Blues Harmonica For Dummies


Book Description

Breathe 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 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; 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 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. P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Blues Harmonica For Dummies (9781118252697). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!




Rock N' Blues Harmonica


Book Description

From raw beginners to struggling intermediates, this highly informative love song to jamming and the blues helps the reader learn the basics of music theory and the I-IV-V chord progression from Adam and Eve in "The Night Music Was Discovered".




First Lessons Blues Harmonica


Book Description

An exciting beginning blues harmonica course! the ideas presented are solidly in the blues tradition with great sounding bluesy licks to play, even at the beginning level! Topics include Phrasing Concepts (how small pieces of music, called licks, are organized to create a pleasing solo), 12 Bar Blues Theory, Vibrato, Shakes, and Tongue Blocking. the recording includes all of the harmonica parts notated in the book with accompaniment. This book and its recording use a C major diatonic harmonica.•




Masters of the Blues Harp


Book Description

(Harmonica). This exceptional, content-packed collection features 21 classic recordings of the great artists of the blues harp, transcribed and annotated by Glenn Weiser. Includes biographies of each personality, easy-to-read tablature, a notation guide, extensive performance notes, and a foreword by the legendary Charlie Musselwhite. Songs include: Baby, Scratch My Back (Slim Harpo) * The Big Boat (Charlie Musselwhite) * Blue Light (Little Walter) * Bottom Blues (Sonny Terry) * Blues in the Dark (George Smith) * Born Blind (Sonny Boy Williamson II) * Caravan (Gary Primich) * I'm Ready (Cary Bell) * Work Song (Paul Butterfield) * and more.




Beyond the Crossroads


Book Description

The devil is the most charismatic and important figure in the blues tradition. He's not just the music's namesake ("the devil's music"), but a shadowy presence who haunts an imagined Mississippi crossroads where, it is claimed, Delta bluesman Robert Johnson traded away his soul in exchange for extraordinary prowess on the guitar. Yet, as scholar and musician Adam Gussow argues, there is much more to the story of the devil and the blues than these cliched understandings. In this groundbreaking study, Gussow takes the full measure of the devil's presence. Working from original transcriptions of more than 125 recordings released during the past ninety years, Gussow explores the varied uses to which black southern blues people have put this trouble-sowing, love-wrecking, but also empowering figure. The book culminates with a bold reinterpretation of Johnson's music and a provocative investigation of the way in which the citizens of Clarksdale, Mississippi, managed to rebrand a commercial hub as "the crossroads" in 1999, claiming Johnson and the devil as their own.




100 Authentic Blues Harmonica Licks


Book Description

(Harmonica). If you're just getting started or a veteran looking to add more licks to your arsenal, this book with audio is for you. From basic 12-bar blues backing riffs to mojo-packed solo licks, Steve Cohen shares 100 time-tested licks to help you get the most out of your 10-hole diatonic harp. All examples are played on a C harp and are written in standard notation and harmonica tab. The audio includes demonstration tracks for all of the licks many with play-along tracks. Includes: cross harp and straight harp licks; boogie-woogie licks; stop-time licks; ascending & descending licks; funk licks; shuffle licks; horn-adapted licks; glissandro licks; octave licks; warble licks; over-blowing chromatic licks; turn-arounds and endings. Also include many riffs in the styles of Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, James Cotton, and more!




The Blues: A Very Short Introduction


Book Description

Praised as "suave, soulful, ebullient" (Tom Waits) and "a meticulous researcher, a graceful writer, and a committed contrarian" (New York Times Book Review), Elijah Wald is one of the leading popular music critics of his generation. In The Blues, Wald surveys a genre at the heart of American culture. It is not an easy thing to pin down. As Howlin' Wolf once described it, "When you ain't got no money and can't pay your house rent and can't buy you no food, you've damn sure got the blues." It has been defined by lyrical structure, or as a progression of chords, or as a set of practices reflecting West African "tonal and rhythmic approaches," using a five-note "blues scale." Wald sees blues less as a style than as a broad musical tradition within a constantly evolving pop culture. He traces its roots in work and praise songs, and shows how it was transformed by such professional performers as W. C. Handy, who first popularized the blues a century ago. He follows its evolution from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith through Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix; identifies the impact of rural field recordings of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton and others; explores the role of blues in the development of both country music and jazz; and looks at the popular rhythm and blues trends of the 1940s and 1950s, from the uptown West Coast style of T-Bone Walker to the "down home" Chicago sound of Muddy Waters. Wald brings the story up to the present, touching on the effects of blues on American poetry, and its connection to modern styles such as rap. As with all of Oxford's Very Short Introductions, The Blues tells you--with insight, clarity, and wit--everything you need to know to understand this quintessentially American musical genre.




