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