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"Exploring the Diminished Harmonica is going to be the bible for diminished diatonic harmonica for years to come."
- Brendan Power

"This detailed and thorough book is sure to take its place as a new classic in the harmonica literature..."
- Pat Missin

"Great job on this. It is well laid out and comprehensive. I think this book is a great learning tool for anyone interested in this tuning."
- PT Gazell

Exploring the Diminished Harmonica is a guide to playing 10-hole, 12-hole, and 13-hole diminished harmonicas. It is coil-bound for use on the music stand.

If you want to break out of old patterns of playing, or start your journey with an empowering new instrument, this book is for you. Includes clear explanations and musical examples drawn from a wide range of sources, presented in standard notation and tab. Also includes direction on which harmonica to buy, concepts for advanced musicians, and transcriptions of music by Alfred Hirsch and Ed Coogan.

The diminished harmonica is a retuned harmonica where every draw note is a whole step higher than its corresponding blow note, and adjacent notes are tuned a minor third apart. This creates some attractive features for the player:

A full chromatic scale can be played with blow notes, draw notes, half-step draw bends. Like any fully chromatic instrument, everything can be played on a single diminished harmonica.

Fingerings are the same in every octave of the harmonica. All keys are equally playable, and any lick or scale can be played in all 12 keys by learning only three patterns.

Blues and pentatonic scales (major and minor) are easily playable in all octaves with only one half step draw bend ("third position"). Not only are third position blues and pentatonic scales available in one key, but in four different keys - all on one diminished harmonica. A set of three diminished harmonicas covers third position blues and pentatonic scales in all keys. For example:

on an A diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

B, D, F, Ab Major Blues
B, D, F, Ab Minor Blues
B, D, F, Ab Major Pentatonic
B, D, F, Ab Minor Pentatonic

on an Ab diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

Bb, Db, E, G Major Blues
Bb, Db, E, G Minor Blues
Bb, Db, E, G Major Pentatonic
Bb, Db, E, G Minor Pentatonic

on a G diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

A, C, Eb, Gb Major Blues
A, C, Eb, Gb Minor Blues
A, C, Eb, Gb Major Pentatonic
A, C, Eb, Gb Minor Pentatonic

Many altered scales from musics around the world are easily playable in all octaves with only one half step draw bend.

on an A diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

A, C, Eb, Gb Melodic Minor
A, C, Eb, Gb Harmonic Minor
Bb, Db, E, G Harmonic Major
Bb, Db, E, G Double Harmonic

on an Ab diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

Ab, B, D, F Melodic Minor
Ab, B, D, F Harmonic Minor
A, C, Eb, Gb Harmonic Major
A, C, Eb, Gb Double Harmonic

on a G diminished harmonica the following scales can each be played with one half-step bend only:

G, Bb, Db, E Melodic Minor
G, Bb, Db, E Harmonic Minor
Ab, B, D, F Harmonic Major
Ab, B, D, F Double Harmonic

The book can be purchased through Lulu.com, and through Rockin Ron's Music.

Learn more about the diminished harmonica here.