Reddit Reddit reviews Complete 10-Hole Harmonica Series: C Harmonica Book (The Complete 10-hole Diatonic Harmonica Series)

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Complete 10-Hole Harmonica Series: C Harmonica Book (The Complete 10-hole Diatonic Harmonica Series)
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1 Reddit comment about Complete 10-Hole Harmonica Series: C Harmonica Book (The Complete 10-hole Diatonic Harmonica Series):

u/dragontamer5788 ยท 3 pointsr/harmonica

Just get this book: https://www.amazon.com/Harmonica-Book-Complete-10-Hole-Diatonic/dp/078661370X/

It describes all the chords you can play (including tongue block chords). It describes every major position of the harmonica. Very good for its price.

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Since /u/upper_bounded described scales already, the chord theory that will get you started is as follows:

The Major Triad (C/E/G) is the base of most chords. The harmonica blow notes are composed entirely out of the major triad. (CEG CEG CEG C, for holes 1-10). Whether you realize it or not, by playing the harmonica, you're naturally an expert on the major triad. (Now you know its name!) This is good, every other chord is based on alterations of the major triad.

Drop the middle note by a half-step, and you get a minor chord. (C/Eb/G) Simple enough, eh?

Chords are sometimes written out in roman-numerals. The I chord in the key of C means C/E/G triad. The IV is F/A/C. The V is G/B/D.

Minor chords are usually written out in lower-case roman numerals. The "vi" (lower-case 6 roman numerals) is A/C/E. (The distance from A to C is the same distance between C and Eb. The distance between C and E is the same as Eb to G. Look at a piano if you need help counting all of the steps, and remember to count the black keys)

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Between the major chord triads and the minor-chord triads, you've covered the most common chords. There are a whole slew of chords beyond that.

  • Remember: the Major Triad is where we start (C/E/G).
  • If played in a different order, its called an inversion. (E/G/C is the first inversion. G/C/E is the second inversion)
  • Minor Triad drops the middle note flat. (C/Eb/G)
  • Augmented sets the upper-note sharp. (C/E/G#).
  • Diminished sets the middle and higher note flat (C/Eb/Gb (aka F))
  • Seventh adds the 7th note to the triad. (C/E/G/B) for the major seventh. But the Dominant Seventh (C/E/G/Bb) sounds cleaner and is more common. There are lots of seventh chords.

    Get it? Start with a major triad, and then just move notes around. Chances are, they're named for something. Musicians learn the names and the "feelings" associated with each of the notes.

    And really, that's all music theory is. The names of various chords and notes. You don't learn the "feelings" associated with any of these until you actually play them.

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    In any case, I can confidently say that all typical music is composed of chords, arpeggios, and scales. An "Arpeggio" is simply the notes of a chord played out like a scale. (Ex: play 1 2 3 4 3 2 1 on a harmonica. Congrats, you just did an arpeggio based on the Major Triad).

    A lot of improvisation is simply mastery of scales. You figure out a few chords that sound good on the Blue's scale, play them out with an arpeggio and then somewhat randomly switch between arpeggios and scales. Mastery of other scales (Major scale, minor scale, pentatonic scales, minor pentatonic scales, blues scales) gives you more room to improvise.

    That's just classical music stuff too. Harmonica specific tricks (tongue-slaps, bends and such) add to the flavor of your routine.