Category Archives: Reference

Au Clair De La Douzième Position (Shedding Light On 12th Position)

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Wilf

 Au Clair de la Lune, mon ami Pierrot Today Otis the Harp Surgery’s postman dropped off a delivery from those lovely people at Amazon.co.uk; Pat Missin’s handsome new manual, The Ultimate Miniature Harmonica Tunebook. And as he trudged round the duck pond, amidst the … Continue reading →

Posted in Hints And Tips, Reference | 1 Comment

Journeyman’s Road by Adam Gussow, pt 2

Posted on November 20, 2009 by Elwood

Ignoring the politics of blues music is like ignoring the crocodile swimming in your Coco Pops. Elwood the Apprentice looks at Gussow’s essays on how to position yourself within the blues tradition. “He was wearing a pink tuxedo and patent … Continue reading →

Posted in Apprenticeship Series, Reference | 13 Comments

Split Rivitt – The Archives

Posted on October 21, 2009 by Wilf

A rivitting read We recently featured a post about Split Rivitt, a largely unknown band from the UK’s R&B boom of the early 1980s. From our last post, you may recall that England’s 2009 Ashes Test victory over Australia had … Continue reading →

Posted in Reference | 16 Comments

Journeyman’s Road by Adam Gussow (Part 1)

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Elwood

Elwood the Apprentice seeks wisdom in the holy scriptures (of blues harmonica) [UPDATE: Part 2 of the review is now live.] Well, as I was saying – it’s the end of a Gussow era but not the end of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Apprenticeship Series, Reference | 2 Comments

Harmonica For Dummies (ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5) – Part 1

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Wilf

I like it, I love it, I want some more of it.. Don’t just sit there, check out our Music Store and order a copy now. You’d be stark staring mad not to. This is a phenomenal piece of work. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reference | 5 Comments

Harmonicas, Harps And Heavy Breathers (ISBN 0-8154-1020-4)

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Wilf

The evolution of the people’s instrument I first picked up a copy of this excellent book by Kim Field shortly after the updated edition was published by Cooper Square Press in 2000. At that time I was only interested in … Continue reading →

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Blues Harp From Scratch (ISBN 0-7119-4706-6)

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Wilf

Can you recommend a good book for learning blues harp? I am often asked this question and the answer is yes. One I often prescribe is Blues Harp from Scratch by Mick Kinsella, published by Wise Publications. I remember its … Continue reading →

Posted in Reference | 2 Comments