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Subject: "Chromatic books, instruction, and getting started playing"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Conferences Advanced Topics/Chromatic Topic #165
Reading Topic #165
Andy Ox
Member since Apr-20-06
50 posts		 Aug-09-06, 08:59 AM (PST)
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"Chromatic books, instruction, and getting started playing"
 
   LAST EDITED ON Aug-09-06 AT 12:02 PM (PST) by webmaster (admin)
 
I bought 2 books recently as i felt i needed to get back too basics with learning to get better on my chromatic.What i've noticed with a lot of these books is the songs in them are boring and depressing.Quite a bold and some may say stupid statement as i know you've got to start somewhere but i can appreciate learning basic nursery ryhmes but then they all go onto some old folk songs or songs i've never heard of.It would be nice to have some basic more up to date songs.
One of the books i bought is Hal Leonard complete harmonica method book for chromatics.I like this one more as they are short peices in different scales and modes which get you going up and down the harp going from hole 1 to hole 7 or hole 3 to hole 11.Your moving through the book at a reasonable pace that keeps you fresh and it does'nt make you feel like your in a church.
I only started learning the chromatic in May as i wanted to learn more melody and loved that hole Stevie Wonder sound (who does'nt).What i think is that one of the reasons everyone wants to learn blues harp is that diatonic blues playing is cool to learn,you learn the basics then how to bend and then your off making blue'sy riffs all in quite a short period of time while your still learning.Where as if you want to learn jazzy pop type stuff on a Chromatic you really need to follow books more until you've really got to know where every note is and can play more freely.This is why i personally think that more people give up whith learning to play the chromatic,these standard boring songs do nothing for keeping you as motivated when your at a sticking point.Don't get me wrong i love just messing around on my 64,still learning the scales and such but i feel you need to follow books and songs to keep progressing further.There we are just my thoughts.

www.surreystrongman.com


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webmasteradmin
Member since Jan-20-03
751 posts		 Aug-09-06, 12:00 PM (PST)
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1. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #0
 
Andy,

I agree with you 100%. All the books for chromatic harmonica instruction essentially suck. There is nothing I can recommend in good conscience. The reason you see all the same silly songs in print (for all kinds of instrument instruction) is because the publishers don't have to pay anything to use them as they are no longer in copyright.

I am smack dab in the middle of doing the background work to create video and more audio for the site. As you know I've said, I will add more chromatic instruction and songs and scales to this site, but the other stuff I'm doing now is higher priority.

Did you ever pick up the Jazz Harp book by Richard Hunter. It is for diatonic and chromatic, but has a few Stevie Wonder solos tabbed out and some scales-
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0825602297/ref=nosim/harmonicalessons

As always, feel free to post your questions here and if you need some specific help with scales or improv theory, please request it and it could become the beginning of me getting the content together for the website. I am willing to do a continual dialog here for you with chromatic info and instruction. Do you have the scales that are already on the site memorized yet? This is the first place to start.

Another thing you need to do is memorize the note location on the chromatic. Every 4 holes on blow you get "C E G C" and on draw you get "D F A B". This configuration starts on holes 1, 5, and 9. If I asked you what hole 6 draw with the slide in is, you should be able to come up with "F#" (an octave and a half above middle "C").

Also, did you see this yet? Scroll to the bottom for chromatic topic links-
http://www.harmonicalessons.com/members/dcforum/DCForumID1/318.html

Play on,
Dave Gage


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Andy Ox
Member since Apr-20-06
50 posts		 Aug-09-06, 12:26 PM (PST)
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2. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #1
 
   Thanks Dave i'm glad you agree.
I do have Richards book, most of its a little advanced as i said to you before although i've learnt one of Stevies.Its a book that i think i'll really appreciate as time goes on and i improve.Even an updated version of that would be good but for an intermediate onwards its a book i'd recommend.

I'm hoping that memorizing the note location may happen automatically as i keep going through the book over and over.Do you think this will happen Dave?

I have looked through those threads already mate,some are by me.
I like the idea of laying it out like that ,i think it will save you some wasted typing in the future.

Hope more chromatic guy's get on board.
Thanks.
Andy

www.surreystrongman.com


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webmasteradmin
Member since Jan-20-03
751 posts		 Aug-09-06, 12:47 PM (PST)
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3. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #2
 
ANDY: "I'm hoping that memorizing the note location may happen automatically as i keep going through the book over and over. Do you think this will happen Dave?"

DG: No. Sit down and do it.

I just updated that list a bit so there may be a few you haven't seen yet. Yes, I think overall, it will save everyone some time.

Play on,
Dave Gage


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Andy Ox
Member since Apr-20-06
50 posts		 Aug-09-06, 01:35 PM (PST)
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4. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #3
 
  

DG: No. Sit down and do it.


Oh,ok.How should i go about that,do a few runs everyday before i follow the book i'm using?Also should i try and learn the blow holes one day and draw another or learn them as a scale all at once or each of the 4 octaves seperately??????????

www.surreystrongman.com


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webmasteradmin
Member since Jan-20-03
751 posts		 Aug-12-06, 11:27 AM (PST)
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5. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #4
 
Andy,

I haven't forgotten, I plan on doing an audio response, so it takes me a bit longer to get to it. Hopefully, today or tomorrow.

Play on,
Dave Gage


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Andy Ox
Member since Apr-20-06
50 posts		 Aug-13-06, 09:48 AM (PST)
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6. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #5
 
  
Quote
Andy,

I haven't forgotten, I plan on doing an audio response, so it takes me a bit longer to get to it. Hopefully, today or tomorrow.

Play on,
Dave Gage

No probs Dave,i look forward to it.

www.surreystrongman.com


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adeeter
Member since Jan-19-04
131 posts		 Aug-14-06, 08:28 AM (PST)
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7. "RE: Chromatic learning ,keeping motivated a beginners thoughts."
In response to message #6
 
   Andy,

I did a search a while back and found reference to this:

http://members.aol.com/heducator2/index_files/Page419.htm

http://coast2coastmusic.com/cgi-bin/cart/RMHARMED.html


http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/


Good luck,

Alan

The good times last forever
The bad times fade away


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danielbernard13
Member since Mar-9-06
28 posts		 Aug-15-06, 08:32 PM (PST)
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8. "Richard Martin Books"
In response to message #7
 
   No offense Adeeter, but I have the Richard Martin Book for solo tuned diatonics, and I hate it. I´m guessing that it is nearly identical to his other books of similar length. E.G. his chromatic book! I´d give it away for the price of postage from Mexico.

Otherwise, you have at least one primo cite there.


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webmasteradmin
Member since Jan-20-03
751 posts		 Aug-30-06, 05:18 PM (PST)
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9. "RE: Richard Martin Books"
In response to message #8
 
Andy,

Here's a bit in text form about the layout of the chromatic and learning where the notes are-
http://www.harmonicalessons.com/members/dcforum/DCForumID4/179.html

I will still get an audio response up here fairly soon. I've been in home improvement hell for the last 10 days, but I appear to be done (for now anyway).

Play on,
Dave Gage


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