Lenny Breau Harp Harmonics: How Did Lenny Do That?

Lenny Breau should have been a household name right up there with the likes of Eddy Van Halen, Wes Montgomery, or any other famous guitarist you can think of. He literally developed a whole new unique style of addressing the instrument back in the 1960s and even developed a 7-string guitar with a high A string. Totally new at the time. Only now is Lenny Breau getting some notoriety, many years after his death in 1984. Probably, in part, because of guitarist extraordinaire, Tommy Emanuel, spreading the word and exalting Lenny Breau's genius. But mostly because of the heart-wrenching documentary produced by his daughter, Emily Hughes, called The Genius of Lenny Breau (1999). That's when Adam was inspired to dive deep into Lenny Breau's approach to playing guitar. He was even inspired to design and play the 7-string guitar featured in this video.
In this Episode 1 of the series, How Did Lenny Breau Do That?, Adam Smale takes you through the steps to learn how to play Lenny Breau's Harp Harmonics. Often referred to as artificial harmonics, most people call them harp harmonics, cascading harmonics, or bell harmonics. Lenny Breau's harmonics work in playing scales, chords, intros, and endings.
Hopefully you'll walk away from this lesson and be able to incorporate Lenny Breau harmonics into your playing
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Natural vs Artificial Harmonics
2:06 - How to Create Harmonics
2:58 - Lenny's Harmonics Explained
4:54 - Harmonics in Scales
6:00 - Create Awesome Chord Voicings!
8:19 - Intros and Endings
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#lennybreau #lennybreauharmonics #harpharmonics

[@tipp55]

Great lesson. Thank you very much for a very clear and easy to follow tutorial.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks for your comment!

[@chandlertheorange]

Fantastic video bro, Lenny is in a class all to his own. He recorded a t.v. gig up here in Canada back in the late 70s with Chet Atkin and Leona Boyd. Boyd was stunned at how Lenny could interpret classical arrangements on the spot which took her years to learn. He was a 6-7 string genius. Too many greatest guitar lists have been made with no mention of Lenny. A true treasure is usually found in hidden places. Lenny is the best. Hendrix move over and let Lenny take over.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Ha! Dale, that last part is hilarious. Yeah, I’m Canadian too. I heard of Lenny through my college teacher. You might want to check out my other Lenny videos. And this one too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqGvqIquj96ZqJI

[@ericlarkins]

Great video, really awesome job on the transcription - taking the time to make every other note a true diamond on the staff to reflect a harmonic - thanks!!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Eric! Did you check out my other Lenny videos?

[@chandlertheorange]

Thx for posting. Lenny is my favourite and i could never understand why many of the guitar gurus here on youtube never make mention of him. He is one of the best kept secrets in the guitar universe.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks for visiting the channel. Lenny is one of my all-time guitar heroes. I have made so far 2 other Lenny videos if you want to check them out: Lenny's Beautiful Jazz Chords: How Did Lenny Do That? kzbin.info/www/bejne/m164aZaPqZaAiac Play Chords While Soloing on Guitar: How Did Lenny Do That? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH3JmYeseZJrmLM Don’t be shy to come back again!

[@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj]

Thank you,Sir. I watched a couple of documentaries on Lenny,so this informs me as a listener. ⭐✨⭐

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@BrendaBoykin-qz5dj Thanks for watching, Brenda!

[@user-cg3tx8zv1h]

Grrreat instruction, most appreciated it. All the Lenny videos you provided are wonderfully efficacious. Thank you.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks again! I hope I helped in making you a Lenny fan. Cheers!

[@treblekicker]

Best lesson on this topic I have found. Lenny is the best!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

I agree! Lenny was awesome. Thanks for checking it out!

[@Jeromebarde]

Great videos! Very clear and well ewplained! Thank you Adam, all the best!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks!

[@bradh6185]

So THAT'S how they do it. What a great explanation. You're a natural teacher.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks for watching and leaving a comment Brad. I love passing on information I’ve learned over the years to others. That’s why I started my channel. 😁 Hope to see you around here again!

[@kimcook5800]

Thanks for posting brilliant !!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks! Glad you dug it.

[@Harryalfter]

Really cool explaining 🎉

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Harry!

[@JimmyGallowayGuitar]

Excellent job, great video man.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Jimmy!

[@Sphereal]

Man this lesson finally made them harp harmonics click for me. Thank you so much. Subscribed!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Miguel, that’s great! Thanks for letting me know.

[@brunopal26]

Just to fully agree with most ready said for the finest teaching and channel content. Instantly subbed. Thanks a world and all the best.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks for the kind words! I look forward to seeing you around here some more in the future. Look out for tomorrow’s video. It’s a very cool one!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Let me know what you thought of this lesson. Will this help you be able to work some of Lenny Breau's Harmonics into your playing? ✅ You can download the PDF for this video, Lenny Breau Harmonics, HERE ▶︎ www.adamsmale-jazz.com/shop/lenny-breau-harp-harmonics-how-did-lenny-breau-do-that-downloadable-lesson/

[@bobbyj5426]

thanks for posting this!! Excellent!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

BobbyJ, thanks for the comment. Come back anytime. You’re always welcome here!

