You Can Easily Learn To Play The Harmonica by Morgan Hamilton

If you'd like to learn to play the harmonica the best thing you can do is to take one. Even though there are hundreds of programs offering sheet music and instructions, may be it would be better for you to start experimenting on your own as playing the harmonica is not really hard. You can start on your own and later get formal instructions of various harmonica masters.

If you stick up to my advice, you'll get what's really valuable - your own ideas and understanding of the instrument. I personally learnt to play the harmonica about seven years ago and most of the time I was experimenting on my own, though I admit to having used some formal instructions from time to time, too.

As the harmonica is laid out in an intuitive way, learning how to play it by yourself is not a difficult task and it's worth trying. You can purchase a harmonica with a small introductory packet explaining the layout enclosed in the box. What is important to know is that everything is already set up in the chords. You need to play most kinds of music on a richter, or ten hole diatonic, harp, which gives you the opportunity to pick out basic melodies as soon as you try playing the harmonica for the first time. Having the basic knowledge, you can easily improve your skills by regularly practicing playing this beautiful instrument.

If you have already learnt the basics, then you might consider getting some professional help. Of course you can start taking harmonica lessons by a teacher or you can simply start listening to harmonica music played by other musicians. Music is said to be the best teacher, so why don't you gibe the second option a try. In case you do so, you will get many new ideas and in addition to that playing the harmonica might enable you to give your own musical expressions which will be added up to your repertoire.

If you choose to get a harmonica teacher verify that they are experts in playing the exact same style that you want. For instance, imagine you learned to play the harmonica in the Chicago bells mode, then you would not be able to play bluegrass or country blues harp as they all are very different styles.

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Blow Your Own Horn: Learn To Play The Harmonica by Dylan Mccabe

The harmonica is a unique instrument that allows each person to have a unique style when playing it. Because of this, the best way to learn to play the harmonica is by self-experimentation. Just pick up an harmonica and explore its possibilities. You can also find programs that can give you music, techniques, and other varied instructions to help you learn to play the harmonica.

With these and a teacher, you may find several benefits, but since the harmonica is a fairly easy instrument to learn, experimentation may give you a better feel for what you want to do than formal training. Many times the formal lessons will try to pigeon hole you into a certain style that you may not be comfortable with.

The harmonica is different than most instruments in that its lay out is more intuitive than most making it easier to learn by yourself. With the introductory packet that comes with most harmonicas, you can quickly and easily come to understand its layout. Conveniently, the chords are already arranged on the richter, a ten hold diatonic harp, so that you can play almost any tune from the first time you pick it up. Without having to combine notes into chords like a guitar or piano, you can quickly learn to play the harmonica.

After you have learned the basics of the harmonica, you then might want to find a teacher or you may want to mimic music that you hear. Usually, listening to other harmonica music, you will start coming up with your own ideas. With this type of learning, you will be able to creatively express yourself through playing your harmonica instead of just repeating music on a sheet. If you do choose a teacher, search for one who works in the style that you find most appealing. Learning in one style will not necessarily help you in another. Whether you want Chicago blues, bluegrass, or country, you will enjoy learning to play the harmonica.

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How To Play Harmonica With The Guitar by Gyorgy Huba

This article will give you a start on learning how to play harmonica with the guitar. It's not difficult but it does have a knack that the guitar player must develop to play both instruments at the same time.

It seems to be part of the education of a versatile acoustic guitarist to learn how to play the harmonica with the guitar. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and others have made mixing the harmonica with the guitar a musical style all of its own. Instead of instrumental breaks played on the guitar during a song, harmonica solos are easy to compose and play after relatively little practice.

To play harmonica with the guitar you will need a harmonica rack, sometimes known as a harp rack. Not all harmonicas fit into a rack - there are many different types - but your average ten hole harmonica will fit without problems.

The rack goes around your neck and the harmonica snaps right into place with the low notes on the left hand side, just like a piano. To play the guitar and the harmonica at the same time just needs practice. Start by strumming the guitar slowly and evenly as you are getting used to wearing the harmonica and playing it while you strum. Instead of moving the harmonica across your mouth with your hands you have the harmonica in a fixed position and you move your head to get your mouth where you want it to be.

As for buying a harmonica, a ten hole blues harp would be the one for most beginners to start off with. Practically all musical material is available to be played in the key of C, so your first harmonica should be a C. If you want a more bluesy feel in that key, use a G harmonica or play in the second position.

The technique of playing the harmonica with the guitar involves relaxing while your body gets used to the feeling of having the rack around your neck and the harmonica in your mouth. Start playing the harmonica without the guitar at first so you can get the knack of breathing the music rather than sucking and blowing. Don't try second position playing at the beginning, just get the feel of the whole "breathing the music" thing.

The harmonica is a very simple instrument to play but as you get more experienced with it, you will find the instrument, like all musical instruments, increases its demands on the player. So don't imagine that learning to play the harmonica with the guitar will be a walk in the park.

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