ArtistWorks harmonica teacher (and recent Grammy Award winner) Howard Levy recently sat down with Bill Moller on WGN Radio to share the story behind his original Grammy-winning composition "Life in Eleven".  Howard is introduced as "one of the greatest performers on one of the smallest instruments there is" - which, if you've ever heard him play harmonica, is a pretty accurate way of describing the man. 

Aside from teaching students how to play harmonica online at ArtistWorks, Howard Levy is most in his element when he's on stage. He recently played two shows at the Green Mill Jazz Club in Chicago with his group Acoustic Express. Howard Reich, Arts critic for the Chicago Tribune, was in an attendance on Friday and wrote a fanstaic review of the show. 

I've spoken with many people who want to learn to play an instrument.  Naturally, my advice is to learn how to play harmonica, the friendliest of all instruments. You can put this little baby in your pocket, take it out whenever the urge hits you and bang- instant music. Even if you barely know how to play, the humble harmonica is very obliging- put your mouth anywhere and blow, and a major chord comes out. Do the same thing on the inhale, and a seventh chord, a ninth chord, or a minor chord will come out. It’s the only wind instrument that can play chords- not to mention rhythms, and of course, single notes. Or combinations of chords, rhythms and single notes, and even counterpoint! There is so much music hiding inside this little instrument! As you learn harmonica, it will delight you, impress your friends, fill you with a sense of wonder, even joy, at the hidden treasures that you gradually unlock as you play more and more. 

This is a Bluesy, Intermediate level tune in 5/8 time from Macedonia. It's a dance rhythm in Eastern Europe, as natural to them as 4/4 is to us. Check out the lesson here. The tune is fun to play, even if you just figure out the rhythmic vamping, or play one section of it.