[@HYLNDR]

Wow! Great stuff, I haven't seen stuff on harmonic scale playing on youtube and this is just what I was looking for. Thank you!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Henry, I’m glad you liked the video. As with any of my videos, especially Lenny, it’s done with a labor of love.

[@ChrisBiesterfeldt]

Nice clear explanation of this aspect of Lenny's playing!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks for the comment Chris.

[@jacksonvalad8012]

One of my personal favorite topics!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Well I’m glad I could accommodate you! 👍 Thanks so much for watching and leaving a comment. Come back anytime.

[@guitargod6997]

Excellent review of harmonics!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Jay! I hope you can employ some in your playing.

[@RonaldCid]

Excellent! Thanks for posting. RC

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Ronald! I know Lenny is very near and dear to you as well.

[@tobyhoward4979]

Thank you Adam that was a very cool lesson.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Toby. I have a couple of other Lenny videos as well.

[@arthurkluver]

You just saved my guitarlife!thanx a lot

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

So glad you liked the video. Thanks for sharing. Hope to see you around here again. All the best.

[@carlerickson6163]

Great video, Adam. Really digging these harmonics, but I still got to train the clumsy welder hands! Thanks for the lesson. Hope you're well.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Damn welder hands! Doing as well as can be during this crazy period. Thankfully I have making videos as a creative outlet! Hope all is well with you, Carl.

[@mwpv11]

Great lesson on harmonics. Now if I can get my fingers to cooperate that would be great too! What kind of guitar are you using in this video? Just curious. It's a real beauty. Keep up the great work.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Hi William, thanks! My guitar is a one-of-a-kind custom that I designed and had someone build to my specs.

[@jmcljazz6733]

Thanks that was helpful

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

So glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for letting me know!

[@drewflemingmusic]

So cool. Love he cascades.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Lenny was a Genius!

[@verntoews6937]

WPG. I can see Lenny's influence through Randy Bachman. Did Breau play at the Green Briar on north main ?

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

He may have. @theLennyBreauArchives5675 might know. youtube.com/@thelennybreauarchives5675?si=zV1FqG3X9LSCqr42

[@Rider-hh9it]

Chet Atkins in 1980 guitar player (approx year - the one with a Chet holding country gent with blue cover) said Lenny is the greatest guitarist to ever walked the earth. You’ve really got to be deep into the musical weeds to understand what Lenny is doing. To my ear Joe Pass is easier to enjoy. Martin Taylor is also a fantastic guitarist.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

I agree with that!

[@ufiddle2ufiddle214]

Great, how about some of the piano style comping behind the melody that you and Lenny did so well.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Maybe that’s coming soon! 😉

[@migueldelbo3282]

wonderfull!!!!!!!!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Miguel!

[@nickjitsu]

Nice one mate. I thought I invented the up octave root thing years ago then heard Lenny Breau! What an amazing guitarist and underrated talent. Great wee lesson. Cheers!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Lenny really was a genius who never got his due while still alive. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@stevebuffington6534]

May I ask what guitar that is? It is beautiful and I love the double "F' holes. Also I am severely disabled with spinal issues and it looks very light weight as well as sounding very full. You play wonderfully by the way and Thank You for those tips and your videos!! Your newest fan - Steve Buffington.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Hi Steve, thanks for your comment. My 7-string guitar is my design and I had someone build for me. It’s a custom one-of-a-kind. It isn’t really that light. It’s not a hollowbody. It’s more like a thinline Tele.

[@stevebuffington6534]

@@JazzRockswithAdam Thanks for that. Your taste in design is as impeccable as your playing!!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@@stevebuffington6534 😊Thanks. It's the best sounding guitar I know of.

[@MrSqilz]

Nice lesson and playing. What’s the name of the standard you’re playing in the intro?

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Sánchez! It’s a Dave Brubeck song called “In Your Own Sweet Way” Hope to see you around my channel some more, I hope.

[@scottashe984]

Harder to pull off than what it looks like. Practice, practice, practice...

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Yup, the 3 P’s!!

[@lawrencelevinson]

🔥🔥🔥

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Thanks Lawrence!

[@Ltristano2008]

Good to know re the harmonics. Thanks ! Harnonics are a great way to learn chord shapes too. Those closed bites are hard to play normally, Now I have a much easier method. Very cool and useful. Guitar is hard eough already, eh ?

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Absolutely!

[@holzhausholz8215]

Good lesson- is the $10 lesson more in depth, or a way to support your work?

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Most lessons go a little more in depth or some bonus info. And yes, it is also a means of support. Thanks for checking it out.

