Download Jon's Books & Recordings

Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless

112 page e-book and 73 minute audio $19.95

Completely revised in 2011, this new version is perfect beginners and intermediates who want to learn the arts of blues harmonica. It assumes you know nothing about music and the harp, and that you could use a little encouragement. What follows is a humorous and fun audio and e-book program that will get you playing songs, playing riffs, bending, getting vibrato and jamming up a storm. Intermediates with grey tone, no vibrato, weak bending, bad phrasing: this book and CD will help!

Rock n’ Blues Harmonica

A Rich World of Harp Knowledge, Songs, Stories, Lessons, Riffs, Techniques and Audio Index For a New Generation of Harp Players

224 Page e- book and 73- Minute Audio mp3 Jamming Buddy $19.95

This huge beautifully illustrated harmonica instruction book provides hours of knowledge, fun, and jamming. It has been Amazon’s top selling harp book since 2000,and has been revised twice. First published in 1984, it has created tens of thousands of harp players. The audio is a hugely fun jam along experience that will blow your mind and get you wailing.

Tone and Bending Workshop

mp3 and .pdf info sheet $19.95

(Beginners and all challenged benders)

Bending can drive you nuts. How do you do it? How do you use it? How can you make it sound good? Work with Jon as he sets the stage for perfect bending by helping you master the fundamentals of harmonica breathing, embouchure, articulation and bending.

Harp Jam!!! Jam Tracks that Sound Great

Jon and Ralph’s Amazing Jam Tracks for Your Amazing Music

$19.95 50 minutes of top quality jamming! 

1. Classic BB Style, in G minor, a mock-up of Thrill is Gone, C harp 2nd position, F harp. 3rd position.
2. Texas Shuffle in C, that Stevie Ray feeling, for F harp 2nd position, and B flat in 3rd.
3. 12/8 Blues in E, a wonderful slow blues, A harp for 2nd position, D harp for 3rd
4. Chicago Shuffle in G, here’s the standard, use 2nd position C harp, 3rd Position, use F harp.
5. Classic Butterfield in A, a mock up of the Born in Chicago Groove. 2nd position D, harp, 3rd position, G harp
6. Boogie in A, the one chord power wonder. 2nd position D harp, 3rd position A harp
7. EZ Rumba in G, use C harp, 2nd position, F harp in third, D harp for 12th.
8. New York to Memphis in G, that Chuck Berry Feel, use C harp, 2nd position, F harp 3rd,, D harp 12th.
9. Harp Jive in E, that Bo Diddley Feel, use A harp for 2nd position, D for 3rd.
10. Easy Swing in G, use C harp, 2nd position, F harp in third, D harp for 12th
11. Soul Blues in E, A harp for 2nd position, D harp for 3rd position
12. Guava Java in G, use C harp, 2nd position, F harp in third, D harp for 12th

Harmonica Americana book with two 60 Minute Audio Lessons

Only $19.95

The book, a beautiful song book , with wonderful illustrations, and text. Plus two play-along, sing-along volumes of music including a great beginners harp lesson.

CD Volume I: The Lesson CD, which Plays Every Song Slowly…and gives you expert advice on breathing, articulation and tone. CD Volume II The Concert Play Along — which features Jon, playing guitar and singing on every song for your play along and listening enjoyment. This is simple, fun music, and you are invited to play along.

Songs include: Beautiful Dreamer, When the Saints Go Marchin, Down by the Riverside, Red River Valley, Down in the Valley, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace. Star Spangled Banner, Frankie and Johnnie, On Top of Old Smokey, Battle Hymm of the Republic, Old Folks at Home, Oh Susanna, Amazing Grace. Auld Lang Sign, America the Beautiful, Turkey in the Straw, Danny Boy, Stars and Stripes Forever, Brahms Lullaby, The Ol’ Grey Mare and many others.

