5 comments about Instant Blues Harmonica 9 Ed: Minutes Away From Blues and Rock Improvisation!.

1. This is truly the most comprehensible, hassle-free self-teaching guide for raw beginners. Go with this book and you cant go wrong. Just play along with CD and you will have so much fun! After you finish with this one you may want to purchase Jon Dick's Rock and Blues Harmonica for slightly more advanced techniques you may also want to check out Tom Ball's Source Book series which is a very convenient reference of famous Blues harp licks/riffs.



2. This was a Christmas present for two of my grandchildren. The boys were absolutely thrilled with the information, in fact, one of them wrote a piece of music within 24 hrs!!!



3. Good sound and good value. Easy to follow, great beginner and intermediate tool. I was pleasently suprised to find a harmonica in a case included taped to the book. I keep that extra one in the car to practice with the CD. David Harp makes it easy to learn.



4. For anyone who thinks you can't learn to make music in an hour or less, you gotta try this book and CD! Appying a series of very simple breathing patterns--with names like Chicago and Boogie Woogie--you can make MUSIC on the harmonica in only a few minutes. In the first few lessons, David Harp takes baby steps through a series short lessons (none is more than three minutes long) which cover beginning blues, folk and "classical" ideas. In the second half, he covers application of the earlier blues lessons, gives a little explanation of the blues scale, presents you with a simplified blues scale and few tricks. The last few tracks are "jam" tracks so you can test out your new chops. Of course he doesn't get into bending in this introductory course, but for less than $15 it's a GREAT way to start! I use the CD in my car and play along on my commute. It's perfect!



5. If you're ready to pick up a harmonica and a book to play today, I highly recommend David Harp's Instant Blues Harmonica. It teaches the basics of harmonica improvisation quickly and easily. Pop that CD in, and you'll be playing in minutes. Literally! It's very fun and VERY easy! I think ANYBODY can learn to play with this book/cd. It opened the door to musical instruments for my non-musical husband.
   
   For a more in-depth study, check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Harmonica. It covers every possible aspect of learning to play the harmonica, including how to read music and advanced techniques of play, such as bending. This book is useful in learning how to translate written music to a harmonica, and learning how to incorporate harmonica into a band or group.
   
   David Harp will get you started playing immediately. Then, if you're interested in continuing your education, check out the Idiot's Guide.

5 comments about The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing.

1. This book has helped me very much with techniques and embouchure and so much more.I love the section on teaching ...it helps out alot.I think this is a wonderful book and I recomend it.It is like my second bible!



2. I'm a clarinetist myself, and I found this book to be very informative. True that he mentions aspects of playing that I disagree with, or he mentions things my teacher already advocates, but he has a ton of ideas that I would not have thought about otherwise.



3. This is a very informative book. There are tons of tips and information that is simply invaluable. I recommend this to any serious clarinet player to have in their library.



4. Dr. Pino is my professor right now and this book is almost like having a lesson with him. Besides the fact it's full of everything you would have ever wanted to know about the clarinet. Dr. Pino is in my opinion first hand with lessons and second hand with this book THE clarinet guru!!



5. The father of one of my friends tried to get me to read this book when I was playing clarinet in middle school over a dozen years ago. Well, I finally got around to it and very much regret putting it off for so long. There is a ton of practical knowledge completely spelled out for the aspiring clarinetist. No matter you skill level, you should enjoy the read; of course, this won't really interest you if you don't play clarinet (or soprano sax).
   
   Style:
   The book is written with everything clearly spelled out with examples and reasons why things are done a certain way. Even a beginner could get through the book without much trouble. There is a lot of color as to the history of the clarinet and the author's own experiences. Gladly, it does not read like a textbook, nor does it approach the wordiness or length of one.
   
   Content:
   I would give this book 6 stars just for the amount of valuable knowledge. I have changed the ligature I use to much success and am (hopefully) correcting some bad habits concerning practice and maintenance. I'm also looking forward to putting the reed making/honing lessons to use. Overall, it's just great to be much more informed about something I've invested a big chunk of my life in. Like some other reviewers said, there are other clashing schools of thought, but read and decide what's best for you.
   
   Overall:
   Considering the cost of lessons and the amount of time required to master the clarinet, this is a very intelligent investment of both time and money. You absolutely won't regret it, unless you put it off, like I did.

2 comments about Mel Bay Basic Blues Harmonica Method Book/CD Set.

1. This book rocks! Building basic riffs using 1 hole! making it sound incredible. You are given the tools to start building your style of the blues riffs you like, illustrating how to attack the notes.
   Very well done.



2. A good introdution to blues harmonica. However the book itself is a little thin and could have been combined with subsequent edtions for a better overview and more affordable read.

2 comments about Guide To Teaching Woodwinds (5th Edition).

1. I was able to use this for my woodwind studies, and at a fraction of the cost!



2. Classic text with not many changes over the years.
   
   Newest edition (5th) is 1989. The second newest is the 4th edition of 1985.
   
   I have even looked at 2nd Edition of 1974! I haven't done a page-by-page comparison, but it looks very much the same as well.
   
   Ok, so maybe you don't need an appendix with "Phonograph Recordings" (!)

