Blues Harmonica For Dummies

Introduction 1

Part 1: So You Wanna Play Blues Harmonica? 7

Chapter 1: Connecting with the Blues 9

Chapter 2: Getting Your Harmonicas Together 17

Chapter 3: Deciphering the Code: A Blues Guide to Music Symbols 31

Part 2: Doin' the Crawl: Your First Harmonica Moves 55

Chapter 4: Breathing Life into the Harmonica 57

Chapter 5: Moving Around with Single Notes 73

Chapter 6: Creating Blues Harmonica Licks and Riffs 85

Chapter 7: Progressing Through the 12-Bar Blues 97

Part 3: Beyond the Basics: Getting Bluesy 119

Chapter 8: Working with the Low and High Registers of the Harmonica 121

Chapter 9: Modulating and Punctuating Your Sound 133

Chapter 10: Enriching Your Sound with Textures 145

Chapter 11: Bending Notes: A Classic Part of the Blues Sound 163

Part 4: Developing Your Style 201

Chapter 12: Playing in Different Keys on a Single Harmonica 203

Chapter 13: Working Your Blues Chops in First Position 211

Chapter 14: Accelerating the Blues with Third Position 223

Chapter 15: Playing Blues Chromatic Harmonica in Third and First Positions 235

Chapter 16: Playing Blues in Minor Keys 251

Chapter 17: Groovin' with Non-12-Bar Blues 263

Part 5: Taking It to the Streets: Sharing Your Music 273

Chapter 18: Developing Your Blues Repertoire 275

Chapter 19: Blues Harmonica Amplification: Making a Big Noise with a Tiny Little Thang 289

Part 6: The Part of Tens 307

Chapter 20: Ten Things to Know about Sharing Your Music with Others 309

Chapter 21: Ten Important Periods and Styles in Blues Harmonica History 321

Part 7: Appendixes 331

Appendix A: Tuning Layouts for All Keys 333

Appendix B: About the Website 339

Index 347