Play Irish Music on the Chromatic

PLAY IRISH MUSIC ON THE CHROMATIC HARMONICA
Comprehensive Foundation Book for Stock Chromatics

Yay... It's finally finished! For all of you who put your names down years in advance, thanks for your patience :)

This is the first of two books on Irish Chromatic. It is a very detailed Foundation Course for people who want to use stock standard chromatics you can buy easily and inexpensively in any music shop or online. No retuning or slide-flipping required; this book proves that Irish Music can sound great on a normal chrom.

(The Advanced Book will cover playing Irish music using customised chroms with altered tunings. It will be available in 2009)

PACKAGE CONSISTS OF:

78 TRACK CD: Lots of tunes and exercises, played slowly and at normal speed
72 PAGE BOOK with detailed playing information, photos, sheet music and harmonica tab
two OPTIONAL CHROMATIC harmonicas
in D & G, specially adjusted for improved performance. You can buy both or just one (G is used for all exercises & 50% of tunes)

Among the topics covered are:

Basic Playing Advice for Total Beginners
Exercises Starting from Scratch to Advanced
Historical Irish Harmonica Information
Musical Notation & Harmonica Tablature
What Chromatic to Buy?
How to Play Across the Octaves
Playing the Same Tune in Different Keys
Playing Tunes in a Set with Key Changes
Modes & Pentatonic Scales in Irish Music
Slider Ornamentation Studied in Depth
Mouth Ornamentation Studied in Depth
Fixing Problems with Windsaver Valves

Chromatic Harmonicas are notorious for problems with sticking Windsaver Valves. I describe how to fix this in the book, as well as my preference for Half-Valving (removing some outside valves to allow diatonic-type note bending on draw notes).

For those not confident to do their own valve trimming and/or valve removal, I offer this as an extra with one or two optional chromatics. I also include slider adjustment for better airtightness and reduced noise.

Valve-Trimming & Slider Adjustment
is available on the following models:

HOHNER 270 - HOHNER CX12
HERING Pro 48 - SUZUKI SCX-48

Valve-Trimming, Slider Adjustment and Half-Valving is available on the following models:

HOHNER CX12 - SUZUKI SCX-48

*(I order the chromatics after you email me with your choice and make payment.
You may have to choose an alternate model if the one you want is not available)

PLEASE CHOOSE ONE OF THE SHIPPING OPTIONS HERE
No Orders will be Posted Unless Correct Shipping Charge is Added

GUIDE:
Book/CD Only = Shipping Option 2 (Small Order)
Book/CD and 1 Chromatic = Shipping Option 3 (Medium Order)
Book/CD and 2 Chromatics = Shipping Option 4 (Large Order)

If you are ordering CDs as well as the Instruction Package, Email for Shipping Cost

Play Irish Music on the Blues Harp is one of the most practical, effective and inspiring book/CDs that I have ever used. This deceptively slim volume contains some very potent, highly distilled lessons that zero in on the most important aspects of playing Irish music on the diatonic harp. I had been playing Irish music and fiddle tunes for years, and did not need the very beginning exercises, but the intermediate & advanced exercises were highly useful - Tough at the Top" is a clever and fun way to get your act together on the top octave, and the Polkas played in different keys are fun to play, and people enjoy hearing them - unlike many chop expanding pieces that send folks to the doors ! The Paddy Richter tuning is the single most effective tuning that I have used for playing fiddle tunes - I really, really resist using alternative tunings, but this one is such a gem that I can no longer live without it - it really makes the harp come alive in the low end - especially for the faster passages and major/minor tunes. The other thing I really like about this is that you have done the work of sifting through probably thousands of tunes to come up with a small collection of really great classic tunes that cover a vast amount of techniques that transfer to all sorts of other music. Discovering the set dance "King of The Faries" alone is worth the price of admission for me.... I probably have received at least the equivalent of $500 worth of personal instruction, delivered to me at exactly the right time, by having this book/CD available for me to dip into whenever I want. Practicing these tunes and exercises has made me into a much better player - thank you so much!
RICHARD SLEIGH, Pennsylvania, USA
Richard is one of the top harp customisers; check his website!

