Beginning Harmonica

[Admin]

Introduction

Playing the harmonica is a great beginner instrument and a lot of fun! Since the notes are layed in such a way as to produce harmony, its one of the few instruments you can sound decent without knowing what you are doing. Just compare someone learning to play violin with someone learning the harmonica and I guarantee you'd rather sit in the room with the harmonica player.

Play in Harmony

Besides naturally being suited to playing harmony (adjacent holes produce a chord), changing keys is much easier than most instruments. With the harmonica, you can change keys by just picking up a different harmonica and playing the exact same notes (or more correctly, holes). Changing keys on other instrument can strike fear in your heart, not so with the harmonica. (Although a technique called playing positions is a bit more complicated, but we'll talk about that a bit later.)

Even though you might sound better picking up a harmonica over a violin, its still an instrument with a lot of depth, in spite of it being simple and small enough to stick in your shirt pocket. You can play for quite some time and still learn something new. You can play just about any style you like, with the harmonica (also known as a "Blues Harp") being widely used in Blues, Country, Folk, and Rock music to this day.


Most Popular Harmonica

The types of harmonica varies quite widely; however, the most popular harmonica type is the 10-hole diatonic harmonica. This inexpensive instrument can have you playing just about any kind of music you want to play, at a beginner level, or even a professional level. All the major harmonica manufacturers produce the 10-hole diatonic harmonica, and there are frankly an overwhelming number of models from which to choose.

Your First Harmonica

While you can just go for a Marine Band harmonica like you can find at places like The Cracker Barrell, I recommend you get a better grade harmonica. Not only will you find these easier to play (due to a tighter construction, requiring less air to blow/draw); with a better tone and longevity due to better reed plates. There are two harmonicas most people recommend if you are just starting out. In the inexpensive category, the Suzuki Easy Rider is good quality for the price (about $10).Amazon Ad for Suzuki Easy Rider In the moderate range, a great harp is the Hohner Special 20 (about $17)Amazon Ad Hohner Sp20, this is a great harp that many professional use, there is not much reason to pay more except for personal taste. If you want a harp somewhere between the two, go with the Suzuki Folk Master (about $11). If you are planning to hit the harmonica really hard, you might want to start with the Easy Rider, and then "graduate" to the Special 20, after you've proven you are going to "stick with it," or when you think you might be ready to bend notes. Lee Oskar and Suzuki sell good quality harps for more money, but I don't recommend them until you first know your way around the harp. You likely won't know the difference until you are comfortable holding the harmonica, hitting clean single note melodies, and bending notes.

First Playing Goal

Single Notes

Your first goal in playing harmonica should be to play simple single note melodies. This is in spite of the fact that diatonics are more commonly used to complement music rather than to play melodies. However, you get a quicker reward by playing single note melodies, and afterwards it is even easier to move on to more advanced playing techniques. After playing single notes, you can learn how to bend, overblow, use a different blowing technique, and possibly get into playing valved harmonicas. The first step though in learning the harmonica is to hold the harmonica correctly, even though this seems like a mundane step, its a fundamental step as you progress through the various techniques.

Holding The Harmonica

Importance

Why not just skip this step? Well, if you don't hold the harmonica consistently, you won't know where the holes are, and if you don't know where the holes are, you aren't going to hit the right notes. So, its easier to learn this now. Now possibly you could look cross-eyed to see the numbers on the harmonica, but you'll look a little funny doing so. Its easier to hold the harmonica correctly and just get the feel for where the holes are. Also, holding the harmonica correctly (by cupping it), will help the sound quality of your playing.

Playing By Numbers

What are those numbers for? Well, basically they help tell you which way to hold the harmonica. As you've probably already guessed, simply arrange the harmonica so that you can read the numbers from left-to-right like you normally would. You really can't read them while you are playing, so they are of little other use.

