Interview with Howard Levy: Harmonica Extraordinaire
Thu, 05/30/2013 - 10:41am
Topics: harmonica, Howard Levy
AW: What is it about the diatonic harmonica that made you want to dedicate your life to it? When did you first hear the instrument?
Howard: I first got into the harp when a high school friend played some Chicago Blues albums for me back in the late '60's: Junior Wells, Paul Butterfield, Little Walter, etc. I fell in love with the sound -- growing up in NYC, I had never heard Blues or Blues harmonica.
AW: When did you first start playing harmonica? Who first taught you how to play harmonica?
Howard: I started playing after my friend the drummer taught himself how to play. I went to Manny's Music on W. 48th St. in NY, bought a Blues Harp for $2.25 cents, took the subway to my friend's house and said: "Teach me how to play the Blues". Well, he said that he couldn't explain how he bent notes, that it was all inside the mouth, the position of the tongue, that it was by feel, like learning to ride a bike. That was the end of my first harp lesson -- it was frustrating!
AW: What is it about the diatonic harmonica that made you want to dedicate your life to it? When did you first hear the instrument?
Howard: I first got into the harp when a high school friend played some Chicago Blues albums for me back in the late '60's: Junior Wells, Paul Butterfield, Little Walter, etc. I fell in love with the sound -- growing up in NYC, I had never heard Blues or Blues harmonica.
AW: When did you first start playing harmonica? Who first taught you how to play harmonica?
Howard: I started playing after my friend the drummer taught himself how to play. I went to Manny's Music on W. 48th St. in NY, bought a Blues Harp for $2.25 cents, took the subway to my friend's house and said: "Teach me how to play the Blues". Well, he said that he couldn't explain how he bent notes, that it was all inside the mouth, the position of the tongue, that it was by feel, like learning to ride a bike. That was the end of my first harp lesson -- it was frustrating!
Howard Levy at World Music Festival 2013
Tue, 05/28/2013 - 10:51am
Topics: harmonica, Howard Levy
Hohner has released some great footage of Howard Levy playing harmonica at the recent World Music Festival in Innsbruck, Austria. Howard performed with the Hohner Accordion Orchestra 1927, playing a new arrangement of his piece "Concert for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra" that had been arranged by the conductor Johannes Baumann. The piece itself is a testament to the all of the musical possibilities of the diatonic harmonica, as Howard uses many of the bending and overblow techniques that he teaches his harmonica lessons online at ArtistWorks. There's a great moment as the rest of the orchestra stops playing to listen and watch Howard play his incredible rendition of "Amazing Grace" on harmonica, they're all captivated by the music.
Harmonica Lessons: Smooth Breathing with Howard Levy
Thu, 05/16/2013 - 5:17pm
Topics: harmonica, Howard Levy
Breathing is an involuntary action. Often when going through our daily life, we're not aware of our breathing. But whether we're thinking about it or not, we're always breathing. We breathe in… we breathe out.
When playing harmonica, it's very important to establish smooth breathing if you want to sound good. In this harmonica lesson, Howard Levy breaks down his smooth breathing technique.
Back home again.
Sat, 03/23/2013 - 4:32pm
Topics: harmonica, Howard Levy
Hi, everyone. I just came home from Santa Barbara, CA, where I played at a Wall Street Journal conference on creating environmental capital. It was a first for the harmonica, I think. And the reason I was there was that my FIRST harmonica student, Craig Sieben, (he took harmonica lessons from me in 1973 and is a current HLHS member) has an energy efficiency company in Chicago and was invited to speak at the event. It was an amazing harmonica experience. I represented the wind power contingent. I am back home ready to answer your videos and post some new lessons. All the best, Howard
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