In Volume II Jon plays each of the songs with guitar, harmonica and vocals. Play along, sing along, or use the guitar chords to strum along. Included is an illustrated history of the harmonica, how it originated as the Chinese sheng, and came to the United States. Basic techniques such as cupping, single notes, moving the harp are included in both book and audio volume I.

Cross Harp Songbook: Bluesify Your Melody

E-book and 73 minute audio $19.95

The World’s 90 Most Recognizable Folk, Gospel, Blues, Patriotic, Children’s and Holiday Songs, played blues and jazz styles. Including tabs for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 12th positions, and guitar chords. 

From “Shenandoah” to “Silent Night,” “Amazing Grace” to “Wabash Cannonball,” almost every song becomes bluesy when you play it in 2nd position, or “cross harp.” Once you have bends down, this is one of Jon’s most important books and cds. It gives you songs to learn and sing, and develops your ear in unbelievable ways.

Chugging and Rhythm Workshop

(Beginners and up) $16.95 — Audio Lesson

Chugging is the term we usually use to describe fast-sounding rhythm train music. It uses chords, both draws and blows, and a catchy repetitive articulation. Once you get fairly good at it, you can bring the house down. Most people start with a slow pattern that imitates the groove of them old pistons, then build up speed, play a train whistle, slow down, build up speed again, stop, and shout “”all aboard again. Although it sounds fast and difficult, Jon uses instruction, experience, information and inspiration to help you start in on the popular harp style immediately, and then get better and better. Because it focuses on rhythm and how to turn yourself into a human rhythm machine, this lesson is essential for everybody, beginning through intermediate.

7 Positions of Diatonic Harmonica

70 minute Audio Lesson with 8 page booklet pdf notes and tab $19.95

Let Jon take you on a guided, jam-along tour of the seven different keys in which you can play one diatonic C harmonica. Along with a quick review of 1st and 2nd positions, you’ll learn riffs, scales and songs for 3rd position (C harp in the key of D minor), 4th position (C harp in the key of A minor), 5th position, (C harp in the key of E minor), 6th position (C harp in the key of B minor), and 12th position, (C harp in the key of F.) The pdf booklet also includes a Positions Chart you can print out, and carry to gigs.

This notation and recorded song jams include 1st, position, 2nd position, and 12th postion versions of “Amazing Grace”, 3rd and 5th position versions of “House ofthe Rising Sun”, 3rd Position versions of “Scarborough Faire” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.”

Gospel Plow: Cross Harp Spirituals

70-minute Jam Along Lesson and Booklet — Experienced Beginners through Intermediate $19.95 

This is one of those lessons that helps you put it all together: ryhthm, riffs, a specific song, improvisation and more. In 70 fun, play-along and jam minutes, filled with harp and guitar, Jon walks you through 2nd position versions of: Amazing Grace, What A Friend, We Have in Jesus, Wade in the Water, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, When the Saints Go Marchin In, Just A Closer Walk with Thee, Jesus is Fairer, Sowing on the Mountain, Kum ba yah and Hold On. Each song is presented as core melody, and then Jon shows you how to improvise on the song and apply blues riffs and rhythm to the melody. Jam with guitar? Simple: adjust the stereo balance to take out the sound of Jon’s harmonica and hear only the guitar. Fifty-five index points lets you instantly review key sections and riffs for over-and-over practice.

“When We Die, We All Come Back As Music”

Jon’s award-winning Cd of original songs $9.95

“When We Die, We All Come Back As Music” was named “Best Blues Song of 2010” by Hollywood Music in Media Awards in 2010. 

This review appeared on the music website Damn Good Tunes. “Song after song Jon Gindick laid one surprise after another on me.I have never heard anything like this music….It is so outright original and entertaining it’s hard to imagine why music like this hasn’t spread like wildfire across the planet!

