Rock n' Blues Harmonica: A World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index for a New Generation of Harp Players (Includes book and 74 minute stereo CD Jamming Buddy

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!!!! by Sylvia Gindick
Review: I didn't use this book, but my dad did. All I know is that one day he didn't have a clue on how to play the harp and the next day he did. He even started trying to teach me to play!! I'm positive that Jon Gindick is a fabulous teacher, because my dad had been trying to learn how to play the harmonica for months, but he just didn't get it. Jon's book really helped him. Now my dad won't put his harmonica down and he is constantly jamming! If you are interested in playing th harp, this is the book to get!!!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on blues harp.
Review: I learned bending note technique from David Harp's "Bending the Blues", and then learned how to apply the techniques to songs from "Rock n' Blues Harmonica". Both books provide a very effective way to master blues harp. Thanks to these great books my blues harp skill improved very quickly. A happy reader.

Rating:
Summary: Rock and Blues Harmonica by Jon Gindick
Review: I purchased a lot of books to teach myself to play harmonica,and as far as i am concern nothing compares to Jon Gindick's way of teaching. These other books are complicated to understand. Having a cd with it that procuces the sound your trying to acheve at the same time that your getting the intructions makes it really easy to play harmonica. I will recommend that book to everybody i know that is trying to learn harmonica. Anyway i am no pro by any means but if you are starting don't waste your time with all these books just go straight for Rock and Blues harmonica.

Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY THE BEST WAY TO LEARN BLUES HARMONICA
Review: I really enjoyed this book. Jon really understands what the blues, and particularly what blues harp is all about and knows how to explain it to you in an exciting and interesting way. Much of the essence of the book seems to be that blues is about creating and resolving tension by knowing which draw notes to accent- (particularly in 2nd position.) I realize that he isn't the first to "define" blues in such a manner, but rather the first author to clearly show you how each note can be used to effectivly create and resolve tension so essential in this style of playing. I also liked the emphasis on good tone. Clear tone after all, can make the difference between mediocre playing and excellent playing. Finally, what I really enjoyed was the CD that comes with the package, which allows you to shut off the instruction and jam with the band (or shut off the band and listen to the instruction). Jon has a really exciting-somewhat offbeat teaching style that really makes it fun to learn from. This book is not big on theory-though he generally teaches you enough to get by. ( for more a great introduction to this very important subject I highly reccomend reading "Music Theory Made Simple", by David Harp. I would have liked to have seen some more information of position play..particularly third position. (..sorry...I just can't seem to get enough of those minor blues!)For those serious about learning blues harmonica this is no doubt the book to get. Highly, highly reccomended.

Rating:
Summary: the one to get first!
Review: I see that this book has 5 stars and over 30 reviews so I hardly have to convince any one of how good it is. The author is obviously a heck of a good guy and he talks you through all the techniques and riffs in the book. The fact that he is not only a great harp player but also a great teacher makes this book and cd worth it's weight in gold. Another great section of the book is the extensive list of albums that feature harmonica with every track listed along with the key the harp is played for every song on the album! I got myself a Hohner Special 20 harp which is Jon's top recommendation on his website. This is an updated version of the Marine Band and is easier to bend notes on than that. Make sure you don't pay too much for one of these harps, about 20 bucks is about right. I saw a catalog for homespun that had the Lee Oskar harps (also recommended and quite similar to the Hohner Special 20) for sale for 37.00 which I guess is list price. Yikes! Like I mentioned, the special 20 and the Oskar is about 20.00 if you go online or to the big guitar outlet place that's all over the place. Anyway, thanks Jon, I'll soon be getting your Americana book with the 2 cds. The Blues Harp collection (different author, but also on amazon) is also a fantastic book although of course you'll have to get at least a Little Walter and a Sonny Boy Williamson album to hear alot of the tunes transcribed in this book. I got the versions called "His Best" of both of these guys. One other book that is no less than amazing is the Bluegrass Harmonica by Mike Stevens (also available thru Amazon) Don't pass this by because you may not be into bluegrass, it's got quite a few traditional melodies and originals by Stevens but the main thing is the technique involved is incredible. It involves bending like in the book reviewed here but it goes a bit further into bends and a somewhat advanced technique called overblows which together will teach you to get every note available out of a regular diatonic harp. Also with a cd and again, the tunes and technique here are not to be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Great book to learn and Have Fun
Review: I started "to play" the harmonica two months ago. I have read every site of harmonica lessons and I had never found something so simple and fun. I haven't read the whole book yet, but I can sure tell you that this Book is a MUST have. The CD is great, you can Jam, learn or Jam while learning.
Gindick is worried about keeping it simple, and most of all, making it fun.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best method of instruction
Review: I started learning the harmonica not too long ago and this was the first book I found & bought. I will elaborate where this book shined and where it fell short:
When I started with it, I was immediately was put off by this guy's terrible sense of humor. He teaches the harmonica using inane stories involving Biblical characters and cavemen, basically it sounds like you're participating in story hour for five year olds at the library.
The next thing that disappointed me was the cd. Though very useful, his playing on it overwhelmed me and he seemed to move slowly when I felt he could move quicker and quickly when I felt he should move slowly.
That being said, this book does the job it's intended to do. To get the most from it, jam every day with the cd (no matter how bad you sound) and of course the text is most important. He explains very simply how to jam & harmonize with the I-IV-V blues progression and does a satisfactory job explaining technique and how to develop good technique.
Don't buy this book expecting to be a good player in a month (or even a year for that matter), musical instruments take time to learn and the harmonica is no exception.
If you really are concerned with mastery and you're just beginning, try to find a private teacher, but this book can get you started and motivated.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best method of instruction
Review: I started learning the harmonica not too long ago and this was the first book I found & bought. I will elaborate where this book shined and where it fell short:
When I started with it, I was immediately was put off by this guy's terrible sense of humor. He teaches the harmonica using inane stories involving Biblical characters and cavemen, basically it sounds like you're participating in story hour for five year olds at the library.
The next thing that disappointed me was the cd. Though very useful, his playing on it overwhelmed me and he seemed to move slowly when I felt he could move quicker and quickly when I felt he should move slowly.
That being said, this book does the job it's intended to do. To get the most from it, jam every day with the cd (no matter how bad you sound) and of course the text is most important. He explains very simply how to jam & harmonize with the I-IV-V blues progression and does a satisfactory job explaining technique and how to develop good technique.
Don't buy this book expecting to be a good player in a month (or even a year for that matter), musical instruments take time to learn and the harmonica is no exception.
If you really are concerned with mastery and you're just beginning, try to find a private teacher, but this book can get you started and motivated.

Rating:
Summary: Lotsa Harpin' Fun
Review: I started playing harp on a whim with Jon's Harmonica Americana. I then graduated to this book, and they've both been very enjoyable. Yes, as others have noted, some of the text can be a bit corny, but so what? This isn't Differential Equations, it's music, man! If you want to have some fun and learn to play harmonica quickly, the book and CD are great. If you want to do some advanced stuff, Jon provides a discography in the back of the book so you can buy a few CDs and play along. GREAT FUN!!!

Rating:
Summary: Lotsa Harpin' Fun
Review: I started playing harp on a whim with Jon's Harmonica Americana. I then graduated to this book, and they've both been very enjoyable. Yes, as others have noted, some of the text can be a bit corny, but so what? This isn't Differential Equations, it's music, man! If you want to have some fun and learn to play harmonica quickly, the book and CD are great. If you want to do some advanced stuff, Jon provides a discography in the back of the book so you can buy a few CDs and play along. GREAT FUN!!!