The Harmonica
What image comes to mind when you think of the harmonica? Maybe you picture a scene from an old movie with a hobo or convict slumped against a wall playing a sad, lonely tune or you see a blues musician on stage giving it all he's got to produce the most incredible riffs. Either way, you're hooked on the sound.
The harmonica (aka harp) is a simple instrument capable of producing a wide variety of sounds and it fits in your pocket so you can take it anywhere.
The good news is that it's fairly easy to pick up a harp and start playing. Harps are inexpensive, easy to find, and (best for me) you don't need to know how to read music or have any musical experience.
This guide contains some of the tips and web resources that I'm using while learning to play the harmonica.
Getting Started
Links for harmonica beginners
- Wilbur's Beginning Harmonica
- Discusses both the lip blocking and tongue blocking techniques for playing single notes. My preference is to lip block.
- HarmonicaClub's Harmonica Lessons
- Has a chart showing what notes are played on each hole and a guide for playing your harmonica in other keys (cross harp).
How to Bend Notes
and get that Blues sound.
Draw bends can be done on holes 1 through 6 and blow bends are used on holes 8 through 10.
Learning to bend notes requires practice and knowing how to play a single note cleanly. Here are some good sites that explain the various bending techniques.
- How To Bend Notes
- A good description of how to draw bend and blow bend notes. Includes animated diagrams and audio clips so you can hear how it should sound.
- Bending Tips
- Tips on how to improve your breathing and bend notes.
- Wilbur's Intermediate Harmonica
- Instructions for doing draw bends along with audio clips.
Harmonica Guides
Lesson books for beginners
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Harmonica, 2nd Edition
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $12.97 (as of 07/14/2009) 
Harmonica For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/14/2009)
Beginning Harmonicas
1910 Diatonic Harmonica
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 07/14/2009)
Hohner Special 20 Harmonica, Key of C
Amazon Price: $28.65 (as of 07/14/2009)
Hohner Marine Band Harmonica, Key of C
Amazon Price: $28.99 (as of 07/14/2009)
Free Harp Tab Websites
Learn to play your favorite songs.
- Jim's Giant Harmonica Songbook
- A huge listing of free harp tabs including Happy Birthday To You which I wanted to learn for my toddler's 2nd birthday and didn't find anywhere else.
- Harmonica Country Practice Songs
- A listing of over 100 free harp tabs covering hymns, country, folk and other well known songs. Everything from America The Beautiful to Rawhide.
- Dave Gage's Harmonica Songs & Tabs
- A few free harp tabs listed by difficulty level. Includes riff tabs for songs like Low Rider and Devo's Whip It.
- Harptabs.com
- This site has harp tabs for over 3000 songs. You can also request songs to be tabbed. First site I've seen that has a tab for the theme to Star Wars.
Diatonic Harmonicas on eBay
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Take A Harmonica Lesson
Most music stores offer lessons or can provide you the name of an instructor. Also check if your local government or community center offers classes.
I took a short course through my county's adult education program to kick start my playing. It was very helpful and the highlight was when our instructor brought in his amp and microphone so we could try playing amplified harp.
Just remember that all the lessons in the world won't improve your playing unless you practice, practice, practice. If you can't find an instructor then try this lesson CD by the late blues harp great Gary Primich.
Online Harmonica Lessons
A Cool Little Harmonica Amp
Chromatic Harmonicas on eBay
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From old school to new...
Hot Riffs
Was this lens helpful to you? How did you learn to play the harmonica?
Please leave a comment here in the guest book.
Duke of Wail wrote
You wrote:
Bending notes is a technique to change the pitch of a note as you are playing. [True. You may START a note bent, as well]
Draw bends can be done on holes 1 through 6 [Draw 5 is a quarter-tone bend and not useful in western hemisphere music except as an effect]
Best book on the shelf: Winslow Yerxa, Harmonica for Dummies.
Posted July 05, 2009
Kakashi2003 wrote...
This is really a great lens and is helping me alot
thank you
Posted June 24, 2009
CCGAL wrote...
My husband is learning to play the harmonica - I'm going to e-mail him this lens. Nice resource.
Posted June 21, 2009
HappyHow wrote
Great, great site
... especially if Google adds the side bars without the webmaster spending hours in that process.
When I was 13
....my HS went to NYC and we saw White Xmas Chet Clark play Slaughter on 10th Avenue on his 12 note chromatic. I was smitten. Back home. I grabbed what little cash I had and bout Chromatic 64 -- although I prefer a 12.. After hundreds of hours of practice and copying many of the Harmonicat's and Larry Adler's tunes. -- alone or with a trio -- I won several contests, played at vets hospitals, and played in community concerts, etc.
What I did not realize until years later was that I had stoked my brain's memory cells,, expanding same to later be able to better study, memorize, complete a post -graduate degree and cope with a variety of life and career challenges.
GO FOR IT !
Happy How
Posted June 19, 2009
Drum-And-Drummer wrote...
Cool. I lensrolled ya so I could personally come back and invest in some of these resources when I've got a couple extra bucks to spare! I've been trying to think of the next instrument I'd like to learn. Never really thought about the harmonica... but it's such a sweet sounding instrument that not that many people play. How's your progress coming along? Thanks for the great lens. 5-stars and a fave comin' your way!
Posted May 31, 2009
