I just put up Lesson two on the famous Jazz Blues riff tune from before. This harmonica lesson deals with other aspects of playing - putting fills between a riff that you don't know, and building a solo by making the last idea of one chorus the first idea of the next one. Hope you check it out - it's in the the Intermediate Section but you can just click on the picture or links to get there.

• Part 1
• Part 2

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!

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.

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