Harmonica For Beginners http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net Learn To Play Harmonica Fri, 28 May 2010 02:37:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 Harmonica for Beginners Lessons http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/harmonica-for-beginners-lessons http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/harmonica-for-beginners-lessons#comments Fri, 21 Aug 2009 03:03:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/harmonica-for-beginners-lesson

On Harmonica for Beginners Lesson 1 you’ll learn:

  • The basics on the 10 hole diatonic harmonica
  • How to hold the harmonica
  • How to play a single harmonica note

10 hole Diatonic Harmonica

So now you have decided why you want to learn to play harmonica and what kind is the best harmonica for beginners you can get a harmonica and start to lean to play it. Once you have a harmonica you need to get to know it. On the face of the harmonica are the numbers 1-10 for a ten hole diatonic harmonica.  These are the position numbers for the holes.  Each hole has 2 reeds one on top and one on the bottom that each produce a different note. On a blow (exhaling) the lower note is produced. On a Draw (inhaling) the next higher note is played.  On a diatonic harmonica in the key of C a blow on the #1 hole position corresponds to middle C on piano.  The layout of a key of C diatonic harmonica is below.

How to Hold the Harmonica

There are different ways to hold the harmonica but the most common standard way to hold it is like this:

  • Hold with first hand with the thumb along the bottom and the index finger across the top (flat parallel to where the numbers are stamped) with the other fingers relaxed but straight and closed together.
  • The second hand is placed across the back of the harmonica with the heal of the hand along the bottom of the harmonica and the thumb of the first hand with the second hand cupping around the back of the harmonica laying the fingers across the side of the first hands little finger and can be over the top of it and other fingers of the first hand if needed.
  • This way by opening and closing the fingers on the second “cupped” hand you can produce a vibrato or wah-wah effect.  Remember to leave an open space between the back of the harmonica and your hands to get the best tone and the most control.

The pic on the Aug 18 blog: “Why Learn to Play Harmonica Anyway” (below) shows an example of a man holding the harmonica. Also on the cover of the book Aboslute Beginner: Harmonica are some great pictures demonstrating how to hold your harmonica. The most important thing is to find the way that works best for you and what your trying to do at the time.  The standard way works and gives you a lot of control and options for different techniques but you need to find what’s comfortable and usefull for you.  Many of us play often using a Harmonica holder so that we can play without even using our hands. This will allow you to play guitar (Bob Dylan Harmonica style) or piano (Billy Joel “Piano man” harmonica style) or other instruments.  This is part of the allure and versitility of the harmonica.

How to Play Single Harmonica Notes

One technique that should be worked on first is to blow or draw on only one single harmonica note at a time.  There are different ways of doing this including tongue blocking or the pucker method.  The pucker method is a good way to start for beginner harmonica. You will hear the word embouchure a lot when people are explaining how to learn to play harmonica.  This is a word that describes the position and use of the lips, tongue, and teeth in playing harmonica.  Because everyone’s mouth is different this is something you will have to experiment with on your own.  It is difficult to describe in words but generally I will try to describe here:

For the pucker method the mouth is open pulling the sides of the mouth close together.  The front of the harmonica is level with the airflow going straight into the hole.  The bottom lip should be close to the bottom of the hole you are playing and moved to a position centered in front of the opening of the hole.  I curl the sides of my lower lip up on my teeth slightly while allowing the center if the lip in front of the hole being played to hang down in front of the teeth being pushed down by the edge of the harmonica at the bottom of the hole. This is where the air passes.  The top lip relaxed and opened across 0n the top of the harp well over the numbered area.

Experiment a little with this. Once you successfully get a single note on the draw try to blow the note for that hole then move to an adjacent hole. Note: the lower notes (smaller numbered holes) are easier to work with and require less air to create the sounds making it easier for the beginner to work with.

Have Fun With It!

All of this information is just to help you get started.  To really learn the best thing to do is pick a song you like and work on it for a while.  It helps to have the song recorded on some sort of media that can be played back after your attempts so you can compare with the original. The most important thing is play a little as often as possible. Have fun with it!  Work on the single note and don’t get impatient if it doesn’t come at first. Work on it and trust me it will come.  It’s like when I was visiting New York City and I asked this lady if she knew how to get to Carnegie Hall and without a pause she answered “Practice, practice, practice!” :-)   It is also ok at first to learn to play some songs with 2 or 3 note chords at first. This is the Bob Dylan harmonica style that he started his career with. It didn’t seem to slow his success down at all. Play around with it and enjoy yourself.  Just don’t quit.

