Harmonica For Beginners

Harmonicas are wonderful musical instruments. They're versatile, they're relatively inexpensive, they fit in your pocket, and their music can evoke a wide range of feelings. Harmonicas - or harps, as they are commonly called - are used in a wide variety of musical genres, such as bluegrass, the blues, folk, rock, country, Gospel, jazz, and even Classical music. If you want to learn to play the harp and are planning to take instruction, you should understand the different types of harmonicas that are available. The leading makers of harmonicas include Suzuki, Hering, Hohner, and Bushman. Beyond brands, though, there are other differences you should know about. The harmonica that most people are familiar with is the ten-hole "Blues harp." Each of the holes has two reeds, which are tuned to play different notes. Blues harps come in virtually every key, and each harmonica can play 19 musical notes. Blues harps are a subcategory of diatonic harmonicas, so named because of the two reeds in each hole. Diatonic harmonics generally play only one key. Another type of diatonic harmonica is the octave harmonica, which is tuned so that each hole plays the same note, only an octave apart from one another. The tremolo harmonica also has two reeds, but one plays a slightly flat note and the other plays a slightly sharp note. A different category of harmonica is the chromatic harmonica. These harmonicas typically have twelve, fourteen, or sixteen holes, and four reeds per hole. They also have a sliding bar that moves the air from the mouthpiece to a specific reed plate. Chromatic harmonicas are most often used in jazz and Classical music. Harmonica Instruction When you learn to play the harmonica, you'll first be taught how to breathe correctly. Because successfully playing the harmonica involves both breathing out and breathing in, it's important to breathe from your diaphragm. You'll also learn how to correctly hold the harmonica, how to move it, and how to position your lips so you'll achieve the right notes. You'll also learn harmonica tablature, or tabs, which in instruction that replaces the need for learning to read music. Harmonica tabs tell you what actions you need to take, such as blowing in the fifth and sixth holes, rather than simply showing you music notation. For example, tablature might indicate an upward arrow with a number above it, indicating that you need to blow on that numbered hole, followed by a downward area with a number on top, indicating that you need to inhale on that hole. Tabs make learning to play the harmonica much easier than learning to play other instruments. Choosing a Harp Most harmonica instruction is given in the key of C, so it's probably best to buy a diatonic or Blues harp in the key of C. Most experts recommend that beginners purchase harmonicas with plastic or aluminum combs (the body of the harmonica) rather than wood. Plastic and metal are both more comfortable and more durable. However, you should be aware that, over time, you'll probably buy and try several different brands of harmonicas. Each person is unique, and each has to find the harmonica that is the best fit for his or her playing style.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Finding the Right Harmonica or Majon's Music directory

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson

Why would I want to learn to play a harmonica?

The harmonica is the perfect instrument for the beginning musician. It is a cheap instrument, simple to learn, and does not require a proficiency in reading music. Additionally, there is no need to take lessons because all the necessary help is available for free on the internet. Learn to play at home, and take your instrument anywhere in your pocket.

Which Harmonica should I buy?

Purchase a standard ten hole "diatonic" harmonica in the key of "C." This is the easiest harp to learn with, and most online tutorials (for beginners) are written with this harp in mind. Do not purchase a "chromatic" harmonica, or any other key, until you have learned the basics with a "diatonic" in the key of "C."

One of the best brands (in terms of durability, sound, and value) is called the "Hohner Marine Band" or "Hohner Special 20." It will cost you 30 dollars or less, depending where you purchase it. Try eBay for a good deal, but try to buy a brand new one so you know it's already in tune. By practicing regularly, you can learn how to play before you will ever need to tune it.

How do I hold a harmonica?

Extend your thumb and index finger horizontally, so they are parallel with a half inch space between them. Slide the harmonic into this space, gripping it between your thumb and index finger, so the end of the harp is pressed against the webbing between these two fingers. The holes should be pointing towards your mouth, and the backside of the harmonica (opposite the holes) should be unobstructed. Leave enough space in front of your fingers for your lips.

Use your palm of the opposite hand to grip the other end of the harmonica. You may view images and videos of how to hold a harmonica by searching YouTube and other relevant sites. As you learn the basics, feel free to adjust your hold as necessary in order to get the clearest sound.

