Oct
30,
2023
Did you know that the harmonica has been around for centuries, yet it's one of the most underappreciated instruments out there? It's true. While ...
Finding Your Groove: A Guide to Playing the Harmonica for Beginners
Option 1: The Diatonic harmonica
If you want to play Blues, Country, Rock, or Folk music you most likely want to buy a diatonic harmonica. The diatonic harmonica is a 10-hole model that allows you to play quickly in 2-3 keys
You will need to learn how to create a good embouchure and then how to bend notes to make extra notes needed and missing in the instrument.
The standard tuning for diatonic harmonicas is called Richter tuning (not to be mistaken for the Paddy richter tuning that is a special tuned model)
Here is the note layout for the diatonic harmonica in C:
|
Hole |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
DRAW |
D4 |
G4 |
B4 |
D5 |
F5 |
A5 |
B5 |
D6 |
F6 |
A6 |
|
BLOW |
C4 |
E4 |
G4 |
C5 |
E5 |
G5 |
C6 |
E6 |
G6 |
C7 |
and here is the note layout once you know how to bend and overbend.
Those techniques require a lot of work and many years of practice.
|
Hole |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
OVER |
Eb4 |
Eb5 |
F#5 |
Bb5 |
Db5 |
Ab6 |
Db6 |
|||
|
DRAW |
D4 |
G4 |
B4 |
D5 |
F5 |
A5 |
B5 |
D6 |
F6 |
A6 |
|
BEND |
Db4 |
F#4 F4 |
Bb4 A4 Ab4 |
Db5 |
Ab5 |
Eb6 |
F#6 |
B6 |
||
|
BLOW |
C4 |
E4 |
G4 |
C5 |
E5 |
G5 |
C6 |
E6 |
G6 |
C7 |
Our best quality price model is the Harmo Polar here:
It's airtight, designed by a professional American harmonica player, uses phosphor bronze reeds where most competitors use brass that is not as sturdy or bend friendly and has really smooth covers which are perfect for beginners.
If you buy one just get a key of C because that’s the standard key and also because that‘s the key where reeds have the average length compared to lower keys like G or higher keys like F: C is right in the middle so learning on a C harmonica is the best key to learn on.
A key of C will help you play in C and G
But if you want to play in more keys, you’ll need to purchase a couple more keys down the road!
You can wait or take advantage of the discounted bundles for a Polar set of 3 here:
That includes C, G, and A as well as the Gig Bag 7 and a keychain harmonica
That will cover most of the songs you want to accompany in C, D, G, A, E
Or jump in with the Polar set of 5:
It includes harmonicas in the key of C, D, F, G, and A as well as the Gig Bag 7 and a keychain harmonica
Those keys will cover all the main songs played in Blues, Folk, Country in
C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb with 2 options to choose from for each =>, for instance, you could try to play in D with the D or the G.
Option 2: The Chromatic Harmonica
If you want to play Jazz, Classical or Pop melodies we recommend another model called the Chromatic harmonica. The chromatic harmonica gives you all the notes on a piano without the need to learn special techniques like bending or overbending. You just need to learn how to get a proper embouchure and then you can get started playing beautiful songs.
The standard chromatic harmonica is a 12 hole model in the key of C. There are a lot of models out there in different keys and also chromatic harmonicas in 14 and 16 holes but that’s really not necessary and actually, 95% of the professional players use a standard 12-hole chromatic in C when they perform.
We offer a wide variety of options from Hohner, Suzuki, Seydel but if you’re looking for the best bang for the buck the Harmo Angel 12 is our top choice:
It's airtight, designed by a professional American harmonica player, uses phosphor bronze reeds where most competitors use brass, and is built with a very good quality slider. It’s a professional quality harmonica at a reasonable price.
It also comes in D, G, A Bb, and Low C and is available in a 16-hole model if you prefer to go big.
On a chromatic harmonica, you blow to get a note, blow and push the slider in to get the same note flat, draw to get another note and draw with the slider in to make the draw note flat. Let’s have a look at the note layout of a chromatic harmonica. This tuning is called solo tuning.
|
Hole |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
DRAW + |
Eb4 |
F#4 |
Bb4 |
C5 |
Eb5 |
F#5 |
Bb5 |
C6 |
Eb6 |
F#6 |
Bb6 |
C7 |
|
DRAW |
D4 |
F4 |
A4 |
B4 |
D5 |
F5 |
A4 |
B5 |
D6 |
F6 |
A6 |
B6 |
|
BLOW + |
Db4 |
F4 |
Ab4 |
Db5 |
Db5 |
F5 |
Ab5 |
Db6 |
Db6 |
F6 |
Ab6 |
Db7 |
|
BLOW |
C4 |
E4 |
G4 |
C5 |
C5 |
E5 |
G5 |
C6 |
C6 |
E6 |
G6 |
C7 |
The + sign means you blow or draw while pushing the slider in at the same time
This action will raise the original note a half step up.
