Things To Learn
This "Start" page describes a great number of different things that can be done with the harmonica, and has associated examples where relevant. These pages are about the Richter diatonic harmonica, which is the kind that has 10 holes (a few exceptions) with 2 reeds per hole, one for playing draws and one for playing blows. It is sometimes called a short harp, blues harp, French harp, or simply a harp. The other Harmonica-Info sections provide more detail as to how to do the things described here.
This is organized so that more basic things are toward the front, with more advanced topics toward the end. So, did you know..
Wow, you can make noise *sucking* too!
The harmonica plays by drawing or blowing air from/through the harmonica. Playing is done by breathing through the harmonica, not by blowing or sucking as through a straw. We talk about blows and draws, but playing is about inhaling and exhaling.
The breathing should come from the diaphragm. Breath control is as important in harmonica playing as in singing. The air should be slowly inhaled and exhaled. It is a matter of pressure, not wind.
Practice playing a note and holding it for as long as you can, being careful not to get dizzy. Also practice breathing in as much air as you can.. hold it.. now breathe in a little more, and a little more. Practice breathing in and out as fast as you can--think of a panting dog.
Simple 1st position play
Many traditional campfire songs are easy for the beginning harmonica player, like "Oh Susanna", "Red River Valley", "Clementine", etc. These are normally played by ear and use straight 1st position (where the key of the song is the same as the key of the harmonica). The middle octave is most often used, where a full diatonic scale (no accidentals) is available without requiring any bends.
Chords and Chugging Rhythms
The harmonica lets you play chords as well as single notes, and the chords are easier to play than single notes. The chords can be used as backing rhythms to compliment melodic play. Chord chugging can make use of rhythmic breathing patterns.
Single Notes
Because of the close proximity of the holes on diatonic harmonicas, some technique and practice is required in order to get clean single notes. The way of putting the mouth on the harmonica is called embouchure, and several different embouchures can be used to get single notes. The main embouchures are the pucker or lip block, the tongue block, and the U-block or slotted tongue.
The (hole) 2 Draw
The hole-2 draw is often problematic for students, and sometimes the 1 draw as well. Many think there's something wrong with the harmonica because a note won't play. The usual reason why is a "pre-bend" condition where the mouth/vocal tract shape causes a flatted note or keeps the note from sounding. The student should concentrate on a mouth shape for making an "eeeee" sound. If you can draw a chord in holes 1-2-3 and hear the 2 draw note, you know the harmonica is okay!
Hand Techniques
Cupping the harmonica with the hands, and opening/closing the hands and fingers is a common and traditional way to achieve very characteristic harmonica specific sounds. The key is getting a very air-tight cup with the hands, which mutes the sound. Opening and closing this cup creates the characteristic "wah-wah" sound of the harmonica.
Multiple Key Harmonicas
Diatonic harmonicas come in all different keys (i.e. C, D, E, ... Ab, Bb, F#, etc.). The normal range of harmonicas from low to high (such as when harmonicas are offered in a set) is G at the low end to F# on the high end, but doubled keys add high G and low harmonicas from D (or even low C). The sample has chords for A, C, and D harmonicas, 3 of the most common keys.
Note Articulations
The tongue can be used to start or attack notes differently, which changes the color of the notes and adds variety to the sound of the harmonica. These articulations can be associated with various spoken syllables, like saying "ta" or "ka" or "da" or "ha" or "ga", etc.
Articulation can also be done by slightly lifting the upper lip off the harmonica and replacing it in a sort of "biting" or "kissing" the harmonica fashion. Articulations are easiest using the pucker/lip block embouchure, but can also be done using tongue blocking.
Shakes
A shake is a rapid alternation between adjacent holes. Shakes are similar to trills, but the notes are more than 1/2 step apart. Sometimes shakes are called "warbles". Shakes are commonly done by shaking the head from side to side, but can also be done by moving the harmonica from side to side, twisting the harmonica, or some combination thereof. More advanced shakes can incorporate note bending to add variety.
2nd Position
2nd position is the most commonly used approach to playing blues, rock, and country music. The scale for 2nd position is a 5th higher than the natural key of the harmonica, for example, for a key of C harmonica playing it in 2nd position means playing in the key of G.
2nd position starts on the 2 draw and uses mostly draw notes, especially on the low end of the harmonica, rather than mostly blow notes as in 1st position (the key of the harmonica). The draw notes provide more possibilities for bends and expressive vibrato than the blow notes.