The numbers help you play music in a special harmonica tablature format, where the numbers on the music correspond to the numbers on the holes. Unfortunately if you're like me, you don't read lips, and neither do your lips read the numbers over the holes. As a beginner you don't have the feel for which hole you are on. You can try putting your finger on the hole you are blowing, then pull the harmonica away from your lips so you can read it. Alternately, you can cover the notes to the left and right with your fingers and then you will know you will get a correct note to hear how it sounds.

I've been told there are a couple of professionals or semi-professionals that actually hold the harmonica in the wrong direction (high notes to the left). Apparently, they weren't told how to hold the harmonica, but I can bet you they do hold the harmonica consistently, and cup it as well.

Cupping The Harmonica

Anyway, back to the harmonica holding. Place your left pointer finger, as far back on the top of the harp as is comfortable and place your thumb on the bottomside (directly underneath your pointer finger). Your harp should slide into that 'C'-shape formed by your fingers so that it is tight up against the "web" of your pointer finger / thumb "joint". The rest of your fingers on your left hand should form a cup behind the harmonica. The last step is to close that cup with your right hand. This can just be done in the best way that seems to cup the whole harmonica, so the back of the harmonica feels airtight within your hands. Don't worry getting the higher numbers getting cupped. They don't get played as much and by the time you do play them often, you will probably naturally figure out how to cup and get the sound out of them more properly.

Wah-Wah

The main point is to hold the harmonica consistently, so keep this hold as you learn to play. The second point is to cup the harmonica to get a good sound out of it. I wouldn't be too concerned if you don't feel like you have the cupping down immediately. Just play around with it as you practice, and you will probably have a "Eureka!" moment when you realize the cupping is giving you a nice "wah-wah" sound. It also helps to hear yourself play by sitting in a room with a lot of reverb (typically a bathroom without towels, or a hallway). The cupping effect will become more apparent.

Embouchure

After getting a good feel of the harmonica in your hand, the next thing is to get a good feel for the harmonica in your mouth by way of a French word. The French word you need to know is, "Embouchure." Embouchure means, "the position and use of the lips, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument." The harmonica is a wind instrument, and to get a good sound out of the instrument, your embouchure is important. Actually, so important, that you won't be able to play the blues on the harmonica without knowing how to use proper embouchure.

Two Styles (Pucker & Tongue Block)

There are three styles of playing the harmonica as far as embouchure is concerned. They are the Pucker, Tongue Block, and U-Block. The last one Ill only mention by name, since its not a very good technique, and in fact you may not be genetically able to do it. The other two methods (Pucker & Tongue Block) should be both learned at some point, but for the beginner the Pucker method is the one with which to begin.

Puckering

The pucker is pretty straight-forward, basically you pucker up your lips until the opening is just large enough to cover one hole on the harmonica and no more. Its probably what you would have done if you weren't told what to do. You can just think about the opening you would make to whistle, it needs to be pretty small. You will probably find it a bit more challenging than you might expect in getting a clean single note. Your lips are getting stretched on the harmonica while you play , which causes them to tire quicker(and even get a little sore in the process). You will initially just want to practice long enough until they get tired, but keep this up at least on a daily basis, until your lips can pucker longer than you care to play. You can help get clean notes by using your free fingers to keep your lips squeezed properly. This will let you "squeeze" out a few more minutes of play time.

Also, you might find it a little more easy on your lips if you tilt the harmonica up (the way I prefer) or down. This will allow you to get a tighter seal on the hole you are trying to play. As you get better at the pucker method, you want to move the harmonica into your mouth as much as possible as it will give you a richer, warmer tone.

[sarge]

Great post Jim. I think it's the blues band harmonica that is sold at cracker barrel, not the marine band.

[Admin]

Yes, of course it is the BLUES BAND!

[dadfad]

I would like to add one thing to all the excellent advice above. Virtually all beginning lesson-books, videos and most instructors will start off beginners using a Key-of-C harp. (I began learning to play about 1980. Both of the harp-guys who helped me learn back then, Snooky Prior and Phil Wiggins, had me start off on a Key-of-C Marine Band.) I think that all started pretty much because of Middle-C on a piano.

