, which won me national recognition as Hohner’s Blues Harmonica Champion in 1996 (Avoca, Iowa) and Best Instrumentalist 1996 WAMI (Milwaukee). Most of my recordings are harmonica heavy. However, there are two that are dedicated exclusively to the harmonica: Mouth Organ Minstrel and Harmonica Americana.

On this page, I humbly present to you an assortment of harmonica instruction resources you can use to learn via whatever method suits you best:

Webinar Recordings - Group Workshops - Private Lessons - MUSIC INSTRUCTION BOOKS

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Revinars

Tailored for individual students, “Revinars” are recordings of live music courses that teach tunes, techniques and or styles on harmonica. Each course is uniquely created to offer a wide variety of concepts, with history, demos and Q & A. Click a webinar below to learn more about each one. Each purchase comes with a downloadable PDF that contains a weblink to the video recording that you can view online, or download, as well as the supplemental sheet music and class notes.

Also, if you want to join in on future live Revinars, sign up for my newsletter or connect on social media.

Beginning Harmonica

$25.00

(2 sessions: 88 & 108 minutes)

Allow me to guide you on your journey towards harmonica proficiency. From the rudiments of how to hold the instrument to lip puckering and breath control. Lil Rev has been playing harmonica for over 40 years and has taught thousands of people via his internationally acclaimed instructional book "Play Harmonica Today."

Students will learn how to play one note at a time, major scale, simple folk songs, hand tremolo, train sounds, blues riffs, the difference between 1st and 2nd position, beginning bending, chord playing and much more! This class is suited for anyone who wants to learn how to play the harmonica. No music / note reading skills are necessary. Harmonica Tab is based on numbers and arrows for blow and draw.

Blues Harmonica 101

$25.00

(74 minutes)

This incredibly informative class is an intro level blues harmonica skill builder. We’ll focus primarily on teaching you how to bend notes as well as boogie patterns, blues riffs, simply bending licks, the tilt technique, octaves, flutters, percussive hand techniques, folk and blues songs with bends, where to find the bends on the lower, middle and upper register, throat vibrato, talking and shaping the notes as you play them with the hand and much, much more! Open to anyone who is already playing some basic melodies on the harmonica.

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Workshops

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Workshops

Available in-person and on-line

Tailored to groups like music stores, clubs, camps, and festivals with 15 participants or more, these 90-minute workshops are custom-crafted courses showcasing specific areas of study.

If you see a workshop here that’s up your alley, get in touch to book it for your next event. (Pro tip for the festival organizers: it's best if we discuss your event before you select specific workshops.)

Section title

Beginning Harmonica

OPEN TO ALL LEVELS

This 90 minute class teaches everything the beginning player needs to know about the harmonica: Hand Position, Lip/Puckering Position, Tremolo, Single-Note Studies, Major Scale, Simple Folk Songs, Percussive techniques, Train Sound, Understanding 1st position/Straight Harp, Classic Blues Riff and more!

Blues Harmonica 101

OPEN TO ALL LEVELS

This 90 minute class teaches a thorough understanding of 2nd Position playing, How To Bend, 12 bar blues, Playing Chords, Draw Bends/Blow Bends, Octaves, Blues Riffs, Bending with Simple Folk Songs, Boogie Patterns, Building Speed, 3rd Position/Minor Playing, High End Studies and more!

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Private Lessons

Need a little one-on-one time? I offer two levels of music instruction — both with limited capacity. If either one sounds right for you, drop me a line to check on availability and additional details.

Skill-Building Series

This online-only series is designed for players of all levels who want to improve their skills. They consist of 6 one-hour sessions occurring once every 1-3 weeks, depending on our respective schedules. Conducted online via Zoom, each lesson is recorded and made available to the student as a practice resource they can review long after each session.

Cost is $500, paid in advance. Sessions are booked on our calendars up-front, begin on-time and are non-refundable — so be sure to set reminders on your phone or calendar.