Customer Reviews

The Natural Blues and Country-Western Harmonica: A Beginners Guide

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Sometime in the mid-80's, I took a delivery job with a small company. I had alot of time on my hands between deliveries; to break the tedium, I decided to learn to play the harmonica. Fortunately, I came across "The Natural Blues/Country Harmonica". Of all the books for beginner harp players, this is by far the best. Without taking himself too seriously, the writer lulls the student into a calm, relaxed approach to playing the harmonica, which is perfect for this instrument. With the helpful illustrations and clear instructions, students new to the harmonica will find they can play with confidence before they even realise how much they have learned. This is a must buy as a gift for young harpists, or if you are giving a beginner their first harmonica.

There are a plethora of books out there on how to learn to play the harmonica. Jon Gindick, one of America's best harmonica teachers has written a book that will definitely set you on the right track for learning how to play this wonderful little instrument.

The book is divided into sections that will walk you carefully through the first steps of learning about the harmonica. These sections are broken into smaller, easier-to-digest pages which will make is simple to understand the basic concepts of playing. By the time you have worked your way through the book you will have a solid foundation in the instrument and will be ready to play with other musicians or to work on more complex forms of music.

Either way I found this book enjoyable to read and would even suggest that more experienced players go through the lessons in order to hone their basic skills. This book is a definite must for any harmonica player.

The book is okay - it is what it says: "A beginner's guide". The instructions are simple and easy to follow. By using drawings, they were able to emphasize things that pictures wouldn't show. Because a harmonica's holes are numbered, they were able to use a system of notation (similar to that used on stringed instruments) meaning you don't have to read music to play the songs. And the progress throughout the book is natural: starting simple and getting slightly more complex as you go. But I want to repeat: this for definitely a book for beginners. If you have even a little experience playing harmonica, this book will be too basic for you.