The complete idiot's guide to playing the harmonica
Book - 2006
Saved in:
- Subjects
- Published
-
Indianapolis :
Alpha
[2006]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Other Authors
- Edition
- Second edition
- Physical Description
- xix, 247 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm + 1 compact disc (digital : 4 3/4 in)
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN
- 9781592574650
- Part 1. The Harmonica: It's No Toy
- 1. Versatile, User Friendly, and Fun
- Why Play the Harp?
- Becoming a Player
- Getting Geared Up
- Practice Smart to Get Good Fast
- 2. Let's Take It from the Top
- In the Beginning: Oriental Blues
- Europe Adopts (and Adapts) the Free Reed
- Hohner: Harmonicas for the Huddled Masses
- Harmonicas from Sea to Shining Sea
- The Pre-World War II Era
- World War II
- The '40s and '50s
- The '60s
- The Harmonica in Today's Music World
- 3. The First Step: Spend a Little Money
- Decisions: Getting the Best Buy
- Keys and Tunings
- Musical Style
- Sound Quality
- Durability
- Comb
- Maintainability
- Availability
- Price
- More Decisions: Tunings for Every Occasion
- The Choice Is Yours
- What to Buy Now and What to Buy Later
- Harmonica Stuff
- 4. My Harp Will Go On
- Harmonica Physics: Good Vibrations
- Working Parts
- Notes and Keys
- Be Gentle at First
- Preventing Harp Disease
- Care and Not Feeding
- Keeping It Clean
- Four Repair Techniques You Can Learn
- Minding the Gap
- Tuning
- Replacing Individual Reeds
- Replacing the Entire Reed Plate
- Quandaries and Queries
- Part 2. Let's Get Blowin'
- 5. Harp Talk
- What's Going On Here?
- The Tablature System
- What Note to Play
- How Long to Play It
- Should You Bend the Note?
- How Much Should You Bend It?
- When to Use the Slide Button on a Chromatic Harmonica
- Some Familiar Tunes
- 6. Body Language
- Stand Up Straight! Suck in That Gut!
- Keep Both Hands on the Harp
- Take Some Deep Breaths
- Breathing Exercise
- Open Wide and Say "Oooh"
- 7. Playing Your First Notes
- Let's Start with Some Chords
- Chord Exercise Number 1.
- Chord Exercise Number 2.
- Chord Exercise Number 3.
- 'Tis Nobler to Pucker or Tongue?
- Puckering
- Single-Note Exercise Number 1.
- Tongue Blocking
- Single-Note Exercise Number 2.
- Single-Note Exercise Number 3.
- More Tonguing Techniques
- Tonguing Technique Exercises
- Good Vibratos
- Don't Just Stand There! Stomp Your Foot!
- Ten Tips to Top Tone
- 8. Playing More and Faster Notes
- Playing High Notes
- High-Note Exercise Number 1.
- High-Note Exercise Number 2.
- That's Really Trilling
- Trill Exercise Number 1.
- Trill Exercise Number 2.
- Grace Notes
- Slides and Dropoffs
- Glissando Exercise Number 1.
- Glissando Exercise Number 2.
- Hanon for Harp
- Hanon for Harp Exercises
- 9. Music Break Number 1
- Familiar Songs That Are Fun to Play
- Part 3. Steppin' Up
- 10. Reading and 'Riting and 'Rhythmatic
- Why Read Music?
- Notes
- Note Names
- How Notes Are Written
- Sharps, Flats, and Naturals
- What Note Shapes Mean
- The Unnotes
- Notes with Lines and Dots
- Chords
- Minor Chords
- Broken Chords
- Note Exercise Number 3.
- Beats
- Beat Exercise Number 1.
- Beat Exercise Number 2.
- Signs
- What Speed to Play
- How Loud to Play
- Other Important Signs
- Keys
- So Just What Is a Key?
- Key Signatures
- Minor Keys
- Identifying the Key
- Checklist for Reading Music
- 11. Tongue-Blocking Tricks
- Tongue-Block Octaves
- Tongue-Block Octave Exercise Number 1.
- Tongue-Block Octave Exercise Number 2.
- Tongue-Block Chords
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 1.
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 2.
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 3.
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 4.
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 5.
- Tongue-Block Chords Exercise Number 6.
- Tongue-Block Tremolos
- Tongue-Block Tremolo Exercise Number 1.
- Tongue-Block Tremolo Exercise Number 2.
- 12. The Art of Bending
- Draw and Blow Bends
- The Basics of Bending
- The Physics of Bending
- The Technique of Bending
- Note Bend Exercise Number 1.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 2.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 3.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 4.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 5.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 6.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 7.
- Note Bend Exercise Number 8.
- The Music of Bending
- The Art of Overbends and Harp Valves
- 13. Harp Positions and Musical Modes
- The Circle of Fifths and Harmonica Positions
- And You Thought the Kama Sutra Had a Lot
- Ionian Mode (First Position)
- Mixolydian Mode (Second Position)
- Dorian Mode (Third Position)
- Aeolian Mode (Fourth Position)
- Phrygian Mode (Fifth Position)
- Locrian Mode (Sixth Position)
- Lydian Mode (Twelfth Position)
- Modes and Chord Progressions
- 14. Alternate Tunings
- Why Differently Tuned Harmonicas?
- Harmonic Minor Tuning
- Natural Minor Tuning
- Melody Maker Tuning
- But Wait...There's More!
- Part 4. It's Showtime
- 15. Ready for the Blues (and Improvisation)
- Improvisation: Making Your Story Make Sense
- Puffing up a Groove: Simple Ain't Easy
- The "Straight Eight" and the "Shuffle" Rhythms
- Six Basic Riffs
- Call-and-Response
- Twelve-Bar Blues Techniques
- Sequencing Call-and-Response Units
- Creating an Ending
- Licks: Spicing up the Meat
- Blue Notes
- Rhythmic Placement and Phrasing
- Melodic Ornaments
- 16. You Got More Than the Blues
- Country Harping
- Rock Harp
- Erin Go Harp
- Fiddling on the Harp: Appalachian Fiddle Tunes
- 17. Keep Your Day Job
- Jamming
- A Little Harp Can Go a Long Way
- Forming a Band and Getting Gigs
- Finding Musicians
- Getting Organized
- Playing Amplified
- Getting the Word Out: Marketing
- Taking Care of Business
- Leave 'em Screaming for More
- 18. Music Break Number 2
- Putting It All Together
- 19. Showtime! Finale: Putting It All Together
- The Big Sendoff
- Appendixes
- A. Complete Glossary of Harp Terms
- B. Resources
- C. About the CD and Website
- Index
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