2 comments about The Instant Chromatic Harmonica: The Blues/Jazz Improvisation Method Revised Edition (Harmonica).

1. This book is good for beginners interested in learning to play the chromatic harmonica in Jazz/Blues/Rock style. It covers a little music theory, but not too heavy.

   Experienced harmonica players (like myself) may find this book a bit disappointing in that the book spends a lot of time on basic techniques and only touches on more advanced techniques.

   If you do get this book, I would recommend you also get the audio cassette. It helps clarify the material in the book.




2. Don't be fooled by the number of pages: this book is extremely lightweight. Given that the book never gets around to actually discussing any real technique, I don't really see why the insipid and repetitive examples have to come before the very few interesting numbers laid out in this book. In other words, I think nothing would be lost in this book if it were condensed into five pages of technique and 15 pages of non-atrociously-boring song/riff ideas. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of catchy folk tunes ("St. James Infirmary") notated here, and about three pages of allegedly "Stevie-Wonder-like" and "Toots-Thielemans-like" riffs in the back. There's just not much else.

   If you are an absolute beginner, you may have more patience for Harp's approach than I had, but I have to believe there's a better book out there for the chromatic harmonica learner.* If you have ever picked up ANY type of harmonica and made something vaguely resembling music, you will find this book beneath your level and never taking you to the next step. And one more point: I don't think the notation was very well thought-out; I find the constant use of "I" and "O" (in/out) cumbersome and hard to follow, compared to books that use a more intuitive visual cue (for example, circling the draw notes and leaving the blow notes uncircled).

   And, hey you beginners--I'm not sure the book is so great for you, either. For example, surely you'd like a few of the 100+ pages devoted to a standard discussion of how to bend notes? Tough luck. When he gets around to "three advanced techniques," they are only afforded three pages. The seven lines on "throat vibrato" are unlikely to illuminate anyone who doesn't already know what the author is talking about. There is one page on bending, introduced by the (to me, somewhat obnoxious) statement that "Since I've already written an entire book on the subject, I'll just describe bending briefly here." Mo' money, mo' money!! With so much of the rest of the book packed with fluff, I find this disappointing. (If the author has devoted so much effort to explaining bending, surely he could come up with an impressive presentation of the gist for the purposes of this book?)

   * I can't give a recommendation, but you might want to check out the reviews on the books with the following ISBN's: 1574240617, 078665080X, 0871668319.

1 comments about Pastime With Good Company : Elizabethan Songs and Ballads Arranged for Lap Harp.

1. This is a book of early songs and dances arranged for the lever harp. The lowest note is the C below Middle C, which makes the book especially suitable for smaller harps (like mine)--no rearranging your base to allow for missing notes. All songs are in C or sharp keys, and are about evenly divided between major and minor keys. The arrangements are not overly demanding, but chord symbols are included if more advanced players want to spice things up. As in other Suzanne Guldimann books, excellent notes are included about the origins, usage, etc., of each piece. On the whole I highly recommend this and the other Guldimann books for beginner to early intermediate harp players. My only complaint is the binding--2 of my 3 books have lost pages from the middle. When will all publishers switch to spiral-bound music books?!

No comments about Rodgers and Hammerstein For The Harp.

No comments about Fun From the First with the Lyon-Healy Troubadour Harp (Vol. 1).

No comments about Cello Sonata, Violin Sonata and Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp.

No comments about The King's Delight: a Collection of Early Music, Arranged for Lap Harp.

1 comments about Mel Bay Dreamtime: Lullabies for Lever & Pedal Harp.

1. This is a very nice book of pieces, good for the not quite intermediate player. These pieces present a good challenge for begginners to work up to.
   
   I especially like that there is a wide variety of styles in these pieces. There is a Japanese lullabye that is very pretty, a native american piece - many ethnicities represented, resulting in an interesting array. This also has words to many of the lullabyes which is especially nice for those who play and sing.
   
   This is not a technique book (and even includes some playing notation that is not explained). But overall this is lovely song book that I will be turning to for years to come!

1 comments about Green Grows the Holly.

1. This book is a treasure. Twenty five carols, some familiar but most almost forgotten, are brought to life again in Guldimann's simple but elegant style. There is nothing like sitting down with my little harp and picking out tunes that I know have graced the Christmas season for centuries before me, and thanks to books like this one will be enjoyed for generations to come.
   
   The book includes lyrics for most of the carols, and interesting historical notes on the traditions that surround them. Simple enough for harp students with a year or two of experience, the arrangements are by no means simplistic. The modal sounds and harmonies of the middle ages are beautifully preserved in these pieces.
   
   My only complaint is the staple binding. As with all the other harp books by Suzanne Guldimann that I own, this one quickly lost its cover through much use. I would recommend that anyone who buys this book take it to Kinkos or other such copy center to get it cut and spiral bound.

No comments about The Little Slaves of the Harp: Italian Child Street Musicians in Nineteenth-Century Paris, London, and New York (Mcgill-Queen's Studies in Ethnic History, 13).

No comments about Mel Bay Classics for Pedal-Free Harp.