How do I blow into it?

For the purposes of this article, "blow" means to blow OUT, and "draw" means to suck air IN. The same hole will make a different sound depending on whether you blow OUT or draw IN air through the hole.

Blowing (or drawing) through several specific holes at once can make musical "chords," while blowing (or drawing) through one hole at a time makes a "single note."

For beginners, the best thing to do is focus on single notes. When you are able to blow and draw through all ten holes, one at a time, and create clear single notes for each hole, then you are ready to learn a song. Once you have mastered a few simple (single note) songs, you can move onto chords.

How do I blow clear single notes?

Hold the harmonica as described above. Pick either hole 3, 4, 5, or 6 to focus on because these are the easiest to play.

Place your lips over the edge of the hole you choose, and tilt the harmonica slightly downward so your upper lip extends further over the top of the harmonica than your lower lip extends over the bottom.

Your upper lip should extend about halfway over the top of the harp, but your lower lip should extend only slightly over the bottom plate. With your lower lip, you will feel the edge of the harmonica where the side with the holes meets the bottom side. With your upper lip, you should not feel the edge at all. (Again, YouTube is a great source for examples.)

Blow through the hole. The goal is to create one, clear unbroken and consistent tone (a.k.a. the single note). Adjust your lips as needed by puckering, or tilting the harmonica further up or down. Try moving your tongue so it's not in the way. Blow softly. If you have to blow really hard to make a clear note, you are doing something wrong.

Continue making adjustments to your lips, hand-holding, and blowing until you can comfortably blow through one hole at a time, and create clear single notes.

How do I practice blowing single notes, so I can get good at it?

Begin with holes 3-6. Pick one hole (say, hole number 4) and master it using the technique described in the section above. Once you can clearly BLOW a single note through hole number 4, also make sure you can clearly DRAW a single note through hole 4.

Then apply the same method to learn BLOWING and DRAWING through ALL TEN holes. The really high end holes (8-10) and the very low end holes (1-2) will be the most difficult. A common mistake made by beginners is to think that hole 8, for example, is out of tune or has something stuck in it, because it's so much harder to play than hole 4. This is not the case. Even though the same basic technique is used to play all ten holes, learning holes 1 and 2 and 8 through 10 may take EXTRA practice and require some adjustments in the techniques you learned by starting with holes 3 through 6.

PRACTICE EXERCISE: Use this exercise to practice playing clear single notes. Begin with hole 1. Blow through hole 1 to make a single note. Then draw through hole 1 to make a single note. (Notice the different tones created by blowing vs. drawing through the same hole.) Then move on to hole 2. Blow through hole 2 to make a single note, and then draw through hole 2 to make a single note. Then move on to holes 3, and 4, and so on... all the way up to 10. This exercise will also help you to instinctively know how far to move the harmonica when moving from one note to the next.

TIP: ALWAYS MOVE THE HARMONICA FROM NOTE TO NOTE, NOT YOUR HEAD OR LIPS! When moving between notes, you should be sliding the harmonica through your lips, from right to left or left to right (using your hands). It is a very bad habit to hold the harmonica still, while you move your head or lips instead.

How do I play a song?

When you can clearly play single notes on all 10 holes without making mistakes, you are ready to start learning songs. The great thing about learning to play a harmonica song is that you don't have to know how to read music. Many simple harmonica songs are written in the form of "tabs." Music stores sell books full of these songs, or you can search online for "harmonica tabs" or "harp tabs."

Harmonica tabs use a simple system of notation to list what holes to play, what order to play them in, and whether to blow OUT or draw IN. Each song tab should also tell you whether to use a "diatonic" or "chromatic" harmonica, and which musical key.

PRACTICE SONG: Try playing the following notes in sequence. Each number corresponds to a hole on the harmonica. Blow through the numbers WITHOUT the minus sign (say, 4 for example) and draw through the holes WITH the minus sign (like -4). Again, "4" means to "blow OUT hole 4," and "-4" means "draw IN through hole 4." The song is the campfire favorite, "Kum Ba Yah." These tabs are written for your "diatonic" harp in the key of "C." The holes are listed on the left, and the lyrics are on the right.

