Hi Everyone:

These days with all these electronic gizmos vying for our time, I think it's good just to take a break from our cellphones, voicemail and text messaging and turn them off.

With all this busyness which can result in multi-tasking, people have gotten way too busy for their own good, going from thing to thing.

When I find myself on this treadmill too, I notice I start feeling too tired and overwhelmed to even want to play.

I find it good just to take time away from this stuff and just sit down and revisit some of my favorite Recordings and just take time to listen.

(If you can time away from your busy schedule and listen for an hour or two to your favorite recordings, I think you're blessed by all the Harmonica Greats themselves who had time to listen, jam, learn and perfect their technique/playing.)

When I was a young man, I read that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin fame (as a teenager) would listen to his favorite Sound Recording 30 to 50 times in an hour, while he was in the backyard chopping wood, just to get the sound familiarized in his head.

I did this myself (years ago) and was driving people nuts in my household, as they heard me playing the same riff (which baffled me) over and over 30 to 50 times in a half hour.

Back in those days, I probably stretched the cassette tape and ruined it by doing this. LoL! Oh well...

But days later when I was noodling around on harmonica, the mysterious riff came to me!

I got the biggest belly laugh when I was in my room playing along with the recording when someone walked into my room saying, "Will you turn that off...." and they were stood their with their mouth open staring at me in disbelief that I was finally playing the same riff!

Then they said, "Do it again! I want to see you do it again!" That's when I laughed out loud at myself doing it!

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I know I may be dating myself with this story but here goes...

I did the same thing with Aerosmith's song "Walk this Way" and wondered how Joe Perry did that signature guitar riff which identifies the melody of this song.

After hearing this a gazillion times that month, I was turning the dial on my FM and heard a song in play and heard a Rap Group singng and playing "Walk this Way" and I thought to myself, "Whoever this is, that's the best Joe Perry imitation I ever heard!"

What made me laugh was when the radio DJ came back and said, "That was 'Run DMC' doing 'Walk This Way' with Steve Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith..."

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The next time this happened was after listening to the Door's guitar player Robbie Krieger, for his unique sounding string bends, vibrato and tremolo on his electric guitar.

I happened to turning my FM dial in sheer boredom and heard this live Recording of an unknown band on a Heavy Metal Station, and heard them doing a "Doors song" and I could hear what sounded to me like Robbie Krieger of the Doors.

When the radio DJ came back he said, "That was the 'Blue Oyster Cult' doing a Doors song with 'Robbie Krieger' on guitar..."

I smiled and leaned back in my chair and said to myself, "Cool..."

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Anytime I hear a riff that baffles me, I return to this "Jimmy Page" Principle of listening to a song a few dozen times or so, on the hour or half hour.

I later discovered by tapping out the rhythm first and then jotting it down on a piece of paper, I go back to the Recording and stop afterwards to try to match the tones I've just heard.

(I was baffled by a Sax riff I heard on a rock 'n roll song back in 1983 and I didn't get it until I started tapping out the rhythm and I shocked myself as I later played it note-for-note! This happened 4 years ago to me one night when there was nothing on TV to watch and went back to that song with the baffling Sax riff)

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Here's what I'd pass on to you (and and say as a reminder to myself too):

* Turn off your cellphone, TV, and sit down and try listening to songs with riffs that baffle or inspire you (using the Jimmy Page method of constant repetition to get that song or riff familiarized in your own head/memory).

* After listening to your favorite Recording Artist, I guarantee after listening to them a few dozen times; a few enjoyable hours under your belt, you'll be able to recognize their tone, their attack and their rhythm (or how they do it).

* Someone told me one time how he would watch TV for 3 or 4 hours after he gets home from work, I made him laugh when I said, "Can you imagine sitting in front of any other appliance in your house like you would with your TV? Can you imagine sitting in front of your Toaster or Coffee Maker and staring at it for 2 or 3 hours straight?"

* I heard one Motivational Guy on TV say, "Winning is a Choice". He mentioned how an Olympic Skater one year at the Winter Olympics, won 8 Gold Medals in one day, which he said was superhuman effort. He made me laugh when he said, "Do you think when he started out, he asked his Coach, 'Coach, what's the least amount of time I can put in for practice to 'get by' with?" (I laughed out loud when he said his question in a whiny voice.)

* I read a quote made by a Motivational Speaker, who said, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily!"

* I'll say the obvious, "Practice every day for best results".

I'll have to remember my own advice and turn off my favorite repeat episode of "Gunsmoke" and practice. LoL!

Have fun. Stay motivated. Keep practicing and hammer out your own workable schedules and then after you've put in your time, then sit down and watch TV and answer your voicemail and text messages.

Take time to revisit Jon's books and website and nail down your basics. When you think you've got it down, remember, all that practice time put in will show up at your next jam onstage or with your friends.

Most of all, be patient with yourself as you learn.