Draw Bends as Ornaments
When Students first achieve draw bends, which are available on holes 1-6, they are primarily quick changes from the natural note, like a quick flattening of a note continuously bending a little down and then back up to the primary note.
In other words, the bent notes are not used as notes in their own right. The sound does bend, but the player has little control over the depth and duration or the pitch. The sample shows draw bends as note ornaments. Blow bends are available on holes 7-10.
Dip Bend
A dip bend is a quick smooth bend into the note to be played. This technique is frequently used to ornament notes, especially on the draw notes.
It is done by initially attacking the hole as a bent note, then gradually releasing the bend to slide into the final note.
Or, the hole can be started unbent, and a smooth gradual bend can be used to slide into the final bent note. The sample clip is from Stormy Seas.
Glissando
A glissando is a sequence of notes played in rapid succession that ends on the primary note to be played. Play a single note and then slide the harmonica around in your mouth.. that is essentially a glissando. The notes in a glissando are not individually articulated, but are played as a single continuous physical movement. A "ripped" glissando is essentially an articulation of the final note.
Diaphragm Tremolo
Diaphragm tremolo is distinct from throat vibrato, and as its name implies it emphasizes the diaphragm instead of the throat, though each is used to a certain degree. It is characterized by a volume oscillation tremolo as opposed to a pitch oscillation vibrato.
Diaphragm tremolo is basically achieved by repeating "ha ha ha ha" quickly, as when making a laughing sound. The example tremolo is somewhat exaggerated so you can easily hear it. Often the term vibrato is used instead of tremolo to mean either vibrato or tremolo.
Bends
Note alterations are so-called "bends" that alter the natural pitch of a hole to a different usable on-pitch note.
The word "bend" implies a continuous pitch change, but bends on the harmonica do not have to be changes from other notes--in other words, a bend as an altered note can be played separately from other notes, and the natural note need not be played at all.
Draw bends in holes 2 and 3 have bend ranges more than a single half step (semi-tone), while draw bends in holes 1, 4, and 6 have a half step range. Bends tend to alter most easily to the extreme range, called a full bend, and notes between the natural note and the most altered note are called intermediate bends, and are more difficult to achieve, control, and maintain on pitch than normal bends.
The example has a number of draw bend notes mixed in with normal notes.
Holes 8 and 9 have a half step blow bend, while hole 10 has a whole-step blow bending range.
Vamping
Vamping means to play rhythm and melody at the same time. Using a tongue blocking technique, rhythm chords and melody can be played at the same time. Normally a chord containing the melody note is played, and then notes of the chord are blocked from being played by using the tongue.
Similar effects can be achieved with a lip block by opening and closing the embouchure or rolling the harmonica up at the back to go from a chord to a single note. This technique is often used on the bottom 3 holes where lip blocking is more difficult.
Playing from a Rack
A rack is a device that holds the harmonica so you can play hands-free. Usually the rack goes around your neck. Often a "wing nut" is used to hold the rack tight at a pivot point, and often the rack will slip and push away from your mouth. Using two conical washers or a lock washer can help keep the rack tighter.
Amplified Play
Traditional blues style harmonica is played amplified through a microphone. The mic and the amp work together to produce the sound, and what you should get depends on what you like to hear.
Traditional mic's are bullet shaped vintage or vintage reissued models like the Shure Green Bullet, Astatic JT30, Hohner Blues Blaster, etc., though many players use ordinary vocal mics such as the Shure SM-57 and SM-58. Tie clip electret mics can also be used, and these are easier to cup tightly and produce acoustic-style hand effects. I even used ear buds in a pinch, and it sounded pretty good.
Preferred amplifiers are normally tube amps, and vintage Fender amps are highly valued as harmonica amps. Popular amps include the Fender Bassman, the Bassman ReIssue (RI), the Fender Champ, Fender Princeton, etc.
Many players prefer amps with reverb, or use separate reverb "tanks". Digital or analog delay pedals are a common effect in amplified play.
Slurs and Double Stops
A slur is where a bit of an adjacent note is played along with the primary note.
A double stop is where two notes are played at the same time with essentially equal strength.
Double stops can be played using bent notes and combinations of bent and un-bent natural notes, especially on holes 1-4. It is even possible to play an overblow so that both reeds sound and two notes are generated--but why, really? Clean overblows are highly desirable, a nasty honking, not..
A slur has a primary note and a softer secondary note. Slurs can add a "bite" to a note, especially when amplified.