“All the elements are there; great words, instrumentation and production – top notch. But that’s not even the kicker…it’s Jon Gindick’s soulful beautifully melodic choice of song structure – how the vocals dance through your head as a journey through an enchanted dreamscape of love, loss, pain, anger and joy like only a true legend would know how to deliver. Sometimes a crooner in the classic style, at times rough and raspy and others so subtle you can almost hear a secret you’re not supposed to know! I have not been this surprised by a record or an artist since we started this web magazine over five years ago. And this CD will become one of my most cherished – right up there with Layla and Let It Be. It’s that good!” — Bruce J. Maier, Damn Good Tunes

Robert Johnson Harmonica Songs & Lesson

 60 minute audio and tab and lyric sheet $16.95

Learn to play and sing five Robert Johnson songs. Jon walks you through the songs, and also plays guitar for your jamming pleasure. For C harp. Songs include: Love in Vain, Dust My Broom, Sweet Home Chicago, Walking Blues , If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day (Rollin and a Tumblin’)

Rockin’ the Folk

70 minute audio and booklet $19.95

(formerly known as Rock n Blues II)

This is a tremendous lesson that integrates melodic thinking with riff-pattern thinking– all in the service of improvising on a melody. We use easy melodies everyone knows, but then we swing them, and turn these classics into blues and rock. The 10 page e-booklet provides notation of every song and riff plus improvisational options and guitar chords.

Jon’s Jam Room

73-minute Audio lesson with 16 page CD booklet 14.95

(Formerly known as Rock n’ Blues Harmonica III)

Jon’s MIDI band, Cross Harp Conspiracy, plays six backing tracks in major and minor keys, and each track is presented three times. The first time, Jon gives you a lesson over the track, showing you basic riffs and then getting more advanced. The second time Jon jams with the track. The third time, there is no harmonica, just you and the music. You be wailing! Each backing track is good, rich music, fun and easy to jam with. You’ll learn new riffs, learn to jam with different kinds of musical styles and develop confidence and ability with every playing. The idea here is “information, inspiration, and experience. “ The CD booklet is an extraordinarily useful little thing. The meticulous indexing gives you lots of ways to study the lessons and transfer your knowledge into the jams. Plus, every riff is notated.

Jon’s Jam Camp Riffs

30 minute Lesson with one page info sheet $14.95

Internalizing a collection of riffs is an important element of developing a Cross harp improvisational style. This lesson is to help you play the riffs over and over. It is for your C harp. These is no jamming on this lesson. It consists of solo drills to help get these phrases into your body and breath. It may not be my most fun Cd, but definitely a powerful way to get better quickly.

Jon’s Entire Library of Books, Cd’s with Video Harp Club

$179.50

Here’s all four of my books Rock n’ Blues, Bluesify Your Melody, Harmonica Americana, Musically Hopeless plus all my recordings as shown above… In addition, we’re including my Video Harp Club which includes hours of Jon’s video lessons.

Musically Hopeless(ful) Beginner’s Package

$49

Country & Blues Harmonica for the Musically Hopeless book and CD length audio, Bending and Tone with pdf audio, “Harp Jam” Jam Tracks audio , Jam Camp Riffs Audio Lesson, bonus video on bending. 

Rock n’ Blues Jammer’s Package

$49

Rock n’ Blues Harmonica book and CD, Bending & Tone Cd, “Harp Jam” Jam Tracks, bonus video on how to jam with slow blues. $49.00

Rock n’ Blues Classic Package

$69.95

Rock n’ Blues Book and CD, Rock n’ the FolkCD and booklet, Jon’s Jam Room CD and booklet, Bending and Tone CD, “Harp Jam Jam Tracks” plus bonus video on Jamming with Track #1.

2nd Position Campfire Melody Package

$49.95

Bluesify Your Melody book and audio, Gospel Plow audio and booklet, 7 Positions of the Blues CD audio and booklet, Rock n’ Blues Volume II “Rockin the Folk” audio with booket.

Campfire Melody Package

$34.95

Harmonica Americana book and 2 CDs, and Chugging CD