As you can see the layout is pretty similar to the middle part of a 10-hole diatonic but the main difference here is that you won’t have to spend years of practice to get clean flats or sharps … All you have to do is push the slider in.
The chromatic is usually easier to access for people who already play another instrument and also for musicians who are not necessarily interested so much in Blues and the specific sound of bends and overbends.
The chromatic harmonica has a more mellow tone.
A 16 hole chromatic harmonica will give you one more octave in the low register but you could also get a Low C 12-hole and get the first 12 holes of a 16-hole chromatic if you’re not a fan of the upper range that might sound aggressive at times.
Option 3 – The Tremolo harmonica
The tremolo harmonica is a more limited instrument compared to the diatonic harmonica or the chromatic harmonica.
The tremolo is diatonic by essence and can only play the notes from the scale and key it comes in. So if you buy a tremolo C you will only be able to play in C major or A minor simply because the notes you will get are from the C major scale: C D E F G A B.
Now if you buy a G tremolo it will be tuned in the key of G major using the notes from the G major scale: G A B C D E F#.
What is so special about the tremolo harmonica is that it uses a different principle than the diatonic and chromatic models. It uses double reeds!
Each note is played not by using one reed but by using 2! That’s why you see these smaller holes when you look at a tremolo harp.
A note is produced by blowing or drawing 2 small holes at the same time. The 2 reeds play the same note but the second one is slightly detuned.
So for instance, if the first reed is tuned at 440hz the second one will be tuned at 442-443hz. When both reeds vibrate the sound created gives a tremolo effect like an accordion. The slight difference in tuning creates that tremolo effect hence the name Tremolo harmonica!
Here is one of the most famous tremolo harmonicas the Hohner Echo harmonica reference 2509/48.
Now let’s look at the tremolo note layout
Here is a Tremolo harmonica note chart for a 24-hole model - each hole is comprised of 2 small holes for each reed that’s why it’s actually only 12 in the chart below:
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
DRAW |
G |
B |
D |
F |
A |
B |
D |
F |
A |
B |
D |
F |
|
BLOW |
E |
G |
C |
E |
G |
C |
E |
G |
C |
E |
G |
C |
Let’s compare it to a Standard 10-hole diatonic harmonica key chart:
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
|
|
DRAW |
D |
G |
B |
D |
F |
A |
B |
D |
F |
A |
|
BLOW |
C |
E |
G |
C |
E |
G |
C |
E |
G |
C |
The notes in bold are similar on both harmonicas.
As you can see the blow notes are repeating a C major chord C, E, G all the way through.
We could consider that the center note is hole 3 blow, holes 1 and 2 being just a lower extension of the musical range. Holes 3 to 6 use a solo tuning that is the same as what we find on a 10-hole diatonic harmonica going from 4 to 7 or a chromatic going from 1 to 4 then 5 to 8 and so on.
From holes 7 to 9 it is again actually the same as a 10-hole diatonic.
So if we compare a 10 hole diatonic to the Echo tremolo tuning we can see that Holes 1 to 9 on the Echo are the same as holes 2 to 10 on the 10 hole diatonic harmonica! That will make Blues players who want to try a tremolo or octave harmonica life much easier.
Holes 1 to 4 draw play the notes of a G7 chord
4 5 6 draw gives us a Dm chord
Then the same thing with another Dm chord from 7 8 9 draws.
Option 4 – Octave harmonica
The Octave harmonica is a cousin of the tremolo harmonica. The principle of the double-row harmonica is precisely the same!
The difference is that the second reed is note slightly detuned like on a tremolo harmonica it is this time in tune but an octave lower.
So if our first reed is a C4 then the second reed next to it is tuned as a C3 creating a double note effect that can only be achieved by an octave harmonica.
It makes a thick sound that is really nice for Folk melodies.
The Hohner Unsere Lieblinge is your typical octave harmonica model that comes in 32 and 48 reeds
You could also consider the Seydel concerto and the Suzuki 24 octave below a favorite model from Asia.
There are also curved models like the Hohner Comet and the Seydel Club Steel
5 – How to get started?
The most important technique on the harmonica is called the Embouchure. This technique will help you create beautiful notes and play smoothly. Many beginners complain they can’t get all the notes out of their harmonica – sometimes thinking the harmonica is defective – a good embouchure will make you get all the notes clean but also round and warm. That’s the first step towards becoming a good harmonica player.
This lesson by David Herzhaft is the ultimate embouchure lesson that will teach you how to get the perfect tone and what to practice every day without wasting your time on futile exercises and songs:
Once you master the harmonica embouchure you can start working on bends, slowly but surely with this lesson:
Harmonicaland wishes you the best in the journey to the wonderful musical world of the harmonica!
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