Future lessons will include breathing and timing exercises, different blues and rock techniques like over blowing or over drawing, note bending and playing in “cross harp” position. You will also learn about reading tabulature notation or “harmonica tabs” to help learn songs and lots more. I just hope you enjoy this and remember to keep your eyes and ears open to songs and sounds you would like to master and try it! There are lots books cds and videos and sites on the web including YouTube.

Life is meant to be lived -Enjoy it!

A great beginner harmonica song. Neil Young “Heart of Gold”

One of my favorites: Whammer Jammer from Richard “Magic Dick” Swalwitz formerly of the J. Giles Band.

Check out other harmonica sites on the Links and Info page or

look at WebRing (below)

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]]> http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/harmonica-for-beginners-lessons/feed 0 Harmonica For Beginners – Note Bending http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/learn-to-play-harmonica-basics/harmonica-for-beginners-note-bending http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/learn-to-play-harmonica-basics/harmonica-for-beginners-note-bending#comments Sat, 08 May 2010 16:25:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/learn-to-play-harmonica-basics/harmonica-for-beginners-note-bending  
 
Many harmonica players have played for years and never learned to “bend notes.”  However, Harmonica players in many musical genres including Rock, Country, Blues and Jazz ofter use this technique with a diatonic harmonica to add to the feel of the music and even play in different keys than that available on the standard tuning for their harp.
 
Bending a note on the harmonica is simply changing the pitch of the note played on a particular reed by changing the intensity and direction of the airflow around it.  This gives a lower pitch than the standard note not that is not bent.  It is possible to slide that pitch from one not to another adding variety and feel to the music and this why it is used in many music genres. This is done in two ways:
 
  • Tipping the harmonica at an angle to the direction of the air flow
  • Changing the embouchure to adjust the air flow

Note: As we learned at the Harmonica for Beginners Lessons post embouchure describes the position and use of the lips, tongue, and teeth in playing harmonica. 

 
 - Before learning this method you should have already started to master playing a single note!
 
It is easier to get started with the draw on the 2, 3, and 4 holes. The 1 and 6 hole draws are also commonly used.  Once you are comfortable with these you can work on the blow on holes 8 – 10 using similar techniques.
 
Tipping method:
 
You can start by drawing on the 2 hole.  Make it a clean single note.  Now Start tipping the the front of the harmonica up towards your nose.  While doing this concentrate on not moving your head or the angle of the airflow into the harmonica.  As the harmonica reaches an approximate 45º angle up from the starting angle you should hear the pitch start to drop.  Work with this a bit until you start to get the changes and practice dropping 1/2 step for starters.  To start working on bending the blow notes try the same on the 8 hole to start out. 
 
With practice you should be able to bend draws on holes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 6 and Blows on holes 8, 9, and 10.  You can bend holes 5 & 7 also but in most cases these will not be very useful and are not often used.
 
Bending by changing your embouchure:

  
 The idea of using embouchure or the changes in the position on your lips, tongue, and teeth to change the sounds produced by the instrument comes from brass, horns and woodwind instruments like the trumpet or saxophone.  In the case of the harmonica it is just as important.  Practice is needed to get a clean clear note and to bend the note down ½ step, a whole step or even 1½ steps.
 
This is very hard to teach or explain in writing but I will make my best attempt.  It is sometimes helpful to explain the changes in your air cavity by the position of your mouth when making different vowel sounds. 
 
  • Start by making the natural note on a draw for example on the 2 hole.  Holding you tongue back as if to make a long “e” sound.  
  • With the draw think of making a “eeeee“  sound.
  • Now change you tongue and mouth position as if to make a “ooooo”  sound as in shoe or boot. The change from “heeee” to “yoooo“
 
Just as with the tipping method it is easier to start with the draws on hole 2 – 4 adding 1 and 6 once you get the feel for it.  Once you can get the draw holes try the blow holes 8 – 10 using the similar changes in embouchure. 
 
With some trial and error you should eventually be able to hear the change in the pitch. 
 
For some great animated diagrams with audio files of sample bends and info on what holes can be bent on draws and blows check out my friend Seamus Murnane’s site at http://www.harmonicaclub.com 
In some cases you can do a combination of both methods to perform the bends you need.  I hope this gives you a good start.  Play around with this.  Have fun with it!  With a little practice you will be well on you way to making you harp talk!
 