Myself, I think a beginner, especially is blues-harp if his biggest direction, should start of using a Key-of-A harp. (Of whatever model, the Special-20 is usually my choice in harps).

Not to try to "out think" all the books, experts and instructors or anything, but I think the Key-of-A is prefferable for learning because it's much easier to learn cross-harp bends with, both drawing bends and straigt-harp blowing bends (Jimmy Reed/"Honest I Do" style overblows). That's just my opinion.

(Actually Bb/A# is a tad easier still i/m/o, but that key is not often used or very versitile for playing along with recordings or jamming, etc.)

[pitpony]

Thanks for your tips.

Its been a while since i last posted on here but i have been persisting with my efforts to play to a standard where i may eventually feel confident enough to play in front of strangers.

I have been playing for about 15 months & certainly my enthusiasm has not lessened. A few comments on the excellent starting post.

Just when i have cracked the single note issue i have a session where i sound like i am blowing down a drainpipe.I suppose the answer is practice some more , or do some experienced players think it would help if i stuck to one make of harp? I currently have

Hohner Pro MS      -C
Suz Bluesmaster    -D
Lee Oskar             -A
Hohner CrossOver  - Bb
Suz Manji             - C

If i have a favorite it has to be the CrossOver & the one i am still struggling with after 6/8 weeks is the Manji which certainly seems to need a different technique to the others in that it seems to take a lot more breath to hit a decent note which can leave me struggling in passages where there are limited opportunities to take in air. 
It was interesting to read the tip about tilting the harp to hit cleaner notes. I have found this can help but have been conscious that i should be holding the harp straight. 
I would like to add a G harp to my modest collection. CrossOver is tempting but i read mostly  decent reports about Seydel Harps & the Suzuki Hammond. Any comments or other suggestions?  
Finally tabs. I have picked up the basics of some good tunes through tabs but , generally after listening to different versions am now including my own improvised extra additional phrases which may not delight the original author but makes it extra interesting for me.
Bending. I think i can do some notes to a decent level but as yet i do not feel that the process comes naturally to me when attempting to follow tabs. However when i am just messing i think i am hitting interesting notes when not having to consciously prepare for an upcoming bend on a tab sheet.
Not even thought about over blows as yet. Thanks for sticking with my ramblings




 

[Admin]

Here's a fairly easy song to play at first. C Harp, first position.  The number shows the hole, a - sign means to draw.

6 7 8 -8 7 8        -8    7   -6    6
Amazing    Grace! How sweet the sound
6   7  8 -8   7  8  -8   9
That saved a wrentch like me
8  9      8  -8 7 8    -8  7   -6         6
I once was      lost but now I'm found
6  7          8-8 7 8  -8       7
was blind, but    now I see

[Admin]

and a little more difficult, but still fairly easy: C Harp.

6   6  6  -6    6  -5  6   5 -4   4
How man-y roads must a man wa-lk down

5   6   6   -6   6 -5  6
be-fore you call him a man?

5  -5   6   6  6  -6    
Yes 'n' how man-y seas  

6 -5   6    5 -4   4
must a white do-ve sail

5   6   5    -5   -5  5   -4
be-fore she sleeps in the sand?

5  -5   6   6  6  -6    
Yes 'n' how man-y times  

6   -5   6   6   5 -4   4
must the can-non ba-lls fly

5   6     6    -6   6 -5    6
be-fore they're for-ev-er banned?

5  -5  -5    5   -4    
The an-swer, my friend,  

-4   5   5   5 -4    4
is blow-in' in the wind,

5  -5  -5   5  -4  -4   4 -4    4
The an-swer is blow-in' in the wind.

these last three lines sound better when played as chords. In fact so
does the rest of the tune.