Blues Guitar For Dummies


Book Description

Do you wish you could play your favorite blues music on guitar? Even if you don’t read music, it’s not difficult with Blues Guitar for Dummies. With this hands-on guide, you’ll pick up the fundamentals instantly and start jamming like your favorite blues artists! Blues Guitar for Dummies covers all aspects of blues guitar, showing you how to play scales, chords, progressions, riffs, solos, and more! It’s packed with musical examples, chords charts, and photos that let you explore the genre and play the songs of the great blues musicians. This accessible guide will give you the skills you need to: Choose the right guitar, equipment, and strings Hold, tune, and get situated with your guitar Play barre chords and strum to the rhythm Recognize the structure of a blues song Tackle musical riffs Master melodies and solos Make your guitar sing, cry, and wail Jam to any type of blues In addition to this must-have book, a bonus CD is included so that you can listen to famous songs, practice your riffs and chords, and develop your style as a blues musician. It also features a quick guide to musical notation and suggestions on albums, artists, and guitars for further enjoyment. With Blues Guitar for Dummies, you can re-create the masterpieces of the blues legend without the expensive lessons!




Chromatic Harmonica Lessons for Beginners


Book Description

Teach yourself how to play harmonica with our easy harmonica lessons for beginners. ***Comes with online access to free audio demonstrating all examples. Hear how each one is played by a teacher, then play along.*** "An excellent introduction to the chromatic harp. Each song is a little more complex and involves new techniques. This book is a great buy if you are serious about learning the chromatic harmonica.” - William A. Graham Jr. [Amazon] Progressive Chromatic Harmonica contains all you need to know to start learning to be a great chromatic harmonica player - in one easy-to-follow, lesson-by-lesson chromatic harmonica tutorial. Suitable for all ages and all types of chromatic harmonica. Basic knowledge of how to read music and playing harmonica is recommended but not required to teach yourself to learn to play harmonica from this book. Teach yourself: • How to play chromatic harmonica notes and scales including the harmonica blues scale • All the fundamental techniques of how to play blues harmonica including slides, rhythms, slurs and expressive techniques • How to play blues harmonica licks and harmonica rhythms used in beginner harmonica songs • Practical harmonica theory for learning how to read harmonica music for beginners • Harmonica tips and harmonica tricks that every player should know when learning harmonica • Shortcuts for how to learn harmonica fast by getting the most from chromatic harmonica practice sessions Contains everything you need to know to learn to play the harmonica today. Features include: • Progressive step-by-step easy beginners harmonica lessons written by a professional harmonica teacher • Easy-to-read harmonica music • Photos and diagrams • 60+ chromatic harmonica exercises and popular easy harmonica songs for beginners in folk harmonica, blues harmonica, jazz harmonica, rock harmonica and classical harmonica styles • Jam along band backing tracks for practicing your harmonica improvisation Beginner harmonica lessons have never been this easy for anyone who wants to learn how to play the harmonica, fast. LearnToPlayMusic.com's harmonica lessons for beginners are used by students and harmonica teachers worldwide to learn how to play harmonica. For over 30 years, our team of professional authors, composers and musicians have crafted harmonica lesson books that are a cut above the rest. We offer a huge selection of music instruction books that cover many different instruments and styles in print, eBook and app formats. Awarded the 'Quality Excellence Design' (QED) seal of approval for eBook innovation, LearnToPlayMusic.com continues to set the standard for quality music education resources.