Re: [Harp-L] Overwhelmed by sources of harmonica-information!

[Bill Hines <billhines4@xxxxxxxxx>]

 My problem with finding a teacher is that many of the folks who say 
they teach harmonica are really guitar (or other instrument) players who 
as a side play some harp on a rack in the vein of dylan, young, etc and 
aren't what i call dedicated, knowledgeable harmonica people. They know 
how to play some chordal accompaniment and consider themselves harmonica 
players but not what many of us would call a true dedicated harmonica 
player and maybe not of the style the person seeking lessons would want 
(but if so, then it's all good, go for it!). so, be careful, listen to 
any aspiring instructor play and ask if that's the style you want to learn.

My other point is that many great players are not good teachers, do not 
have an organized set of materials and approach (if that is important to 
you). So be careful there, and get references. In most places, other 
than major urban areas, after applying these criteria, you will find 
options slim to none. or like me, you simply aren't in one place long 
enough or have a consistent enough schedule to be able to do lessons 
(cost is also a factor for a lot of people these days).

So that leads you to the self-study thing, or remote/virtual lessons 
using technologies like Skype (or just the good old fashioned telephone) 
with folks like Gindick, Rubin, etc who are set up for that. There's a 
hell of a lot of great stuff out there (and a lot of bad stuff too!!) 
but it comes down to how you want to learn. For example Jon Gindick's 
material is very friendly, FUN, loosey-goosey, upbeat, easy. I think he 
just redid the classic Rock and Blues Harmonica book/cd and I really 
enjoyed that when I was learning, as a starting point. If you prefer 
something more structured, deep, scholarly and austere then David 
Barret's huge series of stuff is a good choice. You could do the basic 
stuff then cover his Chicago Blues Harmonica two-part book/cd set (he 
has dvds too which are good). If you want to work mostly without a book, 
i.e in a car or whatever, then Jerry Portnoy's Masterclass 3-cd set is 
very good. I would absolutely say that if you want a good fundamental 
start to all things harmonica, from playing to some music theory intro 
to maintaining your harps, then start with Winslow's Harmonica for Dummies.

There are also some structured lessons set up on web sites that are a 
mix of interactive and static by folks like Howard Levy, Dave Barrett, 
and Adam Gussow. If you can't be at the computer all the time take note 
of how much of that can be done offline as opposed to requiring you to 
be connected.

Don't forget to just have fun and play, that's the part i screwed up 
when I started and became too focused on these materials. You have to 
teach your brain and body where the sounds are and that won't happen 
without a lot of time with the harp in your mouth. play along with 
stuff, just for fun. i didn't like that because it was frustrating and 
sounded so bad. but it won't get better unless you do it. print off the 
tabs from some of the tab sites for your favorite songs and learn them, 
it's an easy way to get some self-reward and confidence. stairway to 
heaven isn't a "harmonica song" but i remember the thrill of playing it 
for the first time, even when I was a rank beginner, after I had 
invested a little time to learn it, and it always impresses people. 
something simple like danny boy, summer time, or amazing grace, can be 
learned easily and then as you gain better technique spiced up with 
things like octave splits, chords, etc.

when you get to a certain level of proficiency, start thinking about 
playing in the local jams. go there now anyway just to take note of 
technique and get to know the local players, you might find a good 
instructor that way too, and someone  who will guide/mentor you for a 
few beers or your friendship.

Bill Hines

On 9/25/2010 7:39 PM, BullHorn wrote:
> I've looked around harmonica websites and there is so much to learn
> from but it is something I've never been good at: deciding!
>
> There's Winslow Yerxa's "Harmonica for Dummies", the dozen or so books
> by David Barret, a few more from Jon Gindick and a couple more I can't
> remember right now.
>
> Which one do you guys think would be the best book for a beginner? I
> plan to eventually reading more than one book, but I want to start
> with one that will get up to actually playing songs/riffs and
> hopefully improvising.