[pitpony]

I have found that finding the right songs to play is not as easy as some might think in that i need something a bit challenging but in a style that i know & a bonus is if there are covers on You Tube which i can listen to to get tips on timing, note length etc.
I have been a Dylan fan for years so my repertoire now includes Mr Tambourine Man, Just Like a Woman, Blowin in the Wind & a couple more which i can make a game attempt at playing all the way through & the songs give me the scope to improvise a few bits & pieces. I know some Harp enthusiasts can get a bit 'sniffy' about Dylan,s harp playing abilities but i have found his tunes a great help in my steady development.
Similarly i have found Pogues stuff initially challenging but very rewarding if a beginner sticks with it & practices,practices more & then some more. Fairy Tale of New York is well within the grasp of any novice who wants to be able to play the instrument. Its awesome when you can whip out the harp & belt out a decent rendition when the family are full of Christmas cheer. If it was easy initially to learn the piece it would not have been worth doing,so stick with it.
Just trying out 'Key to the Highway' which i have been attempting for a few days now & am finding that the old muscle memory is starting to kick in, nothing like the old masters but a man can dream can't he?
Just passing on my thoughts. Should any others have any suggestions regarding similar style songs to try out i would very much welcome them.
P.S. I do also have loads of fun putting on my ripped jeans & fishing hat & blasting out some blues improvisations but wait until the wife is out otherwise i get grief.
Keep smiling, 
 

[gipsy]

A very informative thread, with lots of insight gained the hard way by several peeps, who are then happy to share the information and ease my path down the rocky road. As yet I don't feel able to add anything really useful, other than to give an honourable mention for the Golden Melody harp, especially for those who enjoy playing in first position. Because of its equal temperment tuning it plays in tune very nicely alongside recorded first position melodies. I have to add it's no slouch in 2nd position, or the other positions for that matter, but for first position it's excellent.

[Admin]

Blows and Draws

Blow bends: Notes you can sound by bending the blow notes of holes 8–10
Draw bends: Notes you can sound by bending the draw notes of holes 1–6

How Blow Bends and Draw Bends Work

The physics behind blow bends and draw bends is rather complex. The quick explanation for how bends can possibly produce notes that “don’t exist” on the harmonica is this:

By altering the flow of air through the blow reeds and draw reeds at certain holes, you can make both reeds vibrate at once, which in turn allows the “missing” notes to sound.

Why Use Blow Bends and Draw Bends?

You would use blow and draw bends for two main reasons:

To play “missing” notes: If a song or melody you want to play calls for a note not normally available on a diatonic harmonica, the only way you can sound that note is by playing a bend.

To add accents to solos and melodies: You can use bent notes to add some flash to the melodies or solos you play. The dissonance created by playing a note outside the harmonica’s diatonic scale can add a bluesy feel to your playing, which explains why bends are used most often in blues- and rock-style playing.

The C Harmonica’s Five Missing Notes

The 12 notes of the chromatic scale, starting on C, are: C–C#–D–D#–E–F–F#–G–G#–A–A#–B–(C)

The final C (in parentheses) is one octave higher than the C that starts this chromatic scale. The notes followed by the # sign are called sharps.
Each sharp note can also be written as its equivalent flat note, which is the next highest note in the scale followed by “b,” the symbol for flats. For instance, C# is also Db. Though they go by two names, these notes (C# and Db) are exactly the same. The chromatic scale’s five sharp (or their equivalent flat) notes are the “missing” notes on the C harmonica: C# (Db), D# (Eb), F# (Gb), A# (Bb). Playing blow bends and draw bends will allow you to sound most, but not all, of these five notes.

Half Steps and Whole Steps

The notes that make up musical scales are all either one half step or one whole step apart. All the notes of the chromatic scale are one half step apart, so C and C#, for instance, are one half step apart. The “distance” between any two notes in the chromatic scale, such as F and G, is one whole step. By bending the notes of a diatonic harmonica, you can sound notes in half-step increments below the normal blow or draw note. So, for instance, bending the hole 4 draw note (D) will sound the note one half step below D, which is C#. Without using the bending technique, it’s impossible to play C# on a C diatonic harmonica.