4 Kum

5 ba

6 yah,

6 My

6 Lord,

-6 Kum

-6 ba

6 ya,

4 Kum

5 ba

6 ya,

6 My

6 Lord,

-5 Kum

5 ba

-4 yah,

4 Kum

5 ba

6 yah,

6 My

6 Lord,

-6 Kum

-6 ba

6 ya,

-5 Oh

5 Lo-

4 rd,

-4 Kum

-4 ba

4 ya

Alternatively, the same song may be written thus:

4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6

4 5 6 6 6 -5 5 -4

4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6

-5 5 4 -4 -4 4

When I play a whole song, why do I quickly run out of breath?

This is a common problem for many beginners. The simple answer is that by practicing more, proper breathing technique will eventually come naturally to you.

The longer answer is this: Don't blow so hard! Softer blowing keeps the harmonica in tune, and helps you keep your breath too! Also, any "draw" notes (or "suck air in" notes) are good times to breathe in. With practice, you can play the harp and breathe simultaneously. If you still have trouble, try catching your breath between lines. A short pause of 1-2 seconds between phrases can help your playing sound more emotive, while giving you time to catch your breath as well.

How much should I practice?

Shoot for 30 minutes a day, most days. Don't worry about how much you learn in one sitting. The emphasis should be on frequency and consistency of practice. Once you've learned your first three or four songs, the others will come more easily.

Don't over-practice either. If you play for more than an hour straight, you're bound to start getting sloppy and pick up bad habits (or get frustrated). It's better to practice 30 minutes a day for 4 days consecutively than to practice for 2 hours every fourth day.

What are the best resources online?

Definitely YouTube. Several harmonica experts have put together entire series of videos aimed at beginners. These videos are a great resource because you can SEE and HEAR the instrument being played, and compare your technique to theirs. They offer examples, exercises, and expertise for all levels of harp players.

For songs or tabs, a simple Google search will turn up more material than you could learn in a lifetime.

Also Wikipedia has a great deal of technical information. Their harmonica page defines terms, breaks the instrument down into its constituent parts, looks at playing techniques, and offers useful resource links (at the bottom of the page).

Now I can play a few simple songs. What's next?

You will

Harmonicas are perhaps one of the most popular wind musical instruments of all time. This small and simple-looking reed instrument is preferred by a lot of people for their first instrument. This is largely due to the fact that harmonicas are affordable and portable. It is also easy to learn how to play a harmonica without a proper teacher; all you need to do is check for various harmonica guides available on the Internet.

Buying a harmonica

Naturally, before you can learn to play a harmonica, you need to have one to practice on. For help on selecting a suitable harmonica, there are also several online harmonica guides online. These guides would breeze you through the various types of harmonicas you can choose from. These are chromatic, diatonic, tremolo, orchestral, chord, ChengGong, ten-hole, octave, horn, bass, polyphonias, and the pitch pipe varieties. Each of these has characteristic differences that produce slight variations on how the instrument sounds. For instance, the chromatic harmonica has button-controlled bars for directing a blow to specific air channels inside. This type is typically used for blues and jazz music.

Other aspects with which harmonica product guides can help you are in choosing a cover design, action, and construction. Again, these three all contribute to how the harmonica would sound. Action, which is the speed with which the reeds of the harmonica bend when you blow into the mouthpieces, is a very important consideration when choosing a harmonica depending on level of expertise. Most guides would advise beginners to choose a fast action piece because it is more manageable.

How to play harmonicas

After you get hold of your own harmonica, you can proceed to finding harmonica guides on how to play the instrument. This is quite simple as all it takes is a quick search on Google or Yahoo. Several websites on free harmonica tutorials would be returned and you are free to choose which one to go with.

Important information

Complete harmonica guides are available at PickyGuide, the authority in free consumer advice. Access top-ranked, best-reviewed, and most competitively priced harmonicas in PickyGuide's recommended products section.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ilse_Hagen

Learn Harmonica - FAQ For the Harmonica Beginner - How to Get Started
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jacob_Destree]Jacob Destree

Why would I want to learn to play a harmonica?

