How to play harmonica
The harmonica as an instrument
Harmonica sheet music The harmonica is associated with a number of things: a poor black man sitting on the side of the road, blowing melancholy notes through his hands in the American South. Others think of the blues virtuoso who turns his instrument inside out and bends one note after another. Some people also perceive the harmonica as a fairly simple instrument that is inexpensive and has a smaller range than other instruments.
What is certain is that it is possible to create a wide variety of music with the harmonica, either solo or as accompaniment and backing for someone else or an entire band. It is relatively easy to learn to play the harmonica. Diatonic harmonicas (the most common type with ten holes) in particular require less effort to get started with than many other instruments. The reason is that all the notes that can be created by blowing in or pulling out air fit together and never sound completely out of tune. Unlike wind instruments such as the trumpet and saxophone, no great physical effort is required to produce beautiful sounds.
Playing blues
Perhaps the most common musical style for this instrument is blues. Many people who want to learn to play the harmonica have heard someone playing this style of music. A common technique for playing blues harmonica is called cross harp. With cross harp, you play in “second position,” which means that you start from a different scale than the one your instrument is tuned to. If the harmonica is tuned to C, you will play cross harp from the second position in G.
You can, of course, play all the holes as usual, but mainly the first four to five are used, and the emphasis is on inhaling. Blues is very much about improvisation and feeling, so that part is something that develops over time.
History
The history of the harmonica began sometime in the early 1800s. One person who is often credited with playing a particularly important role in the creation of the harmonica is Friederich L Bushman. He designed a harmonica in 1821, although it is not entirely certain whether this was the very first one. In any case, it was around this time that the first harmonicas were created.The discovery of the diatonic harmonica had to wait until the middle of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the chromatic harmonica was developed. By then, harmonicas had already begun to be mass-produced.
Harmonica sheet music The harmonica is associated with a number of things: a poor black man sitting on the side of the road, blowing melancholy notes through his hands in the American South. Others think of the blues virtuoso who turns his instrument inside out and bends one note after another. Some people also perceive the harmonica as a fairly simple instrument that is inexpensive and has a smaller range than other instruments.
What is certain is that it is possible to create a wide variety of music with the harmonica, either solo or as accompaniment and backing for someone else or an entire band. It is relatively easy to learn to play the harmonica. Diatonic harmonicas (the most common type with ten holes) in particular require less effort to get started with than many other instruments. The reason is that all the notes that can be created by blowing in or pulling out air fit together and never sound completely out of tune. Unlike wind instruments such as the trumpet and saxophone, no great physical effort is required to produce beautiful sounds.
Playing blues
Perhaps the most common musical style for this instrument is blues. Many people who want to learn to play the harmonica have heard someone playing this style of music. A common technique for playing blues harmonica is called cross harp. With cross harp, you play in “second position,” which means that you start from a different scale than the one your instrument is tuned to. If the harmonica is tuned to C, you will play cross harp from the second position in G.
You can, of course, play all the holes as usual, but mainly the first four to five are used, and the emphasis is on inhaling. Blues is very much about improvisation and feeling, so that part is something that develops over time.
History
The history of the harmonica began sometime in the early 1800s. One person who is often credited with playing a particularly important role in the creation of the harmonica is Friederich L Bushman. He designed a harmonica in 1821, although it is not entirely certain whether this was the very first one. In any case, it was around this time that the first harmonicas were created.The discovery of the diatonic harmonica had to wait until the middle of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the chromatic harmonica was developed. By then, harmonicas had already begun to be mass-produced.
