TipDeck.com » Harmonica Playing http://tipdeck.com Home of the how to videos and instructions Wed, 24 Aug 2011 01:01:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 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.

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-the-harmonica-for-beginners/feed 1 How to Play Harmonica for The Beginnershttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-harmonica-for-the-beginners http://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-harmonica-for-the-beginners#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:54:44 +0000 Sofi http://tipdeck.com/?p=856 How to Play Harmonica for The Beginners2 300x225 How to Play Harmonica for The BeginnersHarmonica is a simple musical instrument that can produce a wide range of music. Playing the instrument is comparatively easier than playing any other musical instrument with which you need to learn and read a good deal of music. Hence, beginners can learn the instrument easily with some useful instructions to play it. Harmonica has a few holes and if you are novice to play harmonica, you just need to learn about how to count the holes to play songs and produce sweet melodies.

  1. If you are a beginner and learning the art of playing harmonica, it is essential that you should select the right harmonica for you. Novice players can find it easy to play the harmonicas that are designated as “Blues Harmonicas”. The reeds of this kind of harmonicas are looser for note bending and hence, easier to play. Even, there are other kinds of harmonicas that are specially meant for the beginners.
  2. There are books and instructional DVDs available in the market with which you can start learning about the basics of holding the instrument and creating sound notes. Books present pictures with instructions about the holes and producing notes with harmonica. However, DVDs can better help you learn playing the instrument for you can see and listen to someone else playing it. Both books and DVDs have their own advantages.How to Play Harmonica for The Beginners11 300x199 How to Play Harmonica for The Beginners
  3. It is found that beginners, and sometimes even the experienced players of harmonica, cannot find their mistakes while playing the instrument. If the mistakes are not rectified from the early stage of playing harp, it may become difficult to correct it later on. So it is recommended that you should contact an expert or any good instructor in your locality to teach you harmonica lessons.
  4. Visit a local harmonica club or join a group where you can find other members interested in playing harmonica. There is nothing inspiring and fun like meeting other harmonica players and learning techniques of playing the instrument.
  5. Practice makes a man perfect. You can’t get perfection if you practice it just for the sake of playing it. Hence, regular practice, even for a small amount of time everyday, can ensure developing your skill in playing harmonica.

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]]> http://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-harmonica-for-the-beginners/feed 1 How to Play Harmonica for Beginnershttp://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-harmonica-for-beginners http://tipdeck.com/how-to-play-harmonica-for-beginners#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:59:35 +0000 tipdeck http://tipdeck.com/?p=767 Play Harmonica for Beginners How to Play Harmonica for Beginners Harmonica, also known as harp is one of the most versatile wind instruments that irrespective of its small size can create powerful rhythmic tones. Though considered to be an easiest instrument to play, it is also the most difficult to master. After learning few simple tunes, beginners often get frustrated when they get stuck and fail to proceed further.

If you are a beginner and want to learn to play harmonica then remember that you can master this instrument only with sincere efforts and lot of practice. Following are some of the useful instructions that will help you to get started:

Instructions

  1. There are several types of harmonica available in the market. For the beginners it is always better to make choice depending upon the education material available. Usually harmonicas are tuned to a specific key that is written in a letter form on the side of the harmonica. The most commonly used is the C Major. So, you can opt for this key.
  2. Harmonica can be used to play different notes by using different methods. Depending upon whether you blow out or suck in air, your notes will vary. So, start experimenting with your harp. Try to play scales by both ways. Go for blowing out and sucking in all the holes. If blow on some three holes on the harp, you will be playing a C chord but if you are able to blow on all the holes you will be able to play a richer chord.
  3. It is always better to try single notes that though trickier are great to learn. You must practice simple, well-known tunes and get your self familiarize with the layout. You can create a single note either by puckering or tongue blocking.How to Play Harmonica for Beginners How to Play Harmonica for Beginners
  4. Puckering is most apt for beginners because it is the easiest way to create notes. All you need to do is to place the harp deep between your lips and then blow. Tongue block is another way where you must cover at least 3 holes of the harp and then block out all the notes except for the one on the side.
  5. Get familiar with the tabs. It is a method used to play any song without reading any music shortcuts. You should try some really easy and basic songs to get it right.
  6. Buy a book that can act as a professional guide for learning harmonica playing. There are also some sites that provide useful learning instruction for a fee.

Tips

  • Sliding your mouth up and down the harp can cause roughness so keep your lips moist, especially when you are trying to play fast.
  • Single notes are trickier. In order to get it right purse your lips to make smaller and tighter hole with your mouth.
  • Play simple songs in the middle range of the harmonica. It will give you the full diatonic scale without requiring any bends.

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