Life is meant to be lived
- Enjoy,
  Wayne

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]]> http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/learn-to-play-harmonica-basics/harmonica-for-beginners-note-bending/feed 0 Breathing – Have fun with Chugging exercises! http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/breathing-have-fun-with-chugging-exercises http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/breathing-have-fun-with-chugging-exercises#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:27:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/breathing-have-fun-with-chugging-exercises

Now that you have been working on you single notes another great exercise for the beginner harmonica player is a style of playing called chugging.  Chugging can be a great breathing and timing exercise.  It is basically playing a chorded combination of blows and draws to a rhythm.  One of the common rhythms used is the train rhythm.
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Harmonica for beginners tip: Remember to breathe from your diaphragm (your stomach should move in and out when you breathe not your chest) – hold the harmonica deep in your mouth with your lips relaxed.
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There are a lot of great traininng videos on the web.  One of my favorite suggestions on harmonica for beginners is the series by Jim Luke on ehow.com – Its totally free to watch (if you don’t mind a short commercial at the beginning) and has a lot of the beginner harmonica basics covered in a clear simple to understand way.
(Don’t forget to come back ;o)  – Check it out:
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You can have a lot of fun and make some great sounds while developing your breathing and practicing your rhythm.  Start off slow and increase your speed as you practice.  Play around with it.  Improvise!
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  • Concentrate on your rhythm and don’t worry if you can’t follow any of the single note licks or riffs on these or other songs your listening to.  If you stay on beat and focus on your breathing you will still get a lot out of the chugging exercises. (You can work on you single note licks separately)
  • Practice as often as possible even if it’s just for a couple minutes and you will be surpised at how fast you improve.
  • Once you can play at a faster tempo (or the speed of your rhythm) I suggest playing along with a recorded song or even a electronic rhythm device or computer midi file.  You can also use a metronome if it is loud enough to hear while you are playing.  A metronome is a device that gives a sound at a desired tempo to practice keep a rhythm.  You don’t need to spend a lot of money though.  If you don’t have any of these available you can just tap your foot along as you play and concentrate on keeping a constant rhythm to play along with.  This will help you to prepare for playing with other musicians.
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While harmonica for beginners is introducing this for a basic exercise it can have other techniques added as you develop your skills.  Single notes and more advanced skills can be added.  As you continue to get better you can develop this into more advanced songs like the introduction to Magic Dicks Whammer Jammer (see video at end of lesson 1) has a great example of mixing it up.
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Life is meant to be lived -Enjoy
Wayne

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]]> http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/breathing-have-fun-with-chugging-exercises/feed 1 Beginner harmonica tabs http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/beginner-harmonica-tabs http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/beginner-harmonica-tabs#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:47:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-tabs/beginner-harmonica-tabs Beginner harmonica players that want to learn to play harmonica songs don’t have to learn songs by ear alone. Even if you do not have much music training you can learn to play harmonica songs without harmonica sheet music. You can use simple harmonica tabs.

Learn to play Harmonica for beginners tabs Tablature notation or tabs are a way of writing harmonica songs for people who can’t read harmonica sheet music.  Instead of writing musical notes the hole numbers are used and with a plus (+) or (no notation) in front for blow and a minus (-) for draw (sometimes in handwritten tab the hole # is circled for draw).  Also chords of 2 or more holes can be combined with parenthesis:   

  •   2     =   blow the 2 hole < Also: +2 >
  •  -2     =   draw the 2 hole  
  •  -2′    =   draw the 2 hole with a half bend < Also -2b >  
  •  -2″    =   draw the 2 hole with a full bend < Also -2bb>  
  •  -2″‘   =   draw the 2 hole with 3 half bends < Also -2bbb
  • (23)   =   blow holes 2 and 3 together
  • (-2-3) =  draw holes 2 and 3 together

There are a lot of great places to get harmonica tabs.  There are books and a lot of great sites on the web.  One that I like is http://www.harptabs.com/

Try these:  Basic blues: 4 -4 4 -3    4 -4 4 3 -3    4 -4 4 -3 4 -4 5 -5 5 -4    4 -4 4 -3   …

Write your own words:


 

Low Rider: -3 -3 -3 -3 -3   4 -4 3 -3 4 -3 3 repeat once then: -2-2-2-2-2    -2-2-2-2-2    2-2′

* For this “staccato” sound try using tongue on the roof of your mouth at the beginning on each note
-like your making a “ta” sound.
It may seem a little strange at first on the draw as you inhale but practice a little and you will get it.
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]]> http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/beginner-harmonica-tabs/feed 1 Choosing the Best Harmonica for Beginners http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/choosing-the-best-harmonica-for-beginners http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/choosing-the-best-harmonica-for-beginners#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:27:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/choosing-the-best-harmonica-for-beginners There are three main types of harmonic diatonic, chromatic and tremolo. 

