Blues Harmonica For Dummies

The fun and easy way® to play blues harmonica

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

Introduction  1

Part I: So You Wanna Play Blues Harmonica?  7

Chapter 1: Connecting with the Blues 9

Chapter 2: Getting Your Harmonicas Together 17

Chapter 3: Deciphering the Code: A Blues Guide to Music Symbols 31

Part II: Doin the Crawl: Your First Harmonica Moves  55

Chapter 4: Breathing Life into the Harmonica 57

Chapter 5: Moving Around with Single Notes 73

Chapter 6: Creating Blues Harmonica Licks and Riffs 87

Chapter 7: Progressing Through the 12–Bar Blues 99

Part III: Beyond the Basics: Getting Bluesy  121

Chapter 8: Working with the Low and High Registers of the Harmonica 123

Chapter 9: Modulating and Punctuating Your Sound 137

Chapter 10: Enriching Your Sound with Textures 149

Chapter 11: Bending Notes: A Classic Part of the Blues Sound 169

Part IV: Developing Your Style  207

Chapter 12: Playing in Different Keys on a Single Harmonica 209

Chapter 13: Working Your Blues Chops in First Position 217

Chapter 14: Accelerating the Blues with Third Position 229

Chapter 15: Playing Blues Chromatic Harmonica in Third and First Positions 241

Chapter 16: Playing Blues in Minor Keys 259

Chapter 17: Groovin with Non–12–Bar Blues 271

Part V: Taking It to the Streets: Sharing Your Music  281

Chapter 18: Developing Your Blues Repertoire 283

Chapter 19: Blues Harmonica Amplification: Making a Big Noise with a Tiny Little Thang 297

Part VI: The Part of Tens  313

Chapter 20: Ten Things to Know about Sharing Your Music with Others 315

Chapter 21: Ten Important Periods and Styles in Blues Harmonica History 325

Part VII: Appendixes  333

Appendix A: Tuning Layouts for All Keys 335

Appendix B: About the CD 341

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. End–User License Agreement  349

Index  351

Winslow Yerxa is a widely known and respected harmonica player, teacher, and author. He has written, produced, and starred in many harmonica book and video projects, and provides harmonica instruction worldwide. In addition to teaching privately, he currently teaches at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, California.