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Harmonica tips


Aquamarine

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WOW!! Thanks, Richard!! :thanku: That's so kind of you.

I printed all that out, so I can have it in front of me when I practice at home (there might be complaints if I try it here at school :lol: ). I'll start following what you said about those basic techniques, and let you know how I get on. :thumbsup:

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WOW!! Thanks, Richard!! :thanku: That's so kind of you.

I printed all that out, so I can have it in front of me when I practice at home (there might be complaints if I try it here at school :lol: ). I'll start following what you said about those basic techniques, and let you know how I get on. :thumbsup:

No problem at all. I enjoyed writing it actually, even though it did take a while. :lol: Please let me know how you get on and then I will post some more exercises you could try and then at some point soon some cool little tunes to learn. Happy playing.

:thumbsup:

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That can be a tough one to play, holes 9 and 10 generally are harder than the rest. Try lessening the amount of air you send through the hole. You see the reeds inside the harmonica are closer together on those holes because they are creating a higher pitched note. Therefore it takes more effort and more importantly control to get a sound from them. Experiment with sending different amounts of air through those holes until you get a sound. I used to have trouble playing holes 8 and 9, especially on the inhale.

Play around with it...let me know if it doesn't work.

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I know its difficult...don't get too frustrated or despondant. If you get tired of the high end then just stick to the easy notes for the time being. Like I said, experiment with the amount of air that you need for those holes. But be gentle...inhale, exhale....not blow or suck.

Good girl. :lol:

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Forgot to say, Helen when you need me to post some other exercises let me know. :thumbsup: That way I won't be racing ahead of you. :D

Rik. B)

Thanks--haven't had a chance to practice today, so just about to start tootling away. I'm finding that I'm getting the hang of the thing on the exhale, it's how the notes differ on the inhale that is getting me confused at the moment--but that just means more practice to get familiarity with them I guess. Isolating the individual notes is much easier on the new instrument I find, but I don't seem to have much control over what happens when I play chords, which I assume is what I'm doing when I play several holes at once. :huh:

So, off for my daily session! :thumbsup:

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Back again, sorry about the double post--

So what is the principle behind the difference between the sound of the notes on the inhale and exhale? Because I can't seem to figure it out--is it the next note up the scale or what? :huh:

I'm having a go at playing a tune, but it's difficult when I have to figure out which hole would produce the note I want next, look for it, then apply puckered lips in the correct place! :lol: I know--practice, practice, practice.

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To answer your question, these are the notes the various holes on a C harmonica produce:

Exhale 1 = C

Inhale 1 = D

Exhale 2 = E

Inhale 2 = G

Exhale 3 = G

Inhale 3 = B

Exhale 4 = C

Inhale 4 = D

Exhale 5 = E

Inhale 5 = F

Exhale 6 = G

Inhale 6 = A

Inhale 7 = B The pattern of inhales/exhales changes here.

Exhale 7 = C

Inhale 8 = D

Exhale 8 = E

Inhale 9 = F

Exhale 9 = G

Inhale 10 = A

Exhale 10 = C

I will get a song you might know up on here soon. Please understand that it will be a very simple song to start off with because playing individual notes takes some getting used to. But I think we will have a good look at some chords before that. :thumbsup: Keep it up.

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To answer your question, these are the notes the various holes on a C harmonica produce:

Exhale 1 = C

Inhale 1 = D

Exhale 2 = E

Inhale 2 = G

Exhale 3 = G

Inhale 3 = B

Exhale 4 = C

Inhale 4 = D

Exhale 5 = E

Inhale 5 = F

Exhale 6 = G

Inhale 6 = A

Inhale 7 = B The pattern of inhales/exhales changes here.

Exhale 7 = C

Inhale 8 = D

Exhale 8 = E

Inhale 9 = F

Exhale 9 = G

Inhale 10 = A

Exhale 10 = C

I will get a song you might know up on here soon. Please understand that it will be a very simple song to start off with because playing individual notes takes some getting used to. But I think we will have a good look at some chords before that. :thumbsup: Keep it up.

Thanks a lot for the info--no wonder I couldn't figure it out! :lol:

Getting ready for a tune B) but it would be really useful to know something about chords, especially as I keep playing them by mistake. :rolleyes:

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Still practicing, just in case you thought I was slacking! Just about ready for a (very simple) tune!

I'll get back to you on that one as soon as I can Helen. Well done for keeping up with the practicing though. I will make a post soon about some chords and chord patterns that you can practice for yourself. WATCH THIS SPACE!! :D

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I'll get back to you on that one as soon as I can Helen. Well done for keeping up with the practicing though. I will make a post soon about some chords and chord patterns that you can practice for yourself. WATCH THIS SPACE!! :D

OK, thanks, no rush--I don't think I've entirely mastered all the notes yet anyway! :rolleyes: Still diligently practicing, though.

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Ok, sorry for my absense. I have started to feel pretty guilty for not giving you something new to work on, so here goes:

Harmonica Chords

The harmonica is constructed so that any two holes that are next to each other will produce sounds that go well together. Sounds that are produced by playing three or more holes simultaneously are called "chords". You will have already done some of these. Each chord can be given a name by using a letter, like C, or F, or G. These chord names are of more interest to guitar players or keyboard players than to harmonica players.

The most common number of holes to use with a chord is three. Like you have already been playing holes 123, 456 and 8910. A good tip for checking you are playing three notes is to place your mouth on the harp where the chord would be and feel the holes with your tongue and count them with the tip of your tongue.

The inhale on the 456 notes produces a D and the exhale produces a C. Tap your foot to the steady 1,2,3,4...then on the 1 and 2 inhale the chord D, and on the 3 and 4 exhale the chord C. Use the puffing and tonguing exercises that we looked at earlier for this exercise.

Remember to keep consistent airflow. Exhale the same amount as you inhale, that way your lungs stay sufficiently topped up. :thumbsup:

Playing a Train Rhythm

The harmonica is particularly well-suited to mimic a railroad train. This type of sound is used by amateurs and professionals alike. It sounds really cool too. Do the same exercise we just looked at, but this time we want to make it sound like a moving train. Try using a sharply tongued "chuck" for each out note:

Tap your foot 1, 2, 3, 4. Then inhale the D chord (holes 456) on the 1 and 2, then when you exhale the C chord (holes 456) make the "chuck" sound on the 3 and 4.

This simulates the sound of the train wheels. Then you can change the tempo (speed) of this exercise to reflect the sound of a real train. Make the pattern louded and softer to mimick the train coming toward you then heading away from you. Or you could start the tempo fast then slow it down until it stops to mimick it arriving at the station.

Have some fun with this one Helen. See you later. :wave:

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Thanks a bunch for this, Richard, and no need to feel guilty, I haven't been around much myself. Anyway, this is really great! I've printed it out and am going to get started on giving it a try tonight, will let you know how I get on. I LOVE the thought that I'll be able to do that train thing, which I love to hear people do. :thumbsup:

Progress report soon! :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
Just to let you know I've been buried in midterms, but am back to practicing, Richard! Just in case you thought I was slacking. You've been a huge help!

It's ok, I understand. I am not often around these parts anymore anyway. But let me know when you need some more help.

:kiss:

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