Harmonica Lessons: Holding The Harmonica

To get a great sound out of your harp you must learn to hold it correctly. The way that this is done is by holding the harmonica in a way where you can create a large airtight cup around the back of the harp.

Now to do this, firstly the harp must be up the right way. The recommended way to hold your harp is with the highest numbered holes to your right. Make sure the holes are facing you. Take your harp in your left hand and put it between your thumb and index finger. Keep your fingers toward the back of the harp. This way they won’t get caught in your mouth. The rest of your fingers should line up with your index finger.

The right hand is used to create that large airtight cup. Open your right hand fingers up and together, thumb out and pointing toward your face. Now bend your hand back at the wrist, tucking your elbow in and keeping your arm vertical. Bring the palm of your left and right hands together.

This helps to trap the sound in your hands. The loud notes you create are then trapped inside of the airtight cup you have made with your hands. This creates a more muffled softer sound. When you open your hands, you let the sound out. These notes sound much louder. To create a ‘tremolo effect, you flutter your outside hand.

Your right hand can be used to change the sound of your blues harp to get the effect you want. The important thing is get an airtight cup around the back of the harmonica and you’ll be fine.

Harmonica Lessons: Blues Harp Terminology

When you start to learn the blues harp, there are many different terms that you need to know. The differing types of harp, tab terminology and the various effects. Below are a few must know terms.

Chromatic blues harp: A tuning that uses all 12 notes used in Western music. Chromatic harmonicas have a slide activated by a button that alter the reed that is sounded to enable fully chromatic play. Often refers to the type of harmonica, as opposed to a diatonic harp.

Diatonic blues harp: A tuning that uses only the 8 notes from a major or minor scale. This is the tuning for normal 10 hole "short" harmonicas, also called diatonic harps. Often used to refer to the harmonica itself, as opposed to a chromatic harmonica.

Discrete Comb: A diatonic harmonica comb with a separate chamber for each reed.

Draw Notes played by inhaling: The draw notes are created by the lower reeds (numbers up) where the reeds open outside the harp. You play these through inhaling through the harp.

Opening Bend: A pitch raising bend where the reed initially opens away from its slot.

Blow Notes played by exhaling: The blow notes are created by the upper reeds (numbers up) where the reeds open inside the harp. These notes are produced through exhaling through the harp.

Position: Relates to the starting place (e.g. hole number) and manner (e.g. draw or blow) in which the root note of the scale is played. The natural notes of the harmonica when played in different positions yield characteristic modes.

Tab: Short for tablature. A shortcut notation that indicates how to play a note on the harmonica. This is different from standard musical notation, which indicates what note to play including its relative duration.

The "tremolo" effect: This is a change of volume. We specifically hold the harmonica in a way so that we can change the sound of a note or chord by opening and closing our hands. The technique is commonly referred to as "Hand Tremolo".