Hi Ami

 One of the problems I have seems to be with to much saliva.

I am trying to play with a dry mouth but I don't even get half way thru a line of the lessons and I have to stop to swallow and dry out my mouth, is controlling the amount of saliva.

 I have something that I will learn over time or is this going to

be an on going problem area.

 I sit and watch your videos of you playing with out having to interrupt the music to clear your mouth of saliva, did you train yourself and develop that or did you start out being able to control it, will this happen for me if I persevere and don't give up trying, at least I hope that is what will happen. Thanks for all the help you are giving me Ami, I really appreciate it.

                             Mike

Hi Mike

The problem of too much saliva is almost every beginner problem.

After playing and practicing this problem disappear as you learn to keep the saliva in your mouth.

I found a good and simple way to handle this problem and to keep the saliva in my mouth or at my student mouth at the beginning, just tilt or bend your head up a little so that the saliva will not drip off your mouth to the harmonica.

 Don't give up trying,

Keep playing harmonica, practice, practice, practice.

Good day

Ami

Harmonica

Breeze

Hello Ami!

 I just have a question for you, when playing what do you use
tongue blocking or puckering and for what reasons do you use what you use. I
am playing using
puckering and have been trying to learn to tongue block but I am having a
difficult time with it. I have read that it is up to the individual what to
use but do you think one is better over the other and if so why?
                                             

Hi mike

It's a very good question.

 There are'nt one better then the other.
The puckering is good if you use your free tongue for some articulation like: tremolo, wa wa, some tong vibrato and playing thirds and anther 2 notes together.
The tong blocking is good for playing cords and melodies in combination and making zap cords like in blues stile.
I use The tong blocking.

Hey everybody,

He is really breaking new ground on the harmonica..check his website: yvonnickprene.com/

JJ

Hi

All the lessons of playing Blues and the technique of bending notes do not exist in the site but it will be in the future.

Ami L.

HarmonicaBreeze Site manager

Important note!

For all our students at HarmonicBreeze site:
From now on the subscribers on to the site can be to one of these three parts:

· Basics and Beginners – Harmonica Lessons

· Advanced and Expert – Harmonica Lessons

· All Harmonica Songs

"Old students" that already sine and paid can move from one section to another by sanding there request by mail and we shell fix it.

Happy Learning

Harmonica Breeze Management

Hi all harmonica lovers

We add some songs - free to try - play and be happy.

There are some pitchers in the Picher gallery.

Take Two Harps & See Me In The Morning

Lung patients use harmonicas to improve health

Dot Horn, a member of Deborah Heart and Lung Hospital's Better Breathers Club, breaks out laughing as she plays with her new harmonica as part of a breathing exercise at the Browns Mills, New Jersey, hospital.

December 2, 1999
Web posted at: 10:07 a.m. EST (1507 GMT)

In this story:

Group offers emotional, educational support

The sweet sound of therapy

RELATED STORIES

BROWNS MILLS, New Jersey (AP) -- When members of the Better Breathers Club blow on harmonicas, it is more than just music to their ears -- it is therapy for their disease-weakened lungs.

The lung patients at Deborah Heart and Lung Center are learning how to use the tiny wind instruments to perform breathing exercises while playing notes. It is the first time that Deborah has tried musical therapy to help patients strengthen their lungs.

"This is wonderful," Dot Horn, 75, said after her first lesson last week. "I think music adds to anything. It's a nice way to live life."

About 22 patients -- all members of the Better Breathers Club -- gathered recently for their bimonthly meeting at Deborah, located on a sprawling 55-acre campus in the Pinelands near Fort Dix. They suffer from ailments ranging from lung disease to emphysema and asthma.

Group offers emotional, educational support The group, formed 6 1/2 years ago at Deborah, provides emotional and educational support to patients and their families. There are hundreds of Better Breathers Clubs around the country.

"It's easy to get a conversation going because you basically have the same problems," said Larry Sabatini, 65.

After an hour long closed-door meeting to discuss personal health issues with lung disease specialists and each other, the group assembled in an auditorium for their first harmonica lesson.

"This is going to be the Deborah Harmonic Band," joked Joe Koszyk, a nurse counselor at Deborah. "We're going to be featured with the Mummers," referring to the famous string bands from Philadelphia.

The sweet sound of therapy
A Hicksville, New York, businessman donated 36 harmonicas to the group, and Koszyk, who coincidentally already knew how to play the instrument, gave instructions. Before they began, the group first practiced breathing exercises to strengthen their diaphragms and help get more oxygen into their lungs.

The harmonica is excellent therapy because the inhaling and exhaling required to sound music are the same breathing exercises respiratory therapists teach patients to use when they are short of breath, said Nell Kapeghian, a nurse who oversees the Better Breathers Club.

"It's something you can take with you everywhere. It's great," Kapeghian said.

The patients -- many carrying oxygen tanks or inhalers -- were eager to try out their new equipment in their battle against diseases that often make breathing difficult. Their goal is to increase lung capacity by strengthening the lungs, diaphragm and respiratory muscles between the ribs.

"You look like you're eight years old and you got a new toy," said Linda Ferguson, a pulmonary technician.
"It just kind of makes you feel like a kid again."

