From the Back Cover
Blues Harmonica for Dummies gives you a wealth of content devoted to the blues approach — specific techniques and applications, including bending and making your notes sound richer and fuller with tongue-blocked enhancements; use of amplification to develop a blues sound; blues licks and riffs; constructing a blues harmonica solo; accompanying singers; and much more.
- Dig into the blues — get the 411 on the blues as a musical style, understand how the harmonica fits into the music, and survey the types of harmonicas available
- Do the crawl — grasp how to play melodies along with licks and riffs — those nuggets of bluesy melody that make up the building blocks of blues harmonica playing
- Delve deep — discover how to use your hands, lips, tongue, throat, and lungs to shape your sound and create sonic texture
- Find your style — from prewar rural blues through amplified Chicago blues through modern blues-rock, discover classic recordings and playing techniques to help define your personal approach
- Be loud and proud — put together a repertoire of tunes to play for an audience and amplify your playing with electronic equipment
Open the book and find:
- The lowdown on what it takes to get started
- A blues guide to music symbols
- How to go from playing easy chords to strong single notes, and then to 12-bar blues
- Ways to shape, color, and punctuate your blues sound
- Detailed, step-by-step guidance on bending notes
- Tips for developing your personal style
- Important players and recordings in different blues harmonica styles
Learn to:
- Play blues on harmonica
- Master techniques like bending, tongue blocking, and chordal rhythm
- Connect with blues history and the major players
Blues Harmonica For Dummies
The fun and easy way to play blues on the harmonica!
About the Book
The accompanying audio CD features all the musical examples from the book, plus play-along exercises and songs that let you hear the sound you’re striving for.
- In-depth coverage of major blues harmonica techniques
- Blues song forms, improvisation, and accompanying singers
- Information on blues history and personalities
If you’re intrigued by the idea of understanding and mastering the compelling (yet mysterious) art of playing blues on the harmonica, Blues Harmonica for Dummies has you covered.
Praise from Readers
“…FIVE STARS…”
“All in all, this is a GREAT book/cd combo and I highly recommend it!!! I have been playing the harmonica (bought a Hohner Special 20 after some research) for only 2wks and can already play a couple of blues melodies thanks to this book. FIVE STARS all the way! If you’re looking to learn harmonica this is THE book in my opinion.”
By guitfiddleblue on September 10, 2012
“…SO much fun…”
“Following Mr. Yerxa’s clear instructions, I have experienced one surprise after the other. And I’ve had SO much fun in the process. What I have also learned is that there is a vast difference between “playing a harmonica” and “playing a BLUES harmonica.” So even if you know the rudiments of traditional harmonica playing, this presents another, quite wonderful dimension. The inclusion of his CD is not only a great teaching addition, but inspirational as well. If you are at all interested in the subject, you absolutely will not go wrong by purchasing this book. Did I say it was fun? Forgive me, but that bears repeating.”
By B. J. Lewis on December 19, 2012
“…highly recommend…”
“This is a great guide for those who know absolutely nothing about the harmonica. It starts from scratch and guides you along. The author has a wonderful, user-friendly style of writing. If you want to try your hand at Blues Harmonica, it doesn’t get any better than this. Highly, highly recommended.”
By amazon customer on September 12, 2012