Includes bibliographical references and Web resources (p. [231]-235), discography (p. 237-238), and index.

Part 1: -- Harmonica: It's No Toy: -- Versatile, user friendly, and fun: -- Why play the harp? -- Becoming a player -- Getting geared up -- Practice smart to get good fast -- Let's Take It From The Top: -- In the beginning: oriental blues -- Europe adopts (and adapts) the free reed -- Hohner: harmonicas for the huddled masses -- Harmonicas from sea to shining sea-- Pre-World War II era -- World War II -- 40's and 50's -- 60's -- Harmonica in today's music world -- First Step: Spend A Little Money: -- Decisions: getting the best buy -- Keys and tunings -- Musical style -- Sound quality -- Durability -- Comb -- Maintainability -- Availability -- Price -- More decisions: tunings for every occasion -- Choice is yours -- What to buy now and what to buy later -- Harmonica stuff -- My Harp Will Go On: -- Harmonica physics: good vibrations -- Working parts -- Notes and keys -- Be gentle at first -- Preventing harp disease -- Care and not feeding -- Keeping it clean -- Four repair techniques you can learn -- Minding the gap -- Tuning -- Replacing individual reeds -- Replacing the entire reed plate -- Quandaries and queries -- Part 2: -- Let's Get Blowin': -- Harp talk: -- What's going on here? -- Tablature system -- What note to play -- How long to play it -- Should you bend the note? -- How much should you bend it? -- When to use the slide button on a chromatic harmonica -- Some familiar tunes -- Body Language: -- Stand up straight! Suck in that gut! -- Keep both hands on the harp -- Take some deep breaths -- Breathing exercise -- Open wide and say "oooh" -- Playing Your First Notes: -- Let's start with some chords -- Chord exercise number 1 -- Chord exercise number 2 -- Chord exercise number 3 -- Tisnobler to pucker or tongue? -- Puckering -- Single-note exercise number 1 -- Tongue blocking -- Single-note exercise number 2 -- Single-note exercise number 3 -- More tonguing techniques -- Tonguing technique exercises -- Good vibratos -- Don't just stand there! Stomp your foot! -- Ten tips to top tone -- Playing More And Faster Notes: -- Playing high notes -- High-note exercise number 1 -- High-note exercise number 2 -- That's really trilling -- Trill exercise number 1 -- Trill exercise number 2 -- Grace notes-- Slides and drop-offs -- Glissando exercise number 1 -- Glissando exercise number 2 -- Hanon for harp -- Hanon for harp exercises -- Music Break Number 1: -- Familiar songs that are fun to play -- Part 3: -- Steppin' Up: -- Reading and 'riting and rhythmatic: -- Why read music? -- Notes -- Note names -- How notes are written -- Sharps, flats, and naturals -- What note shapes mean -- Unnotes -- Notes with lines and dots -- Chords -- Minor chords -- Broken chords -- Note exercise number 3 -- Beats -- Beat exercise number 1 -- Beat exercise number 2 -- Signs -- What speed to play -- How loud to play -- Other important signs -- Keys -- So just what is a key? -- Key signatures -- Minor keys -- Identifying the key -- Checklist for reading music -- Tongue-Blocking Tricks: -- Tongue-block octaves -- Tongue-block octave exercise number 1 -- Tongue-block octave exercise number 2 -- Tongue-block chords -- Tongue-block chords exercise number 1 -- Tongue-block chords exercise number 2 -- Tongue-block chords exercise number 3 -- Tongue-block exercise number 4 -- Tongue-block chords exercise number 5 -- Tongue-block chords exercise number 6 -- Tongue-block tremolos -- Tongue-block tremolo exercise number 1 -- Tongue-block tremolo exercise number 2 -- Art Of Bending: -- Draw and blow bends -- Basics of bending -- Physics of bending -- Technique of bending -- Note bend eBasics of bending -- Physics of bending -- Technique of bending -- Note bend exercise number 1 -- Note bend exercise number 2 -- Note bend exercise number 3 -- Note bend exercise number 4 -- Note bend exercise number 5 -- Note bend exercise number 6 -- Note bend exercise number 7 -- Note bend exercise number 8 -- Music of bending -- Art of overbends and harp valves -- Harp Positions And Musical Modes: -- Circle of fifths and harmonica positions -- You thought the Kama sutra had a lot -- Ionian mode (first position) -- Mixolydian mode (second position) -- Dorian mode (third position) -- Aeolian mode (fourth position) -- Phrygian mode (fifth position) -- Locrian mode (sixth position) -- Lydian mode (twelfth position) -- Modes and chord progressions -- Alternate tunings: -- Why differently tuned harmonicas? -- Harmonic minor tuning -- Natural minor tuning -- Melody maker tuning -- But wait-there's more! -- Part 4: -- It's Showtime!: -- Ready for the blues (and improvisation) -- Improvisation: making your story make sense -- Riffing up a groove: simple ain't easy -- Straight eight and the shuffle rhythms -- Six basic riffs -- Call-and-response -- Twelve-bar blues techniques -- Sequencing call-and response units -- Creating an ending -- Licks: spicing up the meat -- Blues notes -- Rhythmic placement and phrasing -- Melodic ornaments -- You Got More Than The Blues: -- Country harping -- Rock harp -- Erin go harp -- Fiddling on the harp: Appalachian fiddle tunes -- Keep Your Day Job: -- Jamming -- Little harp can go a long way -- Forming a band and getting gigs -- Finding musicians -- Getting organized -- Playing amplified -- Getting the word out: marketing -- Taking care of business -- Leave 'em screaming for more -- Music Break Number 2: -- Putting it all together -- Showtime! Finale: Putting It All Together: -- Big sendoff -- Appendixes: -- A: Complete glossary of harp terms -- B: Resources -- About the CD and website -- Index.