"Hi Brendan,
I started working with your book yesterday, and I really like it,
because you explain things in a way, that make it easy to understand,
and the slow versions are excellent for training. The Harps are very
good too. I retuned some Hering harps to the Paddy tuning myself, but
with valves the blow notes really sound better."
DIRK BUCHBINDER, Westfalen Germany

"I just got this in the mail today from Brendan with two Suzuki
diatonics retuned to Paddy Richter tuning, and it really is a wonderful
set. Lots of written instruction, lots of tunes and info about
ornamentation, etc plus a 55 track CD. This is one of the most thorough
instructional packets around, and the harps really work great for the
style. If you have any interest in the style, you should consider
purchasing at least the book/cd, and the harps are a definite plus. At
$50 for the book/cd or $110 with the suzukis, this is a bargain."
JOHN KALLY, Arizona USA

BUYER'S COMMENT, FROM HARP-L INTERNET MAILING LIST 18/10/2000

"I've had this about a week now (I also got the two Paddy R Suzuki diatonics
--very nice) and have mostly just listened to the CD so far. It's been my constant companion
on my commute to and from work. I am a huge fan of Brendan's playing
--luminous tone and phrasing that seems utterly right-- and here he lays out
the foundation for his playing style on the diatonic. On the slowed-down
versions of the tunes he often speeds up the tempo after having a go through
once, an approach I like very much as you can hear and explore the
expressive possibilities in changing tempos. All in all, a thoughtful and
welcome addition to diatonic harp instruction materials --one of the few I
would recommend."
HOWARD PARKS, Washinton DC USA

"Hi Brendan:
I wanted to let you know that "How To Play Irish Music On The Blues Harp"
is a great instruction book and has helped elevate me to a new level of
playing. I find the information to be precise, concise and illuminating. I
also like the way you structured the accompanying CD in that you did very
little talking and "played your explanations". I am able to listen/play
along with your examples and let the music teach me how. For me this is
great ear learning, something I rely heavily on. The track table of contents
provides a quick and easy means of accessing the material I want to
practice. This is great when I only have a few minutes and want to get some
meaningful practice done. I hope many people buy your book and learn to
play this wonderful music.

Even though I've owned several valved Suzuki's for a few years, I never
realized thier potential until I listened to YOUR blow 4 note on track 1 of
the instructional CD. In that instant my whole approach using these harps
changed. The volume, punch and emotion now possible with the blow notes
provides me with a new palette of musical colors I never dreamed were
possible in first position melody playing. I feel like I've discovered a
new instrument! It's like having a set of PIPES in my hands! What a
thrill!! I BLEW the 1 hole on my G harp and locked the note into a heavy
throat vibrato for Tom Ball the other night and it really snapped his head
back. He thought it was a DRAW 1. VERY COOL! THANKS BRENDAN!"
DAN BYRNES, California USA

"While Brendan's "New Irish Harmonica" CD inpired me (and many others)
the play Irish tunes on the harmonica, I always considered the
ornaments to be too hard. However the "Play Irish Music on the Blues
Harp" package has changed this. The ornaments are laid out in
a straight forward way, then presented within the context of the tunes.
They are playable, and they work.

The best part however is that once you have learnt the tunes, you then
get to play them with Brendan, via the accompanying CD. This
is a rare treat, and well worth the price. Get it, and join in."
TONY EYERS, Sydney Australia

"Just thought I would write you and tell you how much fun I am having
with your Irish music lesson book and CD. I got the two Suzuki harps with it
and I am having the time of my life playing the music. It's an excellent tutorial
and I am taking my time to go through the lessons to get that clean consistent sound.

I am only on page 17 and looking forward to the pages ahead.
It's really great to have this material because those of us who are self taught
have a chance to learn and play along some great Irish tunes.

Thank you for your efforts. Hope you get that Chomatic book/cd of the ground."
GARY LEACH, Philadelphia USA