5 comments about Basic Recorder Lessons Omnibus Edition (Recorder).

1. As an adult picking up the recorder again after 15 years, I found this one of the best soprano recorder guides I've found. A great compilation, and perfect for either teacher/student lessons, or self-teaching for adults. It's both very easy to follow and very thorough, but paced sufficiently to be easily absorbed. It's a 4-volume compilation, so you can progress quite far if you'd like.
   
   Like the other reviewer, I also think there really needs to be a f Alto recorder version of this omnibus as well. This guide is excellent for soprano, and it would be great if one of similar format and structure were available for the Alto recorder.



2. For learning to play the recorder, no matter what your age, this is a wonderful resource. Reading music is taught along with playing the instrument in bite-size lessons that my daughter has had no trouble comprehending. Although it is written to be used along with a teacher's lessons, it is detailed and complete enough to teach yourself. Songs are taught along with the notes, helping the student gain confidence as they go along.
   The style is more mature than most beginning recorder books, which are geared toward very young children, however, I don't feel that the book is lacking because it doesn't include cartoon characters.
   I highly recommend it. I have also used this series for learning guitar, and would seek it out for any instrument.



3. I'm teaching myself to play the recorder and this book has been extremely helpful! The lessons are easy to follow and hold my interest. It has fingering charts for each new note learned and teaches fundamentals of music, such as note-reading, measures, time signatures, note values, rhythm, etc. Each lesson uses short tunes to teach various concepts, so you're not just playing boring single notes and rhythms. The last chapter (Book 4) is packed with lots of great music! I highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to learn to play the recorder. It makes learning fun!



4. Well, Amazon's feature of showing reviews on "related" products really tricked me with this one. Let me state clearly, I am reviewing Basic Recorder Lessons 1, NOT the omnibus version (even though this review shows up on that page as well). When you view the Lessons 1 page, you see all these 5-star reviews...but look closer and you see these are actually for the Omnibus edition which is a totally different product. I've seen Amazon do this with other products, showing reviews for items that aren't really the same, and it really does a disservice to the customer. In this case, instead of getting a very complete set of lessons for the recorder, I got just the basics. Now, the information in here is really well-presented and I felt the songs and progression in difficulty for the most part was quite good. But it stops far, far too soon, and at this level, there are very few duets included as well. For the price, there's little reason to get this version over the complete 4-lesson omnibus. So be sure you buy the right version!



5. I initially started learning the soprano recorder using this book, then drifted away for awhile due to lack of time. I have recently started practicing again, and this book is a GREAT book! The lessons move quickly enough to make fast progress (although you can, and should, only move on to the next lesson when you're ready), and they are in bite-sized chunks that are easily digested. Since the time I started playing again, I have added the tenor recorder (plays an octave lower for a much mellower tone, but uses the same fingering as the soprano). I have also started learning the alto recorder. This recorder is in the key of 'f' rather than the key of 'c' that the soprano/tenor uses, so it uses different fingering. While buying books to learn the alto, I picked up another excellent book... "The Recorder Guide" by Johanna E. Kulbach and Arthur Nitka. It is structured much the same as Zeitlin's book, but includes dexterity excercises and arpeggios to practice. For those that are disappointed in the lack of a Zeitlin book for the alto, this is it! It teaches BOTH soprano and alto together... when a note for the soprano is introduced, the same fingering (albeit different note) is introduced for the alto. The practice songs and exercises are presented for both the soprano and alto, and there are even duets for the soprano and alto playing together. These two books together should get you a long way in your soprano lessons, and when you're ready, teach you the alto recorder too! A double value for the money!

4 comments about Mel Bay Presents Jazz Saxophone Licks, Phrases and Patterns.

1. The exercise in this book are commonly heard phrases that can be played over standard chord sequences. As practice material they are great and the explanations are simple and enlightening. This is a good book for developing dexterity and a feel for the keys and scales. Improvising is much more than repeated practiced licks but working through this book will give a player some chops to fall back on as well as a wider understaning of what is possible.



2. All of Arnie Berle's books present the info in a clear, concise and logical way. I recommend you get your hands on as many of them as you can, while you can, especially if you're learning on your own. Any aspiring jazz musician can't have too many pattern books, and this one is a gem. 'Improvisation For The Contemporary Musician' and 'Encyclopedia of Scales, Modes and Melodic Patterns' also by Arnie are also highly recommended.



3. This is a great book to get ideas for Jazz licks. Excellent, not just for the saxophone, but other instruments in the same register can benefit from the instruction in this book. For me, coming from a classical music background, I'm using it with my violin to learn Jazz Violin and improvisation skills. This is quite a challenge, to say the least! These licks are very easy to learn, and not ridiculously difficult, which is what beginners to Jazz music really need.
   
   I really like the book and always have it on my music stand.



4. The books arrived earlier than expected (just in time for Christmas) and we're a big hit. Thanx!!!

5 comments about The Pocket Harmonica Songbook (Harmonica).

