Ethan has been an instructor of blues harmonica on and off for 30 years. Originally a trumpeter and guitar player, Ethan learned music theory in the middle school system and applied this understanding to what he calls "the most mysterious of all instruments", the 10-hole diatonic harmonica aka the "blues harp". He most recently instructed at Canada's top blues camp, the Hornby Island Blues Workshop 2024, and for the Kootenay Blues Society in Nelson, BC. As a skilled and versatile musician he plays many styles of music including reggae, country, rock, folk and funk with the harp being used for soloing and accompaniment, vamping like an organ, and adding accents like a horn section.

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WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

The 10-hole diatonic harmonica surely is the most mysterious of instruments. No strings, keys, buttons or pedals are in sight, but air goes in and out of the instrument and sound is produced. Anyone can make sounds on it, right out of the box... and on a neck rack the harmonica played simply can add some nice colour to a guitar player's performance. However, it is capable of producing so much more music with some insight, practice, and skill. The tiny instrument is something of a paradox; originally it was designed to play simply, with built-in chords, but innovators over time discovered that sounds not designed into the instrument could actually be created, making for much more varied, complex and colourful music. These "hidden" sounds, once accessed by a skilled player, offer the characteristic blues harp bends, moans, and semi-tones that make it such a great add to the sound of a song and a band. This workshop will help to demystify the instrument and provide insight to the playing styles and techniques of some of the greatest of all time. We'll introduce the concept of "modal playing" and playing with other musicians. If you have one, please bring a blues harp in the key of C to participate.