Table of Contents
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