Re: [Harp-L] sorry - and harmonica books

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

The Dummies book (Harmonica For Dummies) does have tracks on the CD
where you can turn off the harmonica and play along with the band. You just turn
off the right channel to turn off the harmonica, and listen to the band in the left channel.



It's true that in the early part of the book tunes are simple. They have to be, otherwise nobody could
learn them. But the tunes (and some of the exploration exercises) in the later part of the book are more
challenging. And they're designed to teach you important things about
how the harmonica notes interact with each other and how harmonica fits
in with a musical background. Also, I use them to demonstrate many of the
techniques that are taught in the rest of the book.



When you're teaching a complicated set of skills, you try to make them
easy to understand and easy to start to use. That doesn't mean it's too simple. I'm just making it look simple so you can get started with it.


I do have a chapter on amplification that is designed to help people who have never used amplifiers or PA systems before. This is for anyone who plays harmonica through any kind of amplification, even pure acoustic playing in front of a microphone. It's not designed to go into the specifics of amplified blues playing becuase that's one style with very specific concerns that apply to some styles (like Rock and blues) but not to others (like folk or bluegrass or classical). On the CD I demonstrate some of the most important effects that can enhance you sound, whether you're going for an amplified sound or just amplifying an acoustic sound.


A DVD would be nice, but with harmonica most of what's important is
stuff you can't see anyway because it happens inside your body. I guess
you can see how to hold the harmonica and harmonica with a mic, but in Harmonica For Dummies 
I show this with photographs (no need for a DVD player), and I also have
anatomical drawings to show what goes on inside your mouth.


I know it's hard to cover everything in a single book (my excellent colleague David Barrett has many book for that reason), but I did my best within the available space and what the publisher thought was relevant. If you check the book (and CD) out more carefully, I think you'll find more than you noticed at first.


Winslow


Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Thu, 1/22/09, Abner Galdos <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>

I have a few but Barrett seems over my head. and the dummies book seem to
simple and don't have a DVD that show you the how's and good songs to
play that don't have the harmonica (play along).
as with anything else such as the amps or which harmonica to get is explain in
most of the books. its what the books don't explain that's hard...
that's for us freshman to go out wondering in the woods to learn.. 

thank you ( and trust me I will never stop learning, enjoying or just plain
having fun with the harmonica)



abner (blueyes, freshman to the blues)