Among the various instruments for which the Beautiful American Airs and Ballads series was conceived, the diatonic harmonica is a standout. With or without the “bends” played by the author on the companion online recording, the 19 plaintive, single-note melodies in this book are guaranteed to engage the player and move the listener.

The music herein is written in standard notation and blow/draw harmonica tablature for the diatonic harmonica in C. Suggested accompaniment chords are also pro...