How to Jam - Masterclass with Tomlin

First of all, the class costs $99 USD (for the 4 sessions) and the sessions are 75 minutes long. I’ll be teaching a maximum of ten students so that we can make it really interactive - you will be playing on camera for everyone to hear! It will be a lot of fun and the whole point of the class is to get you comfortable playing in front of other people.

Here are the tech requirements;

• C, A and D harmonicas
• A way to play a backing track while you are on Zoom. The best way to do this is a separate device to the one you are going to be viewing the seminar on. If you are uncertain how to do this I am more than happy to help you set it up.

Here is a brief overview of the lessons;

Lesson 1 (3rd August @ 7.30pm UK time) - Call and Response With Another Harmonica Player

The first lesson will focus on getting comfortable playing in front of another person. We will be working on call and response exercises around chordal vamps both individually and as a group.

Lesson 2 (10th August @ 7.30pm UK time) - Playing over a 12 Bar Blues (For Real)

In this session we will be listening to real song examples featuring 12 Bar Blues and getting comfortable playing over a Blues that you haven’t heard before even if you don’t have a plan or aren’t feeling inspired.

Lesson 3 (17th August @ 7.30pm UK time) - Accompaniment (Blues, non-Blues, Rhythm and Lead)

In Lesson 3 we’ll be working on the harmonica player’s role as an accompanist as well as a soloist. I will show you how to do this over a 12 Bar Blues as well as an “unknown” Blues structure. Finally, we will look at being prepared over non-Blues music.

Lesson 4 (24th August @ 7.30pm UK time) - Jam Session (Being Prepared)

So far, we have been playing in a relatively controlled environment. In Lesson 4, I will be showing you how to be as prepared as you can be for the chaos that a Jam Session can be.