TipDeck.com » Harmonica Playing http://tipdeck.com Home of the how to videos and instructions Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:59:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 How to Play The Harmonica For Beginnershttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-the-harmonica-for-beginners http://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-the-harmonica-for-beginners#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 04:00:56 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=2267 How to Play The Harmonica For Beginners How to Play The Harmonica For BeginnersBefore we learn to play the harmonica, we should have an idea about what the harmonica actually consists of. The harmonica is a musical instrument which consists of several reeds, a series of ten holes and a plate which acts as a plate to hold the design together. The harmonica has originated from a Chinese reed instrument Sheng that is made from a gourd. One can use harmonica in various forms of music like blues, rock, folk and country. You can easily learn the basics of playing the harmonica if you are willing to spare a bit of time and practice towards it. The below mentioned points shall help you out in knowing how to play the harmonica for beginners:

• Begin by purchasing a harmonica that is diatonic in the key of C. Usually harmonicas are available in different keys and varieties but a diatonic harmonica in the key of C is the easiest type to learn the basics on.
• You shall have to hold the harmonica in that hand of yours which is non-dominant in nature. Hold the harmonica in such a way that the numbers are on the top in a progressive manner i.e. one being on the left and ten on the far right. Take the other hand and use it to wrap the backside of the harmonica. This can be done if one wants to dampen the sound of the music. You shall notice that when you open and close the dominant hand on the back of the harmonica, a “wah-wah” effect is produced.
• Now you shall have to open your mouth and place it on the harmonica as if you have sealed your lips with the instrument. You can drop your jaw a bit so that your mouth can form an open chamber for the sound of music.
• Next step involves the practicing of lip blocking. Try and open up your mouth a little like the size of a pencil eraser and then direct some air into one of the holes of the harmonica. Now start drawing in air and then drawing out air for two different notes through a particular hole.

• After perfecting the art of lip blocking, you shall have to focus your attention on tongue blocking. For perfecting this art of tongue blocking, you have to open up your crease a bit wider than what you did in lip blocking, to blow air at once into 2 or 3 holes. Here you have to practice the exercise of inhaling and exhaling by covering the extra holes so that your breath is directed to only one hole of the harmonica.

• Its time now to learn about the notes. They are as follows:
Hole 1-> blow to play C and draw to play DHow to Play The Harmonica For Beginners1 How to Play The Harmonica For Beginners
Hole 2-> blow to play E and draw to play G
Hole 3-> blow to play G and draw to play B
Hole 4-> blow to play C and draw to play D
Hole 5-> blow to play E and draw to play F
Hole 6-> blow to play G and draw to play A
Hole 7-> blow to play C and draw to play B
Hole 8-> blow to play E and draw to play D
Hole 9-> blow to play G and draw to play F
Hole 10-> blow to play C and draw to play A

In all the above mentioned notes, blowing refers to exhaling air and drawing refers to inhaling air.

• You shall have to practice playing the chord by blowing with your lips. That means you have to blow with your lips in first position like holes 4, 5 and 6. That refers to the C chord. The G chord can be played by blowing with your lips in the second position covering holes 2, 3 and 4.

Watch a video instruction on how to play the harmonica for beginners

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