The simplest and most common is the diatonic.  In Webser’s New World Dictionary diatonic is defined as “Music designating or of a scale of eight tones…”  and chromatic is define as “Music progressing by semitones.” or in other words half steps.

For simplicity what this means is the chromatic harmonica has a slide that allows you to play in half steps which is like using all the white keys (Major scale Key of C) and black keys (half steps) on a piano and a diatonic harmonica in the key of C is like just using the white piano keys.

The tremolo harmonica has 2 reeds per note each tuned slightly differently causing a tremolo effect to the sound. While these produce an interesting sound they are not very commonly used in popular music and are more commonly used in music in parts of Europe and eastern and far eastern countries.

Diatonic harmonicas are made in different keys to match the key of the songs being played. While there have been some popular artists that have used chromatic harmonicas, for example Stevie Wonder, the most commonly used is the basic 10 hole diatonic harmonica.

  • Harmonica for beginners tip: A good 10 hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C is a good place to get started. 

There are many different manufacturers and models. As with most things you get what you pay for. Some of the cheaper harmonicas not only do not last very long but in my early experience were hard to play and uncomfortable even at times dangerous with sharp edges small pieces that could come loose.  So remember “buyer be ware” 

There are several very good quality manufacturers like Hohner, Susuki and Lee Oskar (named for the designer formerly the lead harmonica player from the band WAR).  Hohner created their Blues Harp harmonica to make “note bending” easier. While these became very popular many players stayed with the Marine Band harmonica. They are both good quality and affordable. Both of these had wooden combs. The comb separates the holes on the harmonica.  Newer styles of harmonicas like the Hohner Special 20 or Golden Melody and the Lee Oskar harmonicas have plastic combs to keep them from wearing out and warping due to moisture and it also makes them easier to clean. 

Because of the plastic comb and the fact that the Hohner Special 20 is good to learn note bending it is a great choice for a beginner harmonica especially if you want to learn to play blues, rock or country harmonica.

Life is meant to be lived -Enjoy it!

Wayne

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]]> http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/choosing-the-best-harmonica-for-beginners/feed 1 Why Learn to Play Harmonica Anyway? http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/why-learn-to-play-harmonica-anyway http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/why-learn-to-play-harmonica-anyway#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:56:59 +0000 admin http://www.harmonicaforbeginners.net/harmonica-for-beginners/why-learn-to-play-harmonica-anyway The harmonica is a versatile instrument that is easy and most of all is really fun to learn and play. It is commonly used in many music styles and genres like blues, rock, folk, country and even polka.

Many popular artists continue to prove how the harmonica can add layers of sound to their songs.  From the Bob Dylan harmonica playing in his folk music days to the Billy Joel Piano Man harmonica solo to the Neil Young harmonica styling on many tunes including his classic hit Heart of Gold. The harmonica has left its mark in the hearts and memories of generations. Rock harmonica has been used by many bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the J. Geils Band.

Of course the blues and “blues harp” harmonica have influenced many modern music styles.  Names like Howlin Wolf, Little Walter Jacobs and Muddy Waters are legends to many fans. Later Paul Butterfield and John Popper of the band Blues Traveler have carried on the art. Blues harmonica for beginners is exciting and fun to learn.

 - Blues harp fans check out Blues Harmonica for Beginners book and CD.

The biggest reason why the harmonica is such a popular instrument is because it is just plain fun to play. Our goal on this site is to make harmonica for beginners easy and fun to learn. It doesn’t matter if you an experienced musician or if your just someone who always wanted to learn. Its easy! With a few basic tips and a little effort you can make some great sounds.  Once you start and find that you can play music that sounds good you become hooked. Especially when you don’t need to spend hours studying and trying to learn music theory or how to read sheet music. 

It doesn’t matter what your age.  There are many programs for seniors that teach harmonica for its health affects including better breathing and cardio vascular health, decreasing snoring and sleep apnoea and it has even been used to help prevent depression.

It is a very easy instruments learn to play by ear. It has been said that Stevie Wonder learned to play harmonica when he was 5 years old then he went on to have a huge music career.

You can learn a familiar “lick” or “riff” or even a whole song without a lot of effort.  With a little practice you can have friends others that hear you say things like “Wow, when I heard you playing I thought it was coming from the radio or a cd or something”.

Keep looking at this site for lots of great info to get started.  Look at Choosing the Best Harmonica for Beginners and Basic Harmonica for beginners lessons.  Also a great help is the book Ablsolute Beginners: Harmonica with lots of pics and a cd to follow along with. 

Life is meant to be lived -Enjoy it!
Wayne

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