When playing 2 notes together think about 1) Blending the sound, or 2) Giving each note its own voice.
The sample has first a slur, then a double stop for the same notes. Notice how much smoother the slur sounds.
Split Intervals and Octaves
Split intervals are notes that are played that have intervening notes blocked out, normally by the tongue. The most common split interval is an octave, for example holes 1 and 4 blow or draw at the same time, with the tongue blocking out holes 2 and 3.
Hole 4 and 8 draw also form an octave, with holes 5, 6, and 7 blocked out.
The sample plays single notes an octave apart, then together, for both blow and draw octaves.
Octave Shakes
An octave split interval is played and rapidly alternated with an adjacent octave, as in a 2-hole shake with single notes, by shaking the head and/or harmonica.
This effect is heard relatively infrequently on the diatonic, but was used by classic blues harmonicaers like Little Walter on songs like "Blues With A Feeling" and "Got My Mojo Working".
This is a commonly used effect on blues chromatic, and the sample is played on a Hohner Super 64X.
Resonance - Vocal Tract and Hands' Cup
Resonance is a reinforcing of sound waves that amplifies a sound. Achieving good tone on a harmonica requires resonance, and tuning the vocal tract to the note being played. This requires opening the vocal tract and playing "from the diaphragm".
Hand resonance can add to the player's vocal tract resonance and further amplify a note. Very minute changes to the hand cup can produce or eliminate this resonance.
The examples were played with the same force of breath. The differences in volume are due to the added resonance. Notice how the tone goes from thin and weak to full and strong.
Vibrato
Vibrato is a slight wavering of a note's pitch similar to the effect singers use.
Throat vibrato, as distinct from diaphragm tremolo, is mainly felt in the throat as a pinching of the air stream.
In reality both throat vibrato and diaphragm tremolo use elements of both the throat and the diaphragm, but the emphasis is different as the names imply.
Vibrato is a very important technique that should be learned by everyone. Throat vibrato is very frequently used and adds much to the tone and note shaping capabilities of the harmonica.
There are other types of vibrato that can be achieved by moving the mouth or the lips. A slight chewing motion, or chin vibration produces a kind of vibrato, as does a motion similar to whistling a vibrato.
Similar vibratos can be achieved by articulating "oy oy oy" or "yo yo yo". These non-throat-vibrato techniques are especially useful on bends and overbends, as well as notes that don't respond as well to throat vibrato.
Tongue Slap
A tongue slap is a technique where a chord is played for a brief time, then all but one or two notes are suddenly blocked out with the tongue.
The air that had been flowing through normally 4 holes is suddenly diverted to 1 or 2 holes, and the sudden blocking of 2 or 3 holes causes a kind of slapping sound.
The example is exaggerated to highlight the effect. The tongue slap is one of the characteristic techniques often used with the tongue block embouchure, and serves to thicken up the sound of the harmonica and punctuate single notes.
Flutter Tongue
A flutter tongue or rapid vamping technique is where (normally) a split interval is played and the tongue is rapidly and repeatedly removed and replaced off and back onto the blocked notes. It causes a rapid switching between a chord and an interval like an octave, or even a single note.
The sample first plays an octave slap, then the rapid alteration between a chord and the octave, for both blow and draw.
Special Effects
Special effects are seldom used embellishments on a note. Some examples follow.
A tongue roll is where a note is played and the tongue is vibrated or rolled as in a Spanish-style rolled-R.
A "whoop" is using your voice to whoop or holler while playing the harmonica. You can also do barks, clicks, and other mouth or voice effects in conjunction with playing the harmonica. Sonny Terry and Peter "Madcat" Ruth make frequent use of this kind of effect.
A growl is an effect used in conjunction with deep draw bends. The soft palette at the back of the mouth is relaxed and allowed to vibrate; it's kind of like snoring while playing. This vibration along with the bent note causes the growl sound.
By using a very air tight hand cup it is possible to play the harmonica backwards, by having air enter through the back of the harmonica in addition to through the front. In essence, your cup is so tight that when you play a note the air pressure builds up in your hand cup and flows back into the harmonica.
Similarly, a draw note causes enough of a vacuum to suck air into the harmonica through other non-played holes. You block the holes you don't want to sound with your thumb or finger and use the back-pressure activated notes along with the played note to create new chords.
