Frank Bard, diatonic harmonica player of the year - National Harmonica League of Great Britain, and two time state of Ohio harmonica champion, introduces his harmonica instruction book with CD - Heartland Harmonica. Purchase Frank Bard's harmonica lesson book online.

MY easy listening country harmonica CD.

Check out our sound clips.

It's Over Panhandle Rag Muddy Waters Sweet Beulah Land On The Sunny Side Of The Street Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine Since I Fell For You Coal Miner's Daughter Over The Rainbow Georgia On My Mind Storms Creek Peace In The Valley Country harmonica player, Frank's Bio    I created this recording to showcase the versatility of the 10 hole diatonic harmonica, played crossharp style. Along with seven other outstanding local musicians who play acoustic music instruments, I put together what I call, An instrumental collection of tunes from a variety of music genres. Those genres include easy listening, bluegrass, western swing, gospel, and country harmonica music. album price # FRANK BARD: Harmonica from the Heartland $14.00 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Choose how many, and click Orders sent by CD Baby - the fastest, safest, and easiest place to buy CDs online. You can also call 1-800-448-6369 to order by phone. Meet this all acoustic band from Ohio.     I approached my good friend, fellow musician and record producer, Jr. Smith, with my desire to make a recording demonstrating the versatility of the harmonica. I wanted to incorporate a wide variety of music genres into one recording. To attain this goal, we lined up seven other local musicians who play a variety of music instruments and genres, resulting in a very unique sound.We all enjoyed doing this recording and hope you enjoy listening to it. Meet this all acoustic band from Ohio. Reviews     " Frank Bard tells a story with his harmonica. Ranging between country blues and country western. This guitar slidin', harp wailin' instrumental soul music is easy to listen to, and hard to forget. A beautiful album for harmonica lovers." (Jon Gindick, The world's foremost instructor of blues and country harmonica.)     "A neat CD with standard tunes expressively arranged for the harmonica. It's a great listen (over and over). Frank's skills are awesome, but he doesn't overplay them. Harmonica from the Heartland is an inspiration for neophytes like me. More like this would be nice!" Reviewer: George Megason     " There's no more human instrument than the harmonica. The flute and harp may be more sublime, the guitar and piano capable of greater bombast, but none of them can share a room or hold up a conversation the way a harmonica can. It's an instrument without airs. Sadly, it's been stereotyped as the instrument only of blues artists and front-porch dabblers. Here's Frank Bard, with Harmonica from the Heartland, to show the fools the error of their ways.     Harmonica from the Heartland claims to be "An Instrumental Collection of Tunes from a Variety of Genres," and the claim's not overstated. The songs range from traditionals to show tunes, but they're all songs usually sung. Not a one of them suffers from the lack of a voice.     Heartland may be the first album ever to open by announcing "It's Over." Having expected a harmonica music only album, I was surprised by the addition of a piano. A quick look at the credits straightened me out. The harmonica does not stand alone here. The mood is helped along by a collection of instruments, from the expected banjo and guitar to the unusual mandolin, piano and dobro. The backup instruments and their fine musicians are largely responsible from the great atmosphere of the songs. But the harmonica clearly leads the pack, taking the place of lead vocalist. Its personality shines in "Panhandle Rag," dancing through the song to end with a quick musical twirl that I swear winked at me.     "Muddy Waters," "Sweet Beulah Land" and "Georgia on My Mind" move back into more traditional bluesy-folk fare. The stringwork deserves as much credit for the ambling feel of this song as the harmonica music. "Georgia" is perhaps dominated by the harmonica more than any other song on the album, while "Sweet Beulah Land" owes a great deal of its melancholic charm to the backup instruments. All of them will satisfy the traditionalist, but they still have a little individual flair, if only in the flourish of an ending note.     In spite of the sweetness of musing sweetness of the slower songs, I was more captivated by the uptempo music. I immediately replayed the downright perky "Sunny Side of the Street," and I love the jazzy feel of "Coal Miner's Daughter," with the harmonica putting gloss and gravel over the strings. And I'd nominate Bard's version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for an award. It starts out as slow and wistful as Judy Garland could have ever rendered it. As soon as "dreams come true," the tune swings into a more lively step altogether. Guitar and banjo players join in with a cheerful outlook, making this more a song of hopes to come than dreams beyond reach.     "Storms Creek" is the liveliest song on Heartland, with quick-fingered strings providing a backdrop for the occasional shouts of the harmonica. Sadly, the harmonica is almost absent from this one, only showing up for the occasional flourish. But it shows back up for the final song, the traditional "Peace In the Valley. " Peace is a lovely ending to a conversation, winding down like sweet farewell.     Harmonica from the Heartland is a great album for fans of harmonica music, and a better one for those who think they aren't. Engaging and varied as the best visitor, it should be welcome in any setting. " [ by Sarah Meador ] Rambles: 24 August 2002     " Gave a listen to your sound clips. My oh my! what can I say? What do you guys eat, or what ever it might be. For sure, you have found your niche, and maybe 1 or 2 other people's as well." ( Stan Bishop, Columbus,In.)     "Frank Bard's CD was excellent. Nice background music was nice. I pretty much do the same things with my wife. Enviromental groups,recurve target shooter, boating, fishing, carpentry, and a member of the Long Island Harmonica Club.Only one problem. When is Frank's next Harmonica CD coming out? " Reviewer: Hal Olson This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. bluegrassharp - for bluegrass harmonica players Frank's Wildlife Photos web site. For Bookings or lessons, e-mail Frank | Purchasing Info.| Harmonica students page| | My Live Shows for 2007| Links| About Frank| e-mail Frank| Webmaster, Frank Bard Last Update, 10/03/2008