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Your cart is empty.3-CD box set with with instructional CDs & accompanying book is a comprehensive & easy-to-use lesson on how to learn to play the harmonica. Portnoy, who's been in the Muddy Waters & Eric Clapton bands, realized other instructional materials put all of the explanations into the text of a book, and the accompanying sound reference consisted only of playing examples, so Jerry put everything on the CDs so you don't have to switch back & forth between the two. He starts at the very beginning on how to hold the harmonica, all the way to milking special sounds & effects out of the harp, and finally includes blues guitar jams to play along with.
Dave Byron
July 1, 2025
Ok
silverwingit
June 15, 2025
I have never felt strongly enough about any product to take the trouble to write up a rating. But, the potential of this 3 CD set to dramatically enhance the ability of any but the most accomplished harmonicist (diatonic or chromatic) is enormous. The title is slightly misleading, but in a good way. I would not confine its benefits to blues (diatonic) harp players!I had purchased and aggressively used all the top-rated blues harp instructional products (including those available at Amazon), avoiding Portnoy's because of its relatively high cost. Mistake! It's not that the other materials are not worthwhile. It's that Portnoy's CD set is where I should have started. Learning from the rest of the instructional material out there would then have come much easier. After "taking" Jerry's Masterclass, I find myself going back to the other material with far greater technical ability and a more thorough understanding of the instrument that grant me fuller access to information I was previously unable to absorb.In this Masterclass Portnoy clearly articulates even the most difficult to understand nuances of playing effective harmonica, rendering the material accessible even (especially?) by a beginner. As the serious student of any musical instrument should expect, Jerry carefully concentrates on all the fundamentals. He takes his "student" through each technique in small steps, giving superb examples all the way. You just follow along with Jerry's lessons on your diatonic (in the key of A), stopping and repeating at your own pace until you're comfortable with each new technique. You decide when to go on to the next lesson, and can come back for a refresher any time (a highly recommended practice).If you want to learn specific blues licks, there are better resources. If you are seeking what amounts to private lessons from a harmonica virtuoso and extraordinary teacher, this is the mother lode! Jerry says that once you've taken his class, learning blues licks is a matter of listening and using the skills he has taught you. And, he's right.Not only all that, I recently took on chromatic harmonica. Although it's a very different beast than a blues harp, fundamentally, blowing the chrom' is the same as the diatonic. And, as I've said, Portnoy's CD set dwells almost exclusively on harmonica fundamentals. Thanks to him (and bit of effort on my own part, of course), I can easily apply techniques that seem to mystify many far more accomplished chrom' players. If you want to learn how to play harp at a high level, this is the way to go. And don't worry about Portnoy's qualifications-he backed Muddy Waters for years and continues to back Eric Clapton, just for starters.
"unclelala"
June 7, 2025
I purchased this tutorial even though I already knew the basics. After listening and following the individual lessons, I was able to broaden my technique allowing solos to be unique from each other.I still listen to it from time to time this day. It's fun to play with, and be taught by one of the harmonica's greats.Jerry is a great teacher. If you always wanted to play blues-harp you won't be disappointed.
stacey smith
June 5, 2025
ok
Arthur Boorman
April 18, 2025
If you can find an instructor, Harmonica lessons can cost between $20-$75 and hour, and you have no idea how good the teacher is. This is a great Blues Harpist who also happens to be a really good teacher. For the cost of 1-3 hours of professional instruction, you can get this set.I'd recommend buying this. ThThere are cheaper sets on the market. In fact I think this is the most expensive set of it's kind. A lot of the less expensive sets are the ones where the author has you playing simple songs in 5 minutes. 6 months later, you may be able to play 2 or 3 songs, but that's about it. The harp, book, and CD end up in a drawer.If you buy these, you will NOT be playing simple sings in 5 minutes. You will learn the techniques that will allow you to make continual self-directed progress. You will be able to expand your repertoire as you progress. By the time you're done, you will know how to teach yourself to play the music you hear.If you already play a little (like I was when I got this set) you should still go back to the beginning and see what he's got to teach. This guy is a serious Harpist. He's played with BB King & Eric Clapton.It requires time and patience. The author understands how to teach, and he understands the limitations of the "CD/book set" as a medium. The CD talks you through each exercise, and you learn skills. He gives you clear instructions, and he provides examples of what each exercise should sound like.This is incremental instruction. The lessons are short and structured. You will want a CD player where you can pause and go back pretty easily.You will also need a Harp in A. I recommend you skip the $3-5 cheapies and get something good. I use a Hohner Special 20, and I'm really happy with it.Plan out a schedule where you can regularly spend some time learning the new lesson. I'd suggest listening to it at least once or twice. Then listen to it and stop and practice as you hear what he's doing. Play along with it a couple of times. You'd spend a serious 45 minutes to an hour on a lesson. Then you practice your butt off for a while. Portnoy suggests 20 minutes or so as the length for a good practice session. I try to practice at least once a day. Come back to it and listen to it to make sure that you've got it right. Practice more. Come back again and again until you've got it right. Move on.WIll it take a while? Yes.Will it be easy? No.Will you have to practice a lot? Yes.Will you become the next Little Walter by next week? Of course not.Will you learn to play the Blues Harp? YES.If you want to get really good and you're prepared to make a real committment of time, this is excellent stuff. It's expensive, but it's really good.
John Bond
April 16, 2025
I have not used this product alot since I recieved it but in Harp World it is highly rated. Managed to get it 2nd hand for allmost half the price of the usual Amazon price. Jerry Portnoy played with Muddy Waters and although white - is up there with the best black harp players. I missed a chance to bid on this at the National Harmonica League Festival due to lack of cash. Rest assured the winning bidder picked up a bargain. Pretty much held in high regard in the blues harp community. If you're serious about harp it's definately the way to go. Did try ordering from Jerry Portnoy's website but it didn't seem to want to accept orders from GB. Didn't want to pay 80 quid for it but would have done at a push.
Ralph Reiser
March 13, 2025
Was soll ich sagen? Für mich ein Lehrwerk, nachdem ich jahrelang suchte, bis dato allerdings nicht gefunden hatte. Wie schon Norbert Lohan hier rezensierte: Jerry Portnoy geht die Geschichte komplett anders an als die allermeisten anderen Lehrwerke. Die Basis bei seiner Lehr-Methodik ist das Rhythmusspiel, auf welchem die Melodiestimme darübergesetzt ist. Das entspricht zum einen dem afro-amerikanischen Musikverständnis, zum anderen der Tonanordnung der Richter-Harp.Ich spiele seit zwanzig Jahren die Harp, muss allerdings - zumindest vom spielerischen Ansatz her - nochmal von vorne beginnen. Portnoy zwingt mich mit seinem Lehrwerk dazu.Für absolute Anfänger ist diese Schule vielleicht nicht unbedingt das Richtige. Einzeltonspiel und Bending sollten bereits einigermaßen beherrscht werden. Zudem ist kein Lehrbuch vorhanden. Alles läuft über die Schiene "Zuhören (englisch) und Nachspielen."
Piergiorgio
March 3, 2025
Un bellissimo cofanetto.. Metodo chiaro e fruibile..
Tophat Chimney Sweep
January 6, 2025
A great resource for learning blues harmonica. It's learning by ear, rather than tabs. Highly recommended
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