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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Everything you want to know about playing the harmonica. Steve Baker has produced an indispensible guide to the harmonica. I had been playing for a while using other tuition material and kind of hit a brick wall.A lot of other books and web sites were name checking this book so I invested my hard earned cash in it.Well worth it.
All the techniques you are trying to learn are explained in full and he tells you what is happening to the harp as you do it. It helps you get your head around what you are trying to do.
The CD that comes with the book is easy to follow and the training exercises have helped me no end. The different tunings chapter is a little over my head a the moment but I am looking forward to getting into at a later date.
If you already have a basic understanding and can bend a few notes this is the book for you.
All the techniques you are trying to learn are explained in full and he tells you what is happening to the harp as you do it. It helps you get your head around what you are trying to do.
The CD that comes with the book is easy to follow and the training exercises have helped me no end. The different tunings chapter is a little over my head a the moment but I am looking forward to getting into at a later date.
If you already have a basic understanding and can bend a few notes this is the book for you.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Not the best harmonica instruction
11 Sep 2010
Format:Paperback
This is not a harmonica instruction book as some of the other reviews stated. This is a handbook badly in need of revision (1989). An example of a good harmonica instruction book is most anything by Gindick, Barrett, Portnoy, or Gelling (my favorite). The instruction book by Charlie McCoy is also worth a gander. Though this book has some useful tips on bending and overblows, it totally neglects to discuss how to do a blow bend, though there are several exercises for blow bending. Baker admits that overdraws are tough, and doesn't discuss or demonstrate them at all. Baker meanders through lots of different topics, but doesn't really teach much of anything.
The exercises could potentially be the best part of the book, but did the other reviews mention that they are not broken into separate tracks but the CD is simply a copy of the cassette tape as it was originally issued? That's right, the almost 60 exercises, totaling only 30 minutes, are on just 2 tracks on the CD, one for each side of the original cassette tape. Therefore, the exercises are practically useless, unless you are willing to re-record them broken into individual tracks. The publisher should have done this, or maybe Baker should have done this if he's still getting royalties, but the buyer shouldn't have to do it. By the way, the exercises are all in the back of the book and are not interleaved with the text; they're like an appendix, with virtually no explanations or tips. They are not as comprehensive as Barrett's exercises, and Portnoy's bending exercises are much better and cover more combinations. But Baker's exercises will give you some other things to try and they will most certainly humble you, especially when he plays fast.
There is nothing unique about this book and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. But if you like owning different harmonica books, are looking for alternative explanations and are willing to divide the cassette-based CD into tracks so they can be used, then maybe you'll want to consider this book.
The exercises could potentially be the best part of the book, but did the other reviews mention that they are not broken into separate tracks but the CD is simply a copy of the cassette tape as it was originally issued? That's right, the almost 60 exercises, totaling only 30 minutes, are on just 2 tracks on the CD, one for each side of the original cassette tape. Therefore, the exercises are practically useless, unless you are willing to re-record them broken into individual tracks. The publisher should have done this, or maybe Baker should have done this if he's still getting royalties, but the buyer shouldn't have to do it. By the way, the exercises are all in the back of the book and are not interleaved with the text; they're like an appendix, with virtually no explanations or tips. They are not as comprehensive as Barrett's exercises, and Portnoy's bending exercises are much better and cover more combinations. But Baker's exercises will give you some other things to try and they will most certainly humble you, especially when he plays fast.
There is nothing unique about this book and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. But if you like owning different harmonica books, are looking for alternative explanations and are willing to divide the cassette-based CD into tracks so they can be used, then maybe you'll want to consider this book.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
THE book on the harmonica, no doubt.
23 April 2009
Format:Paperback
I've got some 8 or 10 dozens of instructional music books, bought from the late 1970's on, no just on harp, but also on guitar and piano (both blues, bebop and other styles too) and I must say that this is probably the finest one of the lot!
Just like the instrument itself, this book is a little wonder of possibilities and new ways to explore and enjoy for any musician. Less than 100 pages, yes, but there is tons of info here both for the novice and for the advanced player. Please take a look at the index:
- History of the instrument
- Construction and manufacture
- How the harp works: bending and overblowing
- The different positions of the diatonic harmonica
- Important playing techniques (breathing, timing, trills, octaving, etc.)
- Styles (including "Playing Jazz on the Harmonica")
- Diferent Tunings (major 7th, minor tunings, and much more)
- Tuning. Maintenance, Customizing, Experimenting
- Amplification
- Blues Harp styles and stylists (well, ALL of them masters and more are here)
- Post-Blues Harp players (from bluesgrass to Indian music...)
- Discography (10 pages!)
- Training Exercises (18 pages, with CD!).
In sum, an absolutely essential reading for anybody with more than a passing interest on this amazing instrument. Also, in my opinion, one of the very best music handbooks ever writen. Truly COMPLETE. If only somebody would release a hardback edition too...!
:-)
Just like the instrument itself, this book is a little wonder of possibilities and new ways to explore and enjoy for any musician. Less than 100 pages, yes, but there is tons of info here both for the novice and for the advanced player. Please take a look at the index:
- History of the instrument
- Construction and manufacture
- How the harp works: bending and overblowing
- The different positions of the diatonic harmonica
- Important playing techniques (breathing, timing, trills, octaving, etc.)
- Styles (including "Playing Jazz on the Harmonica")
- Diferent Tunings (major 7th, minor tunings, and much more)
- Tuning. Maintenance, Customizing, Experimenting
- Amplification
- Blues Harp styles and stylists (well, ALL of them masters and more are here)
- Post-Blues Harp players (from bluesgrass to Indian music...)
- Discography (10 pages!)
- Training Exercises (18 pages, with CD!).
In sum, an absolutely essential reading for anybody with more than a passing interest on this amazing instrument. Also, in my opinion, one of the very best music handbooks ever writen. Truly COMPLETE. If only somebody would release a hardback edition too...!
:-)
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Must have for all harp players...
16 Mar 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book deserves a long glowing review, but I don't want to make you waste time reading my comments, when you could be reading this book.
Seriously, the reference information, the musical insight, the CD, etc... Well worth the price!
I bought this book two years ago, and I was recommending it to a friend today. I looked it up so that I could send the link to my friend and I was surprised to see only one review!
I know that book gets lots of praise in "harp circles" and my only guess is that people just assume that everyone knows how great a book it is, and they (like me) forget to go back and write a review.
Seriously, the reference information, the musical insight, the CD, etc... Well worth the price!
I bought this book two years ago, and I was recommending it to a friend today. I looked it up so that I could send the link to my friend and I was surprised to see only one review!
I know that book gets lots of praise in "harp circles" and my only guess is that people just assume that everyone knows how great a book it is, and they (like me) forget to go back and write a review.
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