3rd Position
As 2nd position is playing in a key a 5th above the natural key of the harmonica, 3rd position is playing in a key another 5th higher than the natural key of the harmonica, e.g. for a key of F harmonica, 2nd position is the key of C, and 3rd position is G.
3rd position play starts on the hole 1 or 4 draw.
The natural mode of 3rd position is a minor key, so 3rd position is often used to play with minor key songs. A complete 3rd position blues scale is available on the first two octaves, so this is a common position for blues next to only 2nd position in frequency of use.
The sample is the blues scale in 3rd position.
Knowing Where You Are
Students usually don't know right where they are on the harmonica at all times, while expert players usually do.
As you gain more techniques like bends and overbends, it becomes important from a technique standpoint (separate from a musical standpoint) to know where you are because each hole plays differently; some bend well, some don't, some bend more or less than others, some are draw bends and others are blow bends, some holes are good for overbends and others not so much.
Musically, you need to know what note you're on, and where the other notes are. You need to become extremely familiar with the harmonica note layout, both within a hole and across the harmonica.
Playing Both Ends of the Harmonica
There are usually 2 different octaves (sometimes 3) where you can start playing your song, lick, riff, or phrase...the bottom end and the top end. You should be able to play the same thing starting in different octaves, as long as you don't run out of harmonica.
Special Tunings
Special tunings are modifications to the standard diatonic layout of notes, which is the Richter tuning. Common special tunings include the natural minor, which provides a minor key for normal 1st and 2nd position playing, the Lee Oskar Melody Maker, which raises the b7ths (i.e. hole 5 draw) to Maj-7th and raises hole 3 blow a whole step, Steve Baker Specials which adds a duplicate of the low 3 holes as the 1st 3 holes an octave lower, country tuning, etc. etc.
These special tunings make playing certain styles easier than using normal Richter tunings, and have really cool and different chords, like minors and major 7ths.
Train Songs
Train songs use train-like rhythms on chords on the low 3 holes, and work best on lower key harmonicas (like G and lower). A train whistle is simulated by drawing holes 3 and 4 at the same time.
One articulation that mimics a train is "Tah hooka tooka hooka" where only the "hooka" is played exhaling, and many variations on that theme, like "Tooka hooka tah hooka". Other fast tongue articulations can be used to augment the breathing pattern, such as "diddly hooka diddly hooka tah hooka diddly hooka".
Multiple Embouchures
The 3 primary embouchures are the pucker/lip block, the tongue block, and the (relatively seldom used) U-block. The lip block and tongue block can be used for different effects, so it is good to learn and use both and be able to switch back and forth easily depending of the effect you want. Many players believe the best blues tone can only be achieved by using the tongue block, but many do not. Many effects and techniques require use of the tongue block embouchure.
Vibrato on Bends
Getting a smooth vibrato on draw bends requires a delicate control and balance between the throat and the diaphragm. Without this delicate control the vibrato becomes very chunky. The example is a hole 2 half step "intermediate" bend.
Blow bend vibrato also requires a more delicate control than vibrato on straight "unbent" notes.
Speed
Speed playing requires note and rhythmic accuracy and control of rapid changes to breath direction. It is easy to overuse speed, which can detract from musical expression. The sample is a clip from Stormy Seas.
No Speed Needed
Sometimes speed can be used as a crutch to hide defects in playing. Attention to details and nuance of note formation, tone, timing, and phrasing can require more expertise than playing fast. Details and mistakes are more exposed during slow play than during fast passages. Speed is best when the precision and nuances required for beautiful slow play are incorporated in the fast passages as well.
Valved Bends
Valved bends, in my ear are thinner sounding that normal un-valved harmonica bends. The range and sound is like that of a bend on a chromatic harmonica which are always valved (to save wind).
Overblows and Overdraws
Overblows and overdraws activate the opposite-than-normal reed as an opening reed as opposed to the normal closing reed activation.
Overblows activate the outer draw reeds to a note about 1/2 step above the natural draw note, while overdraws activate the inner blow reeds to a note about 1/2 step above the natural blow note.
Overblows require relatively narrow or tight reed gaps. Achieving overbends requires much more focus and finesse than ordinary bends, with much stricter requirements on mouth/throat shape and pressure.
The overblow example is on a C harmonica, while the overdraw is played on a G harmonica.
Bending Overblows and Overdraws
It is possible to bend the pitch of overblows and overdraws, and add effects such as vibrato to the overbends. Overbends themselves require much greater facility with the harmonica than normal bends, and further bends and effects require still greater control and expertise.