About the Harmonica

The Harmonica is a wind instrument. Sound is produced by blowing into and drawing from holes, which cause metal tabs (called reeds) inside the instrument to vibrate. This is the only instrument in the world the plays both by blowing and by drawing air, and this allows it to produce between 3 to 4 octaves of notes in an instrument that measures only a few inches.

The Harmonica is an easy and comfortable instrument for any beginning musician that wishes to enter the world of music. At the same time, it can be very hard and challenging to those who wish to invest and progress to harder techniques and many different styles of music.

Playing Styles

The Harmonica is one of the smallest instruments in the world, but nonetheless it is still complex and colorful, offering many possibilities. This tiny instrument can play styles from Blues, to Country, Blue Grass, Rock, Jazz, and Classical.

The Harmonica is a Melodic instrument, meaning it can play melodies and individual notes. At the same time, it is also capable of producing harmony (chords) for accompaniment, and can even combine the two together.

Playing Techniques

When playing the Harmonica, one has much more control over sound produced than when play almost any other instrument. The player can "vibrate" the sound (tremolo) using the hands and mouth, change its dynamics by blowing or drawing harder or softer, change the tone using the shape of the mouth, and even bend notes like a Clarinet or Saxophone. The player can also produce tremolo and various with the tongue, the lips, movement of the Harmonica in relation to the mouth, and much more. All these possibilities allow the Harmonica to be a rich and interesting instrument to any musician that wishes to play many different styles of music with an especially delicate and varied sound.

And of course, all these options fit into an instrument you can take in your pocket just about any ware you please.

Types of Harmonica
General Information

 

When picking a Harmonica, you should consider your ability as a player, the flexibility of the reeds, the sound produced by the instrument, and the price. More expensive Harmonica will generally be of higher quality. When playing a higher quality Harmonica, it will be easier to produce sound using a minimum of air, the Harmonica will jam up less from saliva, the Harmonica will stay in tune longer, and the reed and valves will last longer. Experienced players can produce quality melody and sound from even simple Harmonicas, but most professionals generally will buy a high quality instrument, open it, and modify the Harmonica to their needs and playing style.

Harmonicas come in a huge variety, perhaps the most variations on an instrument in the world. Some examples:

The Blues Harmonica (Diatonic) in every possible major and minor key
Chromatic Harmonica, with between 8 to 16 holes, or up to 4 octaves
Tremolo Harmonica, possessing a double row of holes
Chord Harmonica, for musical accompaniment
Bass Harmonica, for bass accompaniment
Pitch pipe, for tuning
Mini Harmonica, containing a mere four holes
Special bending Harmonicas
And many more...

 

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Diatonic Harmonica

 

The Diatonic Harmonica is made to a certain key, fixed during manufacture, and is the most basic Harmonica. Diatonic is the technical term for any instrument designed for a single key. Therefor, if you ask for a Diatonic Harmonica in different parts of the world, you might get a Blues Harmonica, or you might receive a tremolo Harmonica. This Harmonica usually contains three octaves, and exists in every key, including minor variations.

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Tremolo Harmonica

 

A Tremolo Harmonica is a Diatonic Harmonica that contains two reeds for each note, that sound simultaneously, one slightly higher in pitch than the other, produced a sort of vibration effect called "Tremolo".

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Blues Harmonica

 

The Blues Harmonica is a Diatonic Harmonica designed especially for bending notes, a technique vital when playing Blues style. The Blues Harmonica does not contain all the notes of its three octaves in order. The middle octave contains all the notes in order, the lower octave is different to facilitate playing chords, and the higher octave lacks the 7th note.

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Chromatic Harmonica

 

The Chromatic usually contains a button at its side that operates a sliding partition that redirect the air blown into a hole to a different reed, producing a sound one half tone above the previous note. In other words, a hole that usually produces a C note, will produce a C# note when the button is depressed. Because of this ability, one can play any note easily with a Chromatic Harmonica, and therefore any key. Since you can easily reach any note and key, it is easy to play any style of music using a Chromatic Harmonica.

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Chord Harmonica

 

The Chord Harmonica contains around 48 different chords, including major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. The Chord Harmonica is generally intended for use in a Harmonica ensemble. Each chord is produced from a group of four holes, where each group produces adifferent chord on the blow or draw. There are two reeds to each hole for each note, tuned to the same octave, producing richer chords. Simpler models of Chord Harmonicas contain only a single reed to each note, and the Chords sound weaker. Some models have both chord groups and bass notes, and are especially designed for Orchestral music.

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Bass Harmonica

 

The Bass Harmonica contains two parallel lines of holes that produce sound when blown into. It produces low (bass) notes, and is made mainly for use in a Harmonica ensemble.

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ChengGong Harmonica

 

The ChengGong Harmonica (named after it's inventor) is a recent invention. It has two parts: the main body, and a moving mouth piece. The body is a Diatonic Harmonica containing 24 holes, starting from B2 to D6 (three octaves). The 11 hole mouth piece slides from side to makeavailable different combinations of chords. It is possible to play single tone melody on this Harmonica, but what is special is the ability to play various triads, 6th, 7th, and 9th chords, while maintaining a size not much bigger than a 12 hole Chromatic Harmonica. Blowing and drawing produce the same tones on the ChengGong, unlike most other Harmonicas.

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Mini Harmonica

 

The Mini Harmonica is the tiniest kind of Harmonica, and is usually used as a key chain. It contains 4 holes and can play a single octave.

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Healthy Harmonica

Playing the Harmonica requires drawing and blowing air against the instruments resistance. This action helps strengthen your diaphragm, promoting maximum use of your lungs. Studies have found that playingthe Harmonica is similar to the treatment given to people suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. In addition to strengthening the lungs, practising music helps build the necessary discipline and motivation needed to maintain exercise and get healthy.

Harmonica as a therapeutic tool.

Many rehabilitation programs for people with lung disease use then Harmonica as a therapeutic tool.

Another advantage of the Harmonica is the ease with which one can hold the instrument and produce sound. As opposed to other windinstruments, the Harmonica does not require use of the fingers and complex coordination to play or even to hold the instrument. Using arack, one can play the Harmonica with out hands at all. This enables people to fulfill their musical potential even if they are limited by coordination or disabled.

From my personal experience teaching a student that is paralyzed from the neck down, I can testify that the Harmonica improved his control his respiratory system. By learning Harmonica, he gained an instrumentand bettered his health.

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