Re: "Blues Harmonica Collection" fake book

[<gmayhew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From @UKCC.UKY.EDU:pierccm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Tue Feb 23 02:07:59 1993
> X-Listname: Harmonica Discussion List <HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Warnings-To: <>
> Sender: pierccm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Cc: Raj Singh <singh@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: "Blues Harmonica Collection" fake book
> Reply-To: HARP-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> A review in the American Harmonica Newsletter of this book sounds
> very good.  It's a Hal Leonard book so I imagine it might get
> reasonably good distribution.  I'm wondering if anyone has actually
> seen it/how hard it is to get, and if it's as good as it sounds.
>
I haven't seen it yet, but I'll buy a copy as soon as I can.  There's
scarcely a decent book of transcriptions for harp available.

> and what people think about beginners using tab/song books instead
> of trying to figure tunes out just by listening to the recording.
>
> thanx,
>  -raj
>
I have found that tablature notation of a song is useless, unless I
already know the music very well.  I tried learning from several books
written for harp, with no success.  Tony Glover's books were, for me,
the worst, because he uses tab exclusively.  I could read music a little
when I started playing, and I found that books with both tab and standard
musical notation were the best for me.

I really encourage anyone who wants to improve their playing to learn to
read music.  It's not that difficult, really.  Most of us on the net know
at least one programming language.  Music notation is just another language.
It takes time and practice, but it's well worth the effort.

Back to the question.  LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN.  After you know a song
pretty well, then read the transcription while listening to the song.
You'll check your hearing of the song against the transcription, and vice
versa.  Chances are, you didn't hear the music the same way it was written.
Don't take the written out version as gospel.  Everybody makes mistakes.

The best reason for making your own transcriptions from recordings is that
99% of the songs you will want to play have not been published in transcription
for harp.  If you write a song out yourself you will:  1. Have it forever,
2. Know the song like an old friend,  and 3. Improve your knowledge of your
instrument.

Just my three cents worth.

George