The harmonica is the perfect instrument for the beginning musician. It is a cheap instrument, simple to learn, and does not require a proficiency in reading music. Additionally, there is no need to take lessons because all the necessary help is available for free on the internet. Learn to play at home, and take your instrument anywhere in your pocket.

Which Harmonica should I buy?

Purchase a standard ten hole "diatonic" harmonica in the key of "C." This is the easiest harp to learn with, and most online tutorials (for beginners) are written with this harp in mind. Do not purchase a "chromatic" harmonica, or any other key, until you have learned the basics with a "diatonic" in the key of "C."

One of the best brands (in terms of durability, sound, and value) is called the "Hohner Marine Band" or "Hohner Special 20." It will cost you 30 dollars or less, depending where you purchase it. Try eBay for a good deal, but try to buy a brand new one so you know it's already in tune. By practicing regularly, you can learn how to play before you will ever need to tune it.

How do I hold a harmonica?

Extend your thumb and index finger horizontally, so they are parallel with a half inch space between them. Slide the harmonic into this space, gripping it between your thumb and index finger, so the end of the harp is pressed against the webbing between these two fingers. The holes should be pointing towards your mouth, and the backside of the harmonica (opposite the holes) should be unobstructed. Leave enough space in front of your fingers for your lips.

Use your palm of the opposite hand to grip the other end of the harmonica. You may view images and videos of how to hold a harmonica by searching YouTube and other relevant sites. As you learn the basics, feel free to adjust your hold as necessary in order to get the clearest sound.

How do I blow into it?

For the purposes of this article, "blow" means to blow OUT, and "draw" means to suck air IN. The same hole will make a different sound depending on whether you blow OUT or draw IN air through the hole.

Blowing (or drawing) through several specific holes at once can make musical "chords," while blowing (or drawing) through one hole at a time makes a "single note."

For beginners, the best thing to do is focus on single notes. When you are able to blow and draw through all ten holes, one at a time, and create clear single notes for each hole, then you are ready to learn a song. Once you have mastered a few simple (single note) songs, you can move onto chords.

How do I blow clear single notes?

Hold the harmonica as described above. Pick either hole 3, 4, 5, or 6 to focus on because these are the easiest to play.

Place your lips over the edge of the hole you choose, and tilt the harmonica slightly downward so your upper lip extends further over the top of the harmonica than your lower lip extends over the bottom.

Your upper lip should extend about halfway over the top of the harp, but your lower lip should extend only slightly over the bottom plate. With your lower lip, you will feel the edge of the harmonica where the side with the holes meets the bottom side. With your upper lip, you should not feel the edge at all. (Again, YouTube is a great source for examples.)

Blow through the hole. The goal is to create one, clear unbroken and consistent tone (a.k.a. the single note). Adjust your lips as needed by puckering, or tilting the harmonica further up or down. Try moving your tongue so it's not in the way. Blow softly. If you have to blow really hard to make a clear note, you are doing something wrong.

Continue making adjustments to your lips, hand-holding, and blowing until you can comfortably blow through one hole at a time, and create clear single notes.

How do I practice blowing single notes, so I can get good at it?

Begin with holes 3-6. Pick one hole (say, hole number 4) and master it using the technique described in the section above. Once you can clearly BLOW a single note through hole number 4, also make sure you can clearly DRAW a single note through hole 4.

Then apply the same method to learn BLOWING and DRAWING through ALL TEN holes. The really high end holes (8-10) and the very low end holes (1-2) will be the most difficult. A common mistake made by beginners is to think that hole 8, for example, is out of tune or has something stuck in it, because it's so much harder to play than hole 4. This is not the case. Even though the same basic technique is used to play all ten holes, learning holes 1 and 2 and 8 through 10 may take EXTRA practice and require some adjustments in the techniques you learned by starting with holes 3 through 6.

PRACTICE EXERCISE: Use this exercise to practice playing clear single notes. Begin with hole 1. Blow through hole 1 to make a single note. Then draw through hole 1 to make a single note. (Notice the different tones created by blowing vs. drawing through the same hole.) Then move on to hole 2. Blow through hole 2 to make a single note, and then draw through hole 2 to make a single note. Then move on to holes 3, and 4, and so on... all the way up to 10. This exercise will also help you to instinctively know how far to move the harmonica when moving from one note to the next.

