Winslow Yerxa

I'm a harmonica specialist. It's my area of deep knowledge and long experience teaching and playing. I work with your present abilities, your goals, and what inspires you. I can quickly evaluate what you need and use it to elevate your playing to new levels on all types of harmonica and in most styles of music.
I'm the author of the books Harmonica For Dummies and Blues Harmonica For Dummies, have taught at several teaching seminars and camps, including Harmonica Jam Camp, the Kerrville Folk Festival, the Harmonica Collective (which I co-founded with Jason Ricci), the SPAH convention, and others. 
I've shared the stage with such luminaries as Muddy Waters, John Mayall, and Charlie Musselwhite, and interviewed harmonica players including Toots Thielemans, John Popper of Blues Traveler, Howard Levy, and Peter Madcat Ruth.
I have been playing the harmonica for several decades: performing with it, teaching it, and writing about it. I started out learning blues licks from records, but soon branched out into rock, jazz, classical, Celtic, bluegrass, and other styles.
Along the way, I received university training in music theory and composition. I have developed an extensive knowledge of harmonica playing techniques, artists, history, lore, and repair and customization and have gotten to know many of the best players, writers, and teachers while developing my own approach. I’m an experienced performer in just about every type of venue, from concert stages, theaters and orchestra pits to recording studios, outdoor festivals, nightclubs, and even busking on street corners.
I'm a past president of SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica and received SPAH's Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

My teaching starts with you. I ask these questions:

- What inspires you to play the harmonica?

- What would like to do that you can’t do now?

- What experiences do you bring to playing the harmonica and to making music?

With your answers to these questions, I help you form a path to your goals, and then guide you as you walk that path with assurance. I focus on you, and I work closely with you to meet your unique needs and goals, regardless of your background, your chosen style, or your level of ability. I assess what you need and what learning style works best for you. 

There is almost nothing that can’t be played on a harmonica. For everything that can be done, there’s a clear, simple, relaxed approach to gaining mastery of the abilities involved and the assurance and poise to use them well.