Description
Book SynopsisBreathe the blues into your harmonica! Blues harmonica is the most popular and influential style of harmonica playing, and it forms the basis for playing harmonica in other styles such as rock and country. Blues Harmonica for Dummies gives you a wealth of content devoted to the blues approachspecific 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; historical development of blues styles; and important blues players and recordings. The accompanying website 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 techniquesBlues song forms, improvisation, and accompanying singersInformation on blues history and personalities If you're intrigued by the idea of u
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1
Part 1: 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 2: 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 85
Chapter 7: Progressing Through the 12-Bar Blues 97
Part 3: Beyond the Basics: Getting Bluesy 119
Chapter 8: Working with the Low and High Registers of the Harmonica 121
Chapter 9: Modulating and Punctuating Your Sound 133
Chapter 10: Enriching Your Sound with Textures 145
Chapter 11: Bending Notes: A Classic Part of the Blues Sound 163
Part 4: Developing Your Style 201
Chapter 12: Playing in Different Keys on a Single Harmonica 203
Chapter 13: Working Your Blues Chops in First Position 211
Chapter 14: Accelerating the Blues with Third Position 223
Chapter 15: Playing Blues Chromatic Harmonica in Third and First Positions 235
Chapter 16: Playing Blues in Minor Keys 251
Chapter 17: Groovin’ with Non-12-Bar Blues 263
Part 5: Taking It to the Streets: Sharing Your Music 273
Chapter 18: Developing Your Blues Repertoire 275
Chapter 19: Blues Harmonica Amplification: Making a Big Noise with a Tiny Little Thang 289
Part 6: The Part of Tens 307
Chapter 20: Ten Things to Know about Sharing Your Music with Others 309
Chapter 21: Ten Important Periods and Styles in Blues Harmonica History 321
Part 7: Appendixes 331
Appendix A: Tuning Layouts for All Keys 333
Appendix B: About the Website 339
Index 347