TIP: ALWAYS MOVE THE HARMONICA FROM NOTE TO NOTE, NOT YOUR HEAD OR LIPS! When moving between notes, you should be sliding the harmonica through your lips, from right to left or left to right (using your hands). It is a very bad habit to hold the harmonica still, while you move your head or lips instead.

How do I play a song?

When you can clearly play single notes on all 10 holes without making mistakes, you are ready to start learning songs. The great thing about learning to play a harmonica song is that you don't have to know how to read music. Many simple harmonica songs are written in the form of "tabs." Music stores sell books full of these songs, or you can search online for "harmonica tabs" or "harp tabs."

Harmonica tabs use a simple system of notation to list what holes to play, what order to play them in, and whether to blow OUT or draw IN. Each song tab should also tell you whether to use a "diatonic" or "chromatic" harmonica, and which musical key.

PRACTICE SONG: Try playing the following notes in sequence. Each number corresponds to a hole on the harmonica. Blow through the numbers WITHOUT the minus sign (say, 4 for example) and draw through the holes WITH the minus sign (like -4). Again, "4" means to "blow OUT hole 4," and "-4" means "draw IN through hole 4." The song is the campfire favorite, "Kum Ba Yah." These tabs are written for your "diatonic" harp in the key of "C." The holes are listed on the left, and the lyrics are on the right.

4 Kum
5 ba
6 yah,
6 My
6 Lord,
-6 Kum
-6 ba
6 ya,

4 Kum
5 ba
6 ya,
6 My
6 Lord,
-5 Kum
5 ba
-4 yah,

4 Kum
5 ba
6 yah,
6 My
6 Lord,
-6 Kum
-6 ba
6 ya,

-5 Oh
5 Lo-
4 rd,
-4 Kum
-4 ba
4 ya

Alternatively, the same song may be written thus:

4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6
4 5 6 6 6 -5 5 -4
4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6
-5 5 4 -4 -4 4

When I play a whole song, why do I quickly run out of breath?

This is a common problem for many beginners. The simple answer is that by practicing more, proper breathing technique will eventually come naturally to you.

The longer answer is this: Don't blow so hard! Softer blowing keeps the harmonica in tune, and helps you keep your breath too! Also, any "draw" notes (or "suck air in" notes) are good times to breathe in. With practice, you can play the harp and breathe simultaneously. If you still have trouble, try catching your breath between lines. A short pause of 1-2 seconds between phrases can help your playing sound more emotive, while giving you time to catch your breath as well.

How much should I practice?

Shoot for 30 minutes a day, most days. Don't worry about how much you learn in one sitting. The emphasis should be on frequency and consistency of practice. Once you've learned your first three or four songs, the others will come more easily.

Don't over-practice either. If you play for more than an hour straight, you're bound to start getting sloppy and pick up bad habits (or get frustrated). It's better to practice 30 minutes a day for 4 days consecutively than to practice for 2 hours every fourth day.

What are the best resources online?

Definitely YouTube. Several harmonica experts have put together entire series of videos aimed at beginners. These videos are a great resource because you can SEE and HEAR the instrument being played, and compare your technique to theirs. They offer examples, exercises, and expertise for all levels of harp players.

For songs or tabs, a simple Google search will turn up more material than you could learn in a lifetime.

Also Wikipedia has a great deal of technical information. Their harmonica page defines terms, breaks the instrument down into its constituent parts, looks at playing techniques, and offers useful resource links (at the bottom of the page).

Now I can play a few simple songs. What's next?

You will want to learn chords, octaves, and bending notes. You can practice soloing by playing along to your favorite recordings, or buying special CD's made specifically for playing your harp with. Learn how to tune a harmonica; invest in a tuning kit and electronic tuner. Also check out other types of harps for playing musical keys other than "C."

Conclusion

This FAQ has taken you from harp selection to playing your first song. By following the steps above and practicing regularly, you will have a firm foundation and be able to play any song you can find the tabs for. Good Luck!

This article was written by the author of [http://www.jacobdestree.wordpress.com]Jacob Destree's Movie Blog.

Click the link below to view other articles by Jacob.