Koszyk instructed the group on how to carefully breathe into the tiny holes on the harmonica. They also practiced inhaling, or drawing air into the harmonica, to make different sounds.

A few occasionally paused to cough up phlegm.

"If you're having a problem just relax; don't force it. Let go," Koszyk cautioned. "In time, it'll be much easier."

The mood was upbeat in the auditorium. Some patients were almost giddy -- overcome with fits of laughter at their initially awkward attempts to make melodious sounds.

"I loved it," said Angie Philbin, 63. "I felt a little high. I felt really good."

After a few exercises learning the musical scale, the group was ready to move on and try their hands at a song. Koszyk used an overhead projector to display the notes for "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" and the group was harmonizing in minutes.

"Sounds good," praised Koszyk.

The patients took the harmonicas home with them with instructions to practice. They want to come back for more lessons, although Deborah officials had only planned a solo performance.

"I feel better. I really do," Helen Wills said. "I think maybe the breathing in and out helped."

Sabatini said he plans to learn how to play the harmonica with his wife, Dot, 60, who accompanied him to the meeting at Deborah.

"We can do a duet," he said. "Then when I get good I can do a solo. I like the sound of it."

Deborah, founded in 1922 as a tuberculosis sanitarium, today specializes in diagnosing and treating heart, lung and vascular diseases in adults, and acquired and congenital heart conditions in infants and children.

How to Do Basic Maintenance on Your Harmonica

When used frequently, even the best harmonica will eventually deteriorate beyond repair. But you can prolong your harmonica's life span by performing some routine maintenance.

Josh asked  - so here is answer about keeping the harmonica in good shape and nice and clean.

it's from this site
"How To Do Just About Everything"
which is rather cool
and i added just a bit and changed what i don't agree with.
you will learn 2 c there are many ways 2 do things...

Please feel free to add your insights and questions?

General Maintenance

Step1

Put your harmonica back in its case whenever you are finished playing. This will protect it from getting bent, crushed or clogged up. and keep it away from dust and humidity.

Step2

Rinse your mouth with water before playing. i even brush my teeth briefly b4 palying.

Step3

Be aware that "bending" the notes - though desirable, especially when playing blues - may literally bend the reeds out of shape. so you better have a harmonica that is meant for the style you want to play, and slowly build a feel for bending.

Step4

Refrain from soaking your harmonica to improve its sound. Wooden-comb harmonicas swell and quickly deteriorate. Do not cut off a swollen mouthpiece. Plastic combs are not enhanced at all by soaking.

Step5

Keep your instrument out of excessive heat and humidity.

Cleaning

Step1

Tap the harmonica vigorously against the palm of your hand before and after playing. or after every song you play. and rub off the excess saliva.

Step2

Run tap water through the harmonica to dissolve saliva and food deposits. i do this once in a blue moon and make sure it is nice and dry as soon as possible- you do not want rust in your baby.

Step3

Shake out the excess water, then tap the harmonica against your hand.

Step4

Hold your head in an upright position when playing, which will keep excess saliva from clogging up your instrument.

Step5

Play with a "dry" mouth. i think it's better to lick your lips for an easy smooth movement on the tool.

Step6

Use a soft cotton cloth to wipe the harmonica. or your pants. It's just as useful.

Additions:

do not play your harmonica after drinking something sweet. It will be like putting glue in between the reeds.

Don't play the harp when you have food in between your teeth and your mouth. It will make sure the reeds get stuck in there.

When cleaning your harmonica or taking something that got stuck in between the reeds - make sure not to bend or deform the reeds. It will change there sound. I know...

think if you want to share your harmonica with other people mouths. It's good to have a cheap harp for sharing - and the nice ones - better take good care of.

Don't be afraid to explore your harmonica. Just be gentle with it.

Maintaining your own harps can give you longer lasting harps that play and sound better.  Just as guitar players have to change their strings and constantly tune, or sax players have to work with their mouthpiece, harmonica players should be able to set up their instruments to sound good and play well.  Maintenance of a harp most often centers around the reeds, as shown in this picture.  The rivets attach the reeds to the reed plates, and the reeds vibrate through slots in the reed plates to generate the sound.  The action of the reeds depends on the gap between the reed and its slot in the reed plate.

Tuning

Tuning reeds is done by either removing (normally) or adding (infrequently) metal from/to the reeds.  Here's how it works

• To raise the pitch of a reed, remove metal from near the reed tip (see above picture).  This lightens the tip of the reed, allowing it to vibrate faster, which raises the pitch.
• To lower the pitch of a reed, remove metal from near the reed base (see above picture).  This weakens the reed and makes its tip heavier relative to its base, which slows the vibration and lowers the pitch.
• Alternately, to lower the pitch of a reed add lead-free solder to the tip of the reed to increase the weight at the tip and cause the reed to vibrate more slowly.  It is also possible to increase the weight near the base of the reed to raise the pitch.

this site is so COOL!
i'm a brand new harmonica player. i'm trying to pick it up by hearing. and your site really helps - step by step.
very user friendly.

thanks :-)

can you also add some information about cleaning the harp and how to keep good care of the harmonica?

The more the merrier!

We are trying to create a community for people who love the Harmonica

All are welcome