Announcements – Harp Surgery

Zoom Group Sessions : Each Tuesday 7-8pm (UK)

March 5, 2026 The Good Doctor

WHAT WE’RE CURRENTLY STUDYING…
Song Focus – Mean Old Train (Papa Lightfoot))
Skills Focus – Trian Rhythm / Cross Harp Soloing / Ear Training
Ear Training – Name the key of our randomly selected song

HOW TO JOIN US…
Schedule : Tuesday 7.00-8.00pm (UK)
Platform : Zoom
Workshop Fee: £10.00 GBP payable in advance
Sign up : Please transfer your workshop fee here paypal.me/harpsurgery
You can transfer funds from your personal Paypal account or use the credit/debit card option when you check out
If you experience any difficulty, you can get in touch with the Harp Surgery using our Contact page
Read more

Harmonica Lessons Available Online

March 17, 2025 The Good Doctor

Online harmonica lessons are available to fit your timeframe, musical learning needs and budget. We’ll run some initial checks to assess your current skills and ability level, then map out a pathway of exercises and study pieces to expand your capabilities and repertoire.

Your learning pathway can incorporate a range of styles from blues, country and Americana, to folk, rock, pop and jazz.

Why not take the plunge? Just visit the Contact page and let me know your thoughts. I look forward to helping you achieve your goals.

Isolating Single Notes

December 31, 2024 The Good Doctor

This information is given from a lip-pursed embouchure perspective, but may be useful for other embouchures. Audio files are based on a 10 hole diatonic harmonica in C major.

Newcomers to the harmonica can find it difficult to play accurate single notes. Which is understandable – there isn’t much to aim at and the concepts of an airtight embouchure, good intonation and diaphragmatic breathing have yet to be explored. Ultimately everyone will develop their own approach to capturing single notes and some will find success sooner than others. However, if you are finding this skill elusive don’t give up. It is not that you will never do it; you just can’t do it yet. Give it time and you will get it. Let’s run through a few ideas that may help in your quest for isolating single notes.

Airtight
For the best tone and accuracy, first we need to eliminate any leakiness. This means placing your lips right round the mouth piece, with the corners of your mouth supportive but not rigid, and lips pushed slightly forward but not stiff. And drop that jaw. Remember also that each hole has the comb and dividers framing it. Your target area is nearly twice as wide as your eyes will tell you and pushing the harmonica into your lips will actually improve your accuracy, airtightness and tone.

Posture
Next you should remember to relax your posture. This includes your shoulders, neck, jaw and tongue. Make sure you’re not slumped or leaning on elbows either, as this compromises deep breathing from your diaphragm. If your cheeks are puffing in and out as you play, this also means you are not moving warm air from deep down in your abdomen and your tone will suffer as a consequence. Read more

In Memorium – Mark Hughes of Split Rivvit

June 9, 2023 The Good Doctor

Dear Harp Surgery, I’m Mark Hughes’ sister Isobel. It’s been over 20 years since he died, and there is still rarely a day that passes without me thinking of him. Today would have been his 65th birthday. It’s heartwarming to read about Mark and the rest of the the band, bringing back the happier memories.

My siblings and I have only a couple of photos of Split Rivitt, so I was excited to read that Charlie has lots (hi Charlie!) – it would be wonderful to have some copies. I hope all is well with you, Dave W, Chris and Dave L. It would be lovely to hear from you. Isobel x

Thanks for your message Isobel – here’s some footage from the BBC’s Nationwide programme back in the day, featuring Mark in the studio with Johnny Mars, Mark Feltham and Skid Stuart. Sending you love and best wishes from everyone at the Harp Surgery.

If anyone has any memorabilia we can add to our Split Rivitt archive, please message us through our contact page. Harp Surgery visitors can enjoy the Split Rivitt archive here.

Richard Teaching Harmonica Live On The Radio

March 6, 2023 The Good Doctor

Early on Friday morning at this year’s Harpin’ By The Sea harmonica festival, Richard Taylor, launched proceedings in the company of BBC Radio Sussex reporter Hanna Neter.

Hanna was challenged by Breakfast Show host Alison Fearns to learn and perform her first ever harmonica tune live on air. Richard and Hanna duly got to work and within half an hour Hanna was playing When The Saints Go Marching In! You can hear what everyone got up to right here…

If you’d like to learn the harmonica for yourself, or improve your existing skills, contact Richard Taylor now. Details of lessons are right here.

Hohner PentaHarp

December 27, 2021 The Good Doctor

The harp beginner’s and guitarist’s new friend
The PentaHarp has finally reached the UK and we have been busy putting it through its paces. With an attractive electric blue ABS comb, the PentaHarp is essentially a special tuning in a Special 20 shell. An addition to Hohner’s Progressive Series, it comes in a sturdy flip-top box and is packaged in an eye catching outer carton featuring Nashville singer song-writer, Payton Taylor. The packaging explains:

“The PentaHarp simplifies the harmonica by giving players easy access to one of the most useful scales in rock and blues music without the need for advanced techniques. The tonal layout is the Blues Scale, which is a Minor Pentatonic scale with the added ‘blue’ note. Create expressive melodies and solos quickly and easily, and never play a wrong note!”