Article Source: ht

Learn Harmonica - FAQ For the Harmonica Beginner - How to Get Started

Why would I want to learn to play a harmonica?

The harmonica is the perfect instrument for the beginning musician. It is a cheap instrument, simple to learn, and does not require a proficiency in reading music. Additionally, there is no need to take lessons because all the necessary help is available for free on the internet. Learn to play at home, and take your instrument anywhere in your pocket.

Which Harmonica should I buy?

Purchase a standard ten hole "diatonic" harmonica in the key of "C." This is the easiest harp to learn with, and most online tutorials (for beginners) are written with this harp in mind. Do not purchase a "chromatic" harmonica, or any other key, until you have learned the basics with a "diatonic" in the key of "C."

One of the best brands (in terms of durability, sound, and value) is called the "Hohner Marine Band" or "Hohner Special 20." It will cost you 30 dollars or less, depending where you purchase it. Try eBay for a good deal, but try to buy a brand new one so you know it's already in tune. By practicing regularly, you can learn how to play before you will ever need to tune it.

How do I hold a harmonica?

Extend your thumb and index finger horizontally, so they are parallel with a half inch space between them. Slide the harmonic into this space, gripping it between your thumb and index finger, so the end of the harp is pressed against the webbing between these two fingers. The holes should be pointing towards your mouth, and the backside of the harmonica (opposite the holes) should be unobstructed. Leave enough space in front of your fingers for your lips.

Use your palm of the opposite hand to grip the other end of the harmonica. You may view images and videos of how to hold a harmonica by searching YouTube and other relevant sites. As you learn the basics, feel free to adjust your hold as necessary in order to get the clearest sound.

How do I blow into it?

For the purposes of this article, "blow" means to blow OUT, and "draw" means to suck air IN. The same hole will make a different sound depending on whether you blow OUT or draw IN air through the hole.

Blowing (or drawing) through several specific holes at once can make musical "chords," while blowing (or drawing) through one hole at a time makes a "single note."

For beginners, the best thing to do is focus on single notes. When you are able to blow and draw through all ten holes, one at a time, and create clear single notes for each hole, then you are ready to learn a song. Once you have mastered a few simple (single note) songs, you can move onto chords.

How do I blow clear single notes?

Hold the harmonica as described above. Pick either hole 3, 4, 5, or 6 to focus on because these are the easiest to play.

Place your lips over the edge of the hole you choose, and tilt the harmonica slightly downward so your upper lip extends further over the top of the harmonica than your lower lip extends over the bottom.

Your upper lip should extend about halfway over the top of the harp, but your lower lip should extend only slightly over the bottom plate. With your lower lip, you will feel the edge of the harmonica where the side with the holes meets the bottom side. With your upper lip, you should not feel the edge at all. (Again, YouTube is a great source for examples.)

Blow through the hole. The goal is to create one, clear unbroken and consistent tone (a.k.a. the single note). Adjust your lips as needed by puckering, or tilting the harmonica further up or down. Try moving your tongue so it's not in the way. Blow softly. If you have to blow really hard to make a clear note, you are doing something wrong.

Continue making adjustments to your lips, hand-holding, and blowing until you can comfortably blow through one hole at a time, and create clear single notes.

How do I practice blowing single notes, so I can get good at it?

Begin with holes 3-6. Pick one hole (say, hole number 4) and master it using the technique described in the section above. Once you can clearly BLOW a single note through hole number 4, also make sure you can clearly DRAW a single note through hole 4.

Then apply the same method to learn BLOWING and DRAWING through ALL TEN holes. The really high end holes (8-10) and the very low end holes (1-2) will be the most difficult. A common mistake made by beginners is to think that hole 8, for example, is out of tune or has something stuck in it, because it's so much harder to play than hole 4. This is not the case. Even though the same basic technique is used to play all ten holes, learning holes 1 and 2 and 8 through 10 may take EXTRA practice and require some adjustments in the techniques you learned by starting with holes 3 through 6.

