My name is Neil Warren, and I run the Happy Hour Harmonica podcast.
The podcast brings interviews with harmonica players from around the world. Hearing their story: how they started out on the harmonica, how they got their big break, an overview of their recorded albums and other output, the gear they use and playing tips.
I started the podcast following years of collecting music recordings of as many harmonica players as I could. I built these recordings up into huge playlists, arranged in the key of harmonica they were played on, playing along with them as part of my practise regime. I did this to absorb as much harmonica as I could to help my own playing.
I created a website on the back of this, with harp transcriptions and what I think is the best 'what key harmonica is this song played on' list available: http://www.harptranscripts.co.uk
Now I'm lucky enough to be able to talk to many of them (some of them have been my harmonica heroes for years!) And deliver their words of wisdom to you.
I hope you find them of some value as part of your own harmonica journey.
Competitions:
I have won the Harmonica UK competition in the following categories:
- Jazz Harmonica Player of the Year in 2009 (playing Sophisticated Lady on chromatic)
- Blues and Rock Solo Diatonic Player of the Year in 2011 (playing a version based on Mark Hummel's 'Harmonica Party')
- Melodic Player of the Year (on diatonic) in 2012 (playing an Old Time medley)
Interview on the Hohner Live X channel with Konstantin Reinfeld (Apr 24):
SPAH magazine interview
In the autumn of 2023 I was interviewed by a great friend of the podcast, Tom Ellis:
SPAH magazine interview Autumn 23
I ran three workshops for the HarmonicaUK Lockdown sessions:
Transcribing diatonic harmonica riffs
Blues Chromatic for diatonic converts
Diving deeper into Blues Chromatic
I helped organise the HarmonicaUK Virtual Chromatic Weekend in July 2020, and ask the questions in the following sessions:
Brendan Power
Gregoire Maret