Draw Bends

Draw bends allow you to play notes one half step lower than ordinary draw notes. But draw bending only works on holes 1–4 and hole 6 of the diatonic harmonica. On holes 1 and 6, you can draw bend just one half step below the normal draw note of the hole, whereas on hole 3 you can draw bend three notes in half-step increments below that hole’s normal draw note of B—A#, A, and G#. The diagram below shows the complete selection of notes you can play in half-step increments by using draw bends.

Note that you can play two of these notes (F and A at holes 2 and 3) elsewhere on the C harmonica by drawing hole 5, 6, 9, or 10. You might use the draw bend versions of these notes to avoid having to move from hole 2 or 3, or as a way to add ornamentation to a solo, such as by alternating between the other draw bend notes at holes 2 and 3 (F# at 2, G# and A# at 3).

How to Play Draw Bends

Playing draw bends requires you to move your tongue and your throat muscles to control how air flows through the harmonica’s holes when you inhale. If you’re sceptical that moving your tongue can change the airflow into your mouth, try whistling by inhaling. As you whistle, move your tongue up and down—the note that your whistle sounds will change as your tongue moves. Draw bends work in much the same way. The easiest harmonica note to bend is the hole 1 draw. Follow the steps below to sound the draw bend at hole

1.Use the single-note embouchure to draw the note. You can use tongue blocking, but most beginners find it easier to learn bending by using the single-note embouchure.

2.As air flows into your mouth, lower your tongue toward the base of your mouth and expand the opening to your throat. Perfecting the right combination of lowered tongue and throat muscle control is the key to draw bending notes effectively.

3.Though you might feel inclined to draw in air harder to bend the note, resist the temptation. Drawing harder actually makes it more difficult to sound a draw-bend note.

4.As you lower your tongue, you’ll hear the pitch of the note change—it should sound slightly lower. If you’ve done the draw bend on 1 correctly, this note will be C#.

5.Repeat steps 1–3 until you can consistently alternate between the draw note (D) and the draw-bend note (C#) by lowering and raising your tongue as you draw.

Though you can bend the draw note at hole 1 using just your tongue movement, other bends are achieved by flexing the larynx muscle in your throat. Every bend note requires a different throat position, which you can only achieve by learning to control your larynx muscle. As air passes into the throat, flexing the larynx muscle causes the throat shape to change, thus altering the airflow and forcing the note to change pitch. You can get a sense of this muscle movement by saying the word “peel” very slowly. As you say “eel,” your larynx will change shape, mimicking the position required for bending.

What if You Can’t Play Draw Bends Properly

The tongue and throat control that draw bending requires is challenging, so don’t despair if you can’t bend successfully the first time you try. To help you practice, cover with masking tape all the holes except the hole you’re trying to bend—apply the tape to the side of the harmonica opposite the holes. This way you can focus on perfecting your bending technique rather than worrying about playing the right isolated note. The best way to test whether you’re playing the proper notes when you bend is by playing those notes on another instrument, such as the piano, and comparing them to the ones you play on the harmonica as you bend. If you don’t have another instrument on hand, you’ll just have to play it by ear.
Draw Bending Notes Lower than One Half-Step Below the Regular Draw Note

Holes 2 and 3 allow you to draw bend notes up to three half-steps below the hole’s regular draw note. You can sound these notes by controlling the depth to which you lower your tongue in your mouth and adjusting your throat muscles to the proper position. In general, the deeper you lower your tongue, the lower the note. For instance, to play the note one half step below hole 2 draw (the F# below the G at hole 2), lower your tongue about half as far as you can possibly lower it in your mouth. To sound the note one half step below that F# (or one whole step below the G), lower your tongue as far as you can. With practice, you’ll get a sense of how low your tongue needs to go in order to sound each note.

Blow Bends

Blow bends enable you to play notes in half-step increments below ordinary blow notes. Blow bends work on holes 8–10 of a diatonic harmonica. The four notes that you can play by blow-bending are D, F#, A#, and B.



