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PLAY IRISH MUSIC ON THE BLUES HARP
(If you play Chromatic, check
out my New Instruction
Book)
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Exercises
and tunes are played slow and fast, and written out with
music notation and Harmonica Tablature.
No need to read music, just follow the Tab.
See examples of the text/notation
and hear sample music clips here.
The package comes in four options:
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1. BOOK CD ONLY: £25 You use your own harps. 70% of the tunes and exercises can be played on standard tuned harps, but you will have to retune one note of your D and G harps to play the remainder the way I do on the CD and in the tablature.
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2.BOOK & CD WITH TWO CHEAP CHINESE-MADE HARPS: £50 Package includes two cheap unvalved diatonics in D and G already tuned to play all the exercises and Irish tunes as demonstrated on the CD.
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3. BOOK & CD WITH TWO SUZUKI HARPMASTER HARPS: £90 Package includes two quality unvalved diatonics in D and G already tuned to play all the exercises and Irish tunes as demonstrated on the CD. The Harpmaster is a very responsive diatonic with sturdy construction, nice raspy tone and long-lasting reeds.
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4. BOOK & CD WITH TWO TOP QUALITY HALF-VALVED HARPS (Recommended) £110 Package includes two retuned alloy-bodied Suzuki ProMaster MR350V diatonics, the same as I use on the CD. Using these half-valved harmonicas will allow you to get all the expression and nuance that you hear on the recorded tracks. This is a special deal on these luxury harps, which normally cost in excess of £50 apiece without the retuning job. See photo here.
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PADDY RICHTER PROMASTER HARMONICAS IN ALL KEYS
Below you can buy the Suzuki
Promaster MR-350V Half-Valved harmonicas in
Paddy Richter Tuning that I use for Irish
Music, in all 12 keys (plus Low F and High G).
 SUZUKI PROMASTER: Luxury Diatonic Alloy Comb, Phosphor Bronze Reeds, Half-Valved |
BUYERS' COMMENTS
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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! |
"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
