Complete Chromatic Harmonica Method

This is a great book for the amateur harmonica player. Some really helpful and useful tips to get you started. There are not too many books for getting started around and most that are tend to be expensive. I can recommend this one. Buzz

There is something about the slow pace of this book that gives me confidence that if I stick with it I'll eventually succeed. This is a book that teaches music notation and theory. (It's hard to see how you could gain mastery of a chromatic instrument without some rudimentary knowledge of these topics.) Happily, the notation is matched to the instrument with pretty standard harmonica tablature all the way through too. Many of the exercises seem very simplistic - but you've got to crawl and walk before you can run. Unlike a few other texts this book doesn't set out to intimidate the complete novice. Teaches the seven major keys. Contains some nice practice pieces. DVD and CD both accurately follow the book; from the very beginning. The CD has the Harmonica on one channel and the accompaniment on the other so you can use the balance control of your stereo to exclude the harmonica part and play along yourself - eventually... My only complaint is that it lacks somewhat on actual playing technique, otherwise it seems like a great package.

Excellent book, easy to follow. If you have never played a chromatic harmonica then this is the book for you if you want to learn to play.

This is an ok book but it is a little cold. Enthusiasm is something that needs to be nurtured in someone coming new to an instrument and the approach adopted here is 'unsympathetic'. One of the first instructions concerns tongue blocking. This is a difficult technique for a newcomer but no help is given as to how it might be achieved; we are simply informed that it is "necessary". It is an imortant skill which does need to be developed as soon as possible, no doubt, but the harmonica can be played without it. The text tends to suggest that it must be learned as a pre-requisite to playing. This is both untrue and possibly discouraging. The rest of the text is ok but a bit dull. In conclusion, I think it is fair to say that this book is useful but may produce a negeative mental state in the aspiring student: it is strict, straight laced and uninspiring - a bit old fashioned. Fortunately the web provides a free and encouraging antidote. If you buy this book for goodness sake read some of this more upbeat stuff as well or you may never get started. "Harmonica for Dummies" is brilliant in this respect, but does concentrate mostly on the diatonic. Nevertheless, do get hold of a copy because it will give you hope and some great info which this book completely fails to do. Addition: I've just noticed that Mel Bay do a basic chrom book and this does seem to say a bit more about basic technique but why didn't they include this in this so called "Complete Chromatic Harmonica"? Maybe beginners should check this book out first

Satisfied thank you

not for the beginner

I recently bought a chromatic harmonica for the fun of it, and thought that I may need a book to accompany it so I had a bit more of an idea what I should be doing. As a person who is already very well practiced at reading music, some parts of the book weren't helpful for me, but you could give this to the least musical person on the planet and they would be able to read music by the end of it. The technique section could have been a little longer and could have introduced other techniques such as what I think is called the "pucker" technique. Over all a very good book for beginners.

Could do with the cd, i am lucky that i already read music, not so good this book if you don't, need a cd to help, book expensive and overpriced without

This not much of a method book. It certainly is not a "Complete Chromatic Harmonica Method" book. It has a little information, such as what hole to blow or draw. But it is basically a song book showing which hole to play. I'm not going to send it back, but I am very disappointed. Unless you are a very beginner or just want a song book to apply the simple lessons provided, this book is not for you. You'll get much more value searching Youtube for Chromatic Harmonica lessons.

Excelente guia para cromática. Com ele aprendi a tocar lendo a partitura.

wie immer bei amazon kam die lieferung pünktlich und vor die haustür. der einzige fehlende punkt läßt sich darauf zurückführen, daß ich immer noch nicht vestanden habe, wie ich an die aufgeführte cd komme. ich dachte, sie sei hinten im Buch eingeklebt. ansonsten wäre ich mit der ebenfalls gekauften eBook version zufrieden gewesen !

I own several 'method books' for chromatic. Found them all mostly useless except for this one. Duncan actually explains the musical theory behind the chrom, gives great tips about how to move through the 'keyboard', the book is loaded with useful tunes and exercises, in graduated order, doesn't spend pages and pages on how to move and shake your head, etc. If you have some patience and actually want to play the chrom as a serious instrument, buy this book and refer to it constantly. (The review complaining about holes 1-4, vs hole 5-8 is puzzling- there is no difference between 1-4 and 5-8. Every group of 4 on the standard chrom is identical: If you know 1-4, you know every octave. BUT it is very helpful to know music and know the actual notes [not just rely on the hole numbers] which the book teaches in some detail.)

Good book for beginner.CD very useful