[@joepalooka2145]

Your statement "only now is Lenny getting some notoriety" is totally incorrect. I first saw Lenny playing in a coffee house back in 1970, when I was 16 years old. Back then he was definitely highly known and respected in the music world. He was also a major name in Nashville due to his association with Chet Atkins. He previously had his own TV show in Canada, and had played all over North America in many top venues. He had recorded many albums and was a deeply admired virtuoso. So he was definitely well known. For any serious guitar player, the name Lenny Breau is right up at the top with all the greatest names ever.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Hi Joe, what I’m referring to though is that he should have been closer to a “household name” like Wes Montgomery. Or someone like that. Especially for someone who completely invented and changed the way a person can approach the instrument. And he may have been a little more famous in Canada because of the TV shows. But there were a lot of people who were like, “Lenny who?” elsewhere. A huge part of Lenny’s resurgence the last 20 years is probably because of Lenny’s daughter. Hope you see where I’m coming from.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Now he’s known worldwide.

[@joepalooka2145]

@@JazzRockswithAdam Yes I see where you are coming from, Adam. I'm really glad that people like you appreciate his music. Lenny was definitely so good that he's in a class of his own. If you've heard the recently released two-CD set called "The Hallmark Sessions" you'll know what I mean. He was only 20 years old when those recordings were made. It's a totally fantastic album but was never released till after his death. That might have helped promote his name. It's a real tragedy Lenny's life spiralled afterwards into drug addiction and his early death.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@@joepalooka2145 Man, I totally agree. I have the Hallmark Sessions CD. He was playing so good even then. Thanks for the nice comment my friend!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Amen!!

[@mamagong478]

Cool. Lennys my Uncle.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Now that IS cool!! Have you met Emily?

[@pdkett1]

Thanks for posting, but you don't mention using any other fingers other than your thumb and Index. It looks like you're using your ring fingers perhaps? with the non-harmonic note.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Peter, yes. I use my pinky finger (e) to pluck the strings I’m not playing the harmonic on. I did include that in the PDF available in the comment and description sections. Lenny also used the pinky (a) finger. Some find it easier to use the ring finger (a).

[@daze023]

Billy the kid earned 'notoriety' as a murderer, Lenny Breau is gaining 'fame' as a musician

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

It is sad that he didn’t get the recognition due until after his death. Thanks for watching.

[@douglasthompson8927]

Lenny Breau claimed to get his basic harmonic framework from Mickey Baker...so do I

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Maybe when he first started, but pianist Bob Erlendson really set up his harmonic framework by teaching him theory and more modern harmony and concepts of Bill Evans. No doubt it started him off. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

[@douglasthompson8927]

somethings don`t change..he started out playing country@@JazzRockswithAdam

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@@douglasthompson8927 Me too! That’s why I identify with his style so much.

[@loilt5091]

Harp harmonics; how did Lenny do it❓️ Despite his demons, he was already straddling Heaven...ask the angels 😇

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Yes, he had demons. But he was very demonless at the end of his life. It’s all a sad, sad story. Have you watched my interview with the guy who wrote the fantastic book on Lenny? Lenny Breau One Long Tune, Author Ron Forbes-Roberts Interview kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqGvqIquj96ZqJI

[@loilt5091]

@@JazzRockswithAdam I’ve read his book, seen Randy Bachman’s video tribute, etc….grew up in Edmonton, where he lived for a while, when I was a kid. Been a fan since first hearing about him in the ‘70’s. Thanks 🙏 🇨🇦

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@@loilt5091 Awesome!

[@newnoggin2]

Don't put Hendrix in the discussion of great guitarists. He was a genius musically, but he was a sound affects player. I could play everything he played. I didn't sound like him nor could I have ever thought of what he did. He was an intermediate guitarist at best. He would agree, I am sure.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

I don’t think I mentioned anything about Jimi, did I?

[@m.vonhollen6673]

That should be “sound effects”, not “affects”.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

What effects though? 2-3 pedals? Not even close to what players use these days. Hell, not even close to what I use! Jimi’s genius was taking you on a sonic journey with him. Make you feel something. Kinda like a good jazz musician should do.

[@paulnicolosi4792]

I met Jerry Reed once. He said “Lenny was the best guitar player ever to shit between two boots”. Jerry was no slouch himself…

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

Ha! That sounds like Jerry. He was no slouch indeed! Thanks for the story!

[@paulnicolosi4792]

@@JazzRockswithAdam He was easily, the funniest guy I’ve ever met… His jokes were non stop..

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

@@paulnicolosi4792 Awesome!

[@MisterRlGHT]

With all respect, my friend, you seem to be struggling against an English language barrier of some sort because $3 a month to access your FREE PDFs is no damn relation to free. Just as $9 to download a PDF for this lesson we just watched is preposterously pricy by KZbin guitar instruction standards. Still, great picking.

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

I know KZbinr friends that charge as much or more. My lessons are extensive and take a long time to put together. I know know no one will pay what they’re actually worth, so I think it’s a fair price. You’ll find some of my lessons for as low as $2. Thanks for the compliment.