1. first, click on the book image here to 'see inside' and look at the table of contents to know what tunes are inside. most are folk or popular tunes; for just straight playing simple tunes this book is ok, esp for the price; david harp has a good , easy method/tablature for reading and playing the music, so dont worry about that. i only wished there were some better songs in it.



2. Low cost and handy. When your heading out for some private harmonica practice in the woods, stick this book in your back pocket.



3. This is a pretty decent little book for the money: the song selection is pretty good, the tab he uses, while a bit different, is easy to understand, it has a simple primer and it's nice sized to actually carry in your pocket.
   
   I'd have to say my only real complaint is that he uses the book for advertising his other books and material way too much. I could understand an occasional plug but this guy's over the top. Not only does every chapter have at least one reference to another of his products but the last 2 pages are dedicated to listing them all, too. I wanted a book, not an infomercial.
   
   I'd say overall I'm please with the purchase but the author's endless self-promotion in this book has sort of turned me off any other titles by him.



4. the notes in the "Amazing Grace" are just wrong. They try to keep all the songs simple and end up substituting notes that just have no correct simple substitution.



5. good book, just need to find a bit of time to learn how to play better.

3 comments about Play Clarinet Today! Beginner's Pack: Book/CD/DVD Pack.

1. Rather late in life, I decided to learn clarinet. After reviewing all the method books on Amazonm I selected this and it's Level 2. I found the books not for the serious student. There is very little material on scales or arpeggios or on things like using the register key. Mostly the teach you how to play songs. If you don't read music, it gives you lots of material on this. If you do read music (I do) then what is left is not much. The Level 2 is more of the same. The most worthwhile part is the DVD, which shows you how to assemble the instrument, put the reed in, and how to hold it. You also get some visuals on embouchure. I eventually bout Gustave Langenus' 'Complete Method for the Clarinet'. Part one is available from Amazon. It expects you to read music.



2. This is a bad deal. The DVD and the documentation teach one the first four notes of the clarinet, but what about the rest?
   
   DON'T GET SUCKERED INTO THIS BAD DEAL.



3. I'm 47 and picked up a clarinet for the first time. Book is very simple but the play along cd makes all the difference.

2 comments about Autoharp Owner's Manual.

1. Really good book for autoharp owners. Lots of interesting info in one concise spot. A little technical in spots but all in all a book most autoharp owners can make use of.



2. This book is a compilation of articles from an autoharp publication. The articles have a variety of topics that help an autoharp owner tweak the 'harp to make it more conducive to personal playing.
   There are a number of articles on how to re-felt, how to re-tune, how to play to prevent RSI.
   I found it particularly useful to change my autoharp to diatonic tuning.
   It's the "Chilton's" for Autoharp.
   There are even plans for making an autoharp, lots of theory and suggestions.
   A really fun book for autoharp enthusiasts.
   It's not really a "how to play" book. It's aimed more at heavy users.

5 comments about Universal Method for Saxophone.

1. This is a great thing for students who have a hard time finding something to practice site reading with. As a student myself, I find myself excelling at improvisation only because I have all of the recourses at hand to do so. I used to faulter a little with my sight reading a while ago, but this new book has really helped me. I have already recommended it to many friends; I also recommend it to you!



2. This is an excellent book for the serious saxophone student. It covers all the major technical aspects of playing the saxophone in the normal range of Bb below to F above the staff: scales and arpeggios, breath control (if you follow the breath marks in the early exercises), phrasing, mastering the low range, mastering the high range, intervals, trills and embellishments, difficult fingering combinations, alternate fingerings, time signatures and syncopation, and all the keys(although the majority of exercises are in the common keys,especially C). The problem is the book is made up of mostly dry technical studies. No popular or folk tunes. No simplified classical themes or classic etudes. Just a few operatic arias, classical airs, and concert pieces for the intermediate/advanced player and beyond (maybe 60 out of 290 pages of music). That's why I think it's only for the serious student. Also, it's probably too difficult for most beginners with no experience learning on their own without a teacher.



3. Some interesting exercises and etudes. However the book is very dated. This book has not changed since 1929. I have an original 1929 version and the new book is an exact copy. The saxophone has evolved since 1929, and so should this book.
   
   There is no mention of any of modern saxophone technique. For example the book still refers to an archaic saxophone with right hand low Bb,B and C#keys, there are even has exercises based on this ancient key system. No modern saxophone have these keys. I have never seen a sax with these keys, although the idea is interesting.
   
   The book covers only your basic scales, major, and melodic minor. There is no mention of pentatonics, altered scales, whole tone, harmonics, multiphonics, altissimo etc.
   
   This is not a bad book to have in your collection, but you will need more than this Universal Method to become the next Michael Brecker.
   
   The title Universal Saxophone method may have been appropriate in 1929, it is certainly not appropriate for the year 2006.



4. Starts with a short but very good introduction into music reading. Good saxo use introduction (again quite short). And dedicates the rest of the book on musical partitures of learning and practicing exersises.



5. First, this is really not a teaching method on it's own, it should be used along with one and with a good teacher. This was a state of the art book a few generations ago, and though it's out of date it still has a lot to offer the serious student. Aimed at the serious classical musician- if you master the material in this book you can play just about anything. Not perfect, but it hasn't been replaced.