The Talking Harmonica is now in it's Third Edition! There are now links to You Tube demonstrations, Free MP3's, more content and helpful diagrams. Playing the harp is a lot like learning to talk. To talk, you need to learn words and sentences, as well as develop a sound to your voice. To play the harmonica, you need to learn how to play notes, scales and develop your sound. The Talking Harmonica guide provides written lessons on how to speak the language of the harp. The links to You Tube demonstrations and free MP3's which can be downloaded for free at www.talkingharmonica.com will let you see and hear the music as it is written in the guide. Some people are more visual, some are more auditory; combining the guide with the videos and MP3's gives you the best of both worlds. The written guide will show you the notes to play and the videos and MP3's will allow you to listen to how they are played. The Tallking Harmonica guide is over 186 pages of critical information to help you become the best muscain you can be. From picking out your first harp, holding it and playing a single note, to which microphones and amplifiers to use. Here is a partial list of other techniques that are taught: - Using hand effects - Playing with staccato and legato - Lip Pursing - Tongue Blocking - Playing octaves and chords - Blues, Pop, Rock and Country styles - Breathing exercises - Playing in three positions - Playing with a rack - Developing a warm tone - Throat vibrato The guide also includes over 100 exercises, riffs and songs to help guide to where you want to go with the harmonica!

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.

Offering a comprehensive study of harmonica techniques and blues soloing concepts, this book contains studies and etudes on bending notes (draw and blow), throat vibrato, two-hole shakes, tongue blocking, acoustic and amplified playing, music theory, blues scales, octave substitutions, playing positions, and position substitutes. Intended for the intermediate to advanced diatonic harmonica player, this book provides extensive instruction on lead and accompaniment playing styles. the companion CD includes musical example and play-along songs. Each exercise is played and every full length song is fully accompanied by a blues band. Each large example is played once with harmonica and again with accompaniment only. This book can be used with both diatonic and chromatic harmonica, but us more recommended for the diatonic player.

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!

Now for the first time, country music authority Charles K. Wolfe gathers together his profiles of 50 legends of country music, including Bill Monroe, Lefty Frizzell, and Kitty Wells.

The harmonica is one of the most important, yet overlooked, instruments in music. This definitive volume celebrates the history of the world's most popular musical device, its impact on various forms of music, folk, country, blues, rock, jazz and classical music. The author traces the development of the harmonica from the ancient Chinese sheng to futuristic harmonica sythesizers. Nearly seventy harmonica masters are profiled including Stevie Wonder, Little Walter, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Reed, Charlie McCoy, Sonny Terry, and John Popper. This updated edition includes an extensive new afterword, an expanded discography of the finest harmonica recordings, and a listing of the best harmonica resources on the internet.