Monthly Archive for February, 2010

How To Read Harmonica Tablature

Published on February 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments

The system I’m using here is called “tablature,” or “tab” for short, and it tells you which hole to play, whether it’s a blow or draw note, and whether a bend is required. Plain numbers are blow notes, numbers with a minus sign are draws.

Blows & Draws
1 means blow on hole 1
-1 means draw on hole 1

Bends
-3′ means draw on hole 3 with a half-step bend
-3″ means draw on hole 3 with a whole-step bend
-3″‘ means draw on hole 3 with a step-and-a-half bend

Same idea for blow bends, except the number won’t have a minus sign.

Ready to head back to the Tabs page?

There are a number of harmonica tab systems out there, but I got this one from the Austin, Texas harp teacher Michael Rubin. I like it because it uses only ASCII keyboard keys, which makes it easier to type songs and post online. Other systems use up and down arrows, or circles around the numbers to communicate blows and draws.

Simple tab systems don’t give you rhythm instructions, so they work best to get you started on songs you’re already familiar with. It is possible to learn new songs using tab, but you’ll need audio examples to demonstrate how they’re supposed to go.

You don’t have to know how to read music in order to get started, but in the long run it’s a good idea to learn standard notation, at least for counting rhythms, since it communicates a lot more information.

Buying A Harmonica

Published on February 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

What Harmonica Should I Buy?
For beginners, I recommend getting a Hohner Special 20 in the key of C, because it has a plastic comb and is more airtight than the wooden comb models. The biggest thing, regardless of the brand, is to get something in the $25-35 range. Any cheaper than that, and it won’t sound as good or play as easily. Hohner is the most popular brand worldwide, but Lee Oskar, Suzuki, Herring, and others also make great harmonicas.

Where Can I Buy a Harp?
If you live in the NC Triangle and you want to shop locally in Carrboro, there are two music stores on Main Street between Wendy’s and the PTA thrift store. The Music Loft is the bigger one, and Carrboro Music is on the corner. In Raleigh and Durham there are also music stores, and most of them will carry a Hohner Special 20 in C.

Online, you can get harmonicas at Amazon or Musicians Friend, but I enjoy supporting the more harp-centric HarmonicaStore.com.

Do I Need Other Keys?
Probably not at first, but eventually, yes. Harmonicas are available in all 12 major keys. After C, you’ll probably want G, A, and D, probably in that order.

G is pitched much lower than your C harp, so those high melodies played on holes 7-10 that sounded shrill on the C will sound more mellow on a G.

This is a big relief, since there are lots of melodies you’ll have to play on 7-10 until you learn to bend consistently on holes 2 and 3. Low harps are also good for practicing your blow bends.

A is also a relatively low-pitched harp, and it allows you to play cross-harp blues in the key of E, which is pretty much the most common blues key for guitar players.

The D is actually higher-pitched than your C harp. This takes a bit of getting used to, but on the plus side, you can count on cutting through the mix, which is not always the case on a low harp! On a D, you can play cross-harp blues in the key of A, which is the second most popular blues key for guitarists.

Harmonica Basics

Published on February 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Just to get started, let’s take a big-picture view of what to think about on harmonica. Seems to me the basics are: how to breathe through it comfortably without passing out, how to use lip blocking to get single notes, and how to bend notes.

Breathing Comfortably
Turn the harp over so you get numbers on the top cover plate and the left side gives you low notes. Try blowing and drawing on holes one through two or three, just the low notes. Maybe keep a rhythm. You don’t have to pull very hard, just use shallow puffs and you won’t get lightheaded.

Single Notes
Push out your lips as if to whistle. Make big fish lips (an idea I got from John Gindick via Adam Gussow), pouting so the insides of your lips are facing out. Put the harmonica well into your mouth so your top lip is on top of the coverplate. Keep your cheeks firm, and use the muscles on the inside of your lips to focus your air into a single hole. You may need to press the harp into your mouth a little bit. It doesn’t take much side-to-side movement to zero in on a single note, mainly it’s your embouchure (mouth shape). Try blowing and drawing while keeping a single note.

Bending
Play a strong single note on 1 or 4 draw. Pull your tongue back and up, going from an “eee” to a “yoo” feel, and maybe drop your jaw a little. This will change the suction and pull the note down in pitch. It may just wiggle a little at first, so be patient, keep trying, and you’ll get it.

That’s a start! In person I can answer your questions a little better, but go ahead and experiment now. Have fun!