Mel Bay Publications
Level : Beginning-Intermediate

This audio CD and booklet presents 10 backing tracks for you to practice soloing. Each track is recorded twice, once with harmonica and once without.
Improve your timing by keeping up with a professional group. Develop a bank of riffs while playing with a solid blues backing. Learn new phrasing techniques, will help you emulate it, picking up rhythm patterns and playing your favorite melody over some of the tracks. Become acquainted with different blues grooves.

The booklet contains basic instruction on rhythm, tone, melody, harmony, tongue blocking, improvisation, positions and scales, bending notes, and more.

CD:
1, 2: fast shuffle
3, 4: 16th feel, light funk
5, 6: straight 8th feel
7, 8: slow 4/4
9, 10: moderate shuffle
11, 12: acoustic tune
13, 14: minor boogie
15, 16: swing
17, 18: 12/8 slow blues
19, 20: mambo feel

Booklet:
Get the most from the CD
Some details
Brief history
Playing the blues
Rock, funk, and rhythm & blues

Elements of Music
Rhythm
Tone
Melody
Harmony

Tips
Tongue blocking
Dynamics
Tremolo
Style
Harmonicas

Improvisation
Turnarounds
Triplets & syncopation

Positions & scales
Circle of fifths
First position
Second position
More second position
Third position cross harp

Bending notes
What's bending?
How to bend notes using the C harmonica
More bending

Positions & chords
A few tunes