How to Play Blow Bends

Blow bends work like draw bends: by changing the position of your tongue and controlling your throat muscles while blowing, you’ll alter the flow of air you exhale through the harmonica and in turn change the note that you sound. There are two main differences between blow bending and draw bending. To blow bend, you move your tongue upward, not downward. In addition, to play blow bends, you must constrict your throat muscles tightly, almost closing off the air pathway to change the pitch. This difference in particular makes playing blow bends considerably more difficult than playing draw bends. To practice playing blow bends, start by blowing hole 8 (D to D#):Use the single-note embouchure to blow the note. Again, you can use tongue blocking, but beginners often find it more difficult to do so. As air flows out of your mouth, raise the back of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth. Pulling your jaw in toward your neck can help make raising the tongue easier. As you blow bend, you’ll feel your throat constrict a bit—this is normal. As you raise your tongue, the note should change from D to D#. As with draw bends, there’s no need to blow harder than you normally would. Repeat step 1 until you can consistently alternate between the blow note (D) and the blow bend note (D#) by raising and then lowering your tongue as you blow.

How to Blow Bend Notes Lower than One Half Step Below the Regular Blow Note

Only hole 10 will enable you to blow bend more than one half step below the hole’s ordinary blow note (C). As with draw bends, you can blow bend in half-step increments by carefully controlling the positioning of your tongue. Blow the note at hole 10 and, as you raise up your tongue to blow bend the note, listen for the point at which the C lowers to a B and then to an A#. With practice, you’ll get a feel for this point and will be able to alternate among all three notes (C, B, and A#) by controlling the height of your tongue.

Overbends are a special type of bend that enable you to sound notes that are higher in pitch than the ordinary blow and draw notes of certain holes on the harmonica. These notes, called overblows and overdraws, make it possible to sound even more “missing” notes on the harmonica, but there’s a catch—they require an extreme degree of tongue, throat, and breath control that usually takes years of practice to achieve.

[garryfernand]

Hi, really happy to join the forum. I have gone through all the post and you all have mentioned such nice information. Really happy to read these. I am very fond of music and just started playing blue harps. Looking forward to hear from you guys.

[sarge]

Welcome Garry! Jump in anytime with any questions you might have.

[Admin]

Can one of you "experts" give us a little "HOW TO HOLD THE HARMONICA"?

[dadfad]

May 30, 2014 8:18:20 GMT -5 Admin said:

Can one of you "experts" give us a little "HOW TO HOLD THE HARMONICA"?

I'm not really an "expert" but I can usually do okay!

There are several ways, kind of depending on the style you're playing, and of course there are preferences among different players.

Generally I hold it between the thumb and index finger of my left hand, the index running across the top parallel to the holes, thumb on the bottom. The right hand can be added cupping the back, and by sort of opening and closing that "cup" can help produce the "wah-wahs" and "ooo-ahs" generally associated with country blues acoustic style harmonica. When amplifying this style usually you just hold the harp and play into the mic (on a stand). (Proximity changes from the mic can also be used to augment or "lay back" on the volume as desired.)

Playing electric style (or acoustic-style, but with a hand-held mic) can be a bit different. For acoustic-style but hand-held I again hold the harp with my left hand but more less "control" the mic itself with my right. (Moving it closer, cupping-uncupping, etc.)

For a more true electric-style I like to use a lot of "compression" when I play which involves keeping most of the air going through the harp very controlled and "locked in" with both hands pretty much forming almost a seal around the back of the harp and the mic. It gives a more powerful "over-driven" kind of sound, especially when using chording or tongue-blocking techniques. And merely moving a single finger (or more) can adjust that "compression level" to however you want it, from "full-compression" to "no-compression" (which is more like the "open" or acoustic sounding harp).

It's hard to explain much in just a couple of paragraphs, and again lots of players have their own preferences, but basically this is how I approach holding the harmonica playing these styles.

[Admin]

Here's a fairly easy guide for beginners...

Use as you see fit.

www.blues.ru/harp/intro.txt