PRACTICE EXERCISE: Use this exercise to practice playing clear single notes. Begin with hole 1. Blow through hole 1 to make a single note. Then draw through hole 1 to make a single note. (Notice the different tones created by blowing vs. drawing through the same hole.) Then move on to hole 2. Blow through hole 2 to make a single note, and then draw through hole 2 to make a single note. Then move on to holes 3, and 4, and so on... all the way up to 10. This exercise will also help you to instinctively know how far to move the harmonica when moving from one note to the next.

TIP: ALWAYS MOVE THE HARMONICA FROM NOTE TO NOTE, NOT YOUR HEAD OR LIPS! When moving between notes, you should be sliding the harmonica through your lips, from right to left or left to right (using your hands). It is a very bad habit to hold the harmonica still, while you move your head or lips instead.

How do I play a song?

When you can clearly play single notes on all 10 holes without making mistakes, you are ready to start learning songs. The great thing about learning to play a harmonica song is that you don't have to know how to read music. Many simple harmonica songs are written in the form of "tabs." Music stores sell books full of these songs, or you can search online for "harmonica tabs" or "harp tabs."

Harmonica tabs use a simple system of notation to list what holes to play, what order to play them in, and whether to blow OUT or draw IN. Each song tab should also tell you whether to use a "diatonic" or "chromatic" harmonica, and which musical key.

PRACTICE SONG: Try playing the following notes in sequence. Each number corresponds to a hole on the harmonica. Blow through the numbers WITHOUT the minus sign (say, 4 for example) and draw through the holes WITH the minus sign (like -4). Again, "4" means to "blow OUT hole 4," and "-4" means "draw IN through hole 4." The song is the campfire favorite, "Kum Ba Yah." These tabs are written for your "diatonic" harp in the key of "C." The holes are listed on the left, and the lyrics are on the right.

4 Kum
5 ba
6 yah,
6 My
6 Lord,
-6 Kum
-6 ba
6 ya,

4 Kum
5 ba
6 ya,
6 My
6 Lord,
-5 Kum
5 ba
-4 yah,

4 Kum
5 ba
6 yah,
6 My
6 Lord,
-6 Kum
-6 ba
6 ya,

-5 Oh
5 Lo-
4 rd,
-4 Kum
-4 ba
4 ya

Alternatively, the same song may be written thus:

4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6
4 5 6 6 6 -5 5 -4
4 5 6 6 6 -6 -6 6
-5 5 4 -4 -4 4

When I play a whole song, why do I quickly run out of breath?

This is a common problem for many beginners. The simple answer is that by practicing more, proper breathing technique will eventually come naturally to you.

The longer answer is this: Don't blow so hard! Softer blowing keeps the harmonica in tune, and helps you keep your breath too! Also, any "draw" notes (or "suck air in" notes) are good times to breathe in. With practice, you can play the harp and breathe simultaneously. If you still have trouble, try catching your breath between lines. A short pause of 1-2 seconds between phrases can help your playing sound more emotive, while giving you time to catch your breath as well.

How much should I practice?

Shoot for 30 minutes a day, most days. Don't worry about how much you learn in one sitting. The emphasis should be on frequency and consistency of practice. Once you've learned your first three or four songs, the others will come more easily.

Don't over-practice either. If you play for more than an hour straight, you're bound to start getting sloppy and pick up bad habits (or get frustrated). It's better to practice 30 minutes a day for 4 days consecutively than to practice for 2 hours every fourth day.

What are the best resources online?

Definitely YouTube. Several harmonica experts have put together entire series of videos aimed at beginners. These videos are a great resource because you can SEE and HEAR the instrument being played, and compare your technique to theirs. They offer examples, exercises, and expertise for all levels of harp players.

For songs or tabs, a simple Google search will turn up more material than you could learn in a lifetime.

Also Wikipedia has a great deal of technical information. Their harmonica page defines terms, breaks the instrument down into its constituent parts, looks at playing techniques, and offers useful resource links (at the bottom of the page).

Now I can play a few simple songs. What's next?

You will want to learn chords, octaves, and bending notes. You can practice soloing by playing along to your favorite recordings, or buying special CD's made specifically for playing your harp with. Learn how to tune a harmonica; invest in a tuning kit and electronic tuner. Also check out other types of harps for playing musical keys other than "C."

Conclusion

This FAQ has taken you from harp s