Harmonica!

[FRUGiHOYi]

I bought a $14 Hohner Big River Harp today and it seems pretty nice, except that the draw doesn't seem to work too well on the 2nd position. It just doesn't sound good. Does the 2nd position naturally sound like this? The harmonica is in the key of G, if that matters.

Also, I think I made a mistake... I bought one in the key of G because G/Em is the key I'm most familiar with on guitar and idk... I guess I figured I could more easily write songs in that key on guitar and then play the harmonica to them, but then everything I look up suggests you to get a harmonica in C if you're just beginning. Also, in another thread here, I read that you should get a harmonica three letters up from the key that the song is in... which means that I should have got good old C in order to play along to a song in G. And in yet another thread, someone suggests a harmonica in D if you're playing in G (D is the 5th of G). So I'm a little confused. What should I be playing here? The second option seems to make a little more sense to me.

Besides that, do you really think the fact that I didn't get one in C will hold me back? I am pretty proficient at guitar and I already figured out myself where all the different notes on the harmonica are and how to play Last Dance With Mary Jane :D

I also found yet another thread here that suggested some popular songs that feature harmonica. Of these, some of the ones I might try are:
Aerosmith - Pink
The Beatles-Love Me Do
The Beatles - Please Please Me
The Beatles - From Me To You
The Beatles - I Should Have Known Better
Black Sabbath-The Wizard
Led Zeppelin-When the Levee Breaks
Led Zeppelin - "Nobody's Fault But Mine"
Led Zeppelin - You Shook Me
Led Zeppelin- Bring it on Home
Pink Floyd -
Metallica - Tuesday's Gone
Blues Traveller - Run Around
Green Day - Hold On

Of course, I'm not gonna try something like the solo in the Blues Traveller song just yet, but out of these, which ones could I play in a G harmonica? How about C or D (I might get one or both of these)? Feel free to suggest more songs, but these are the ones that interested me the most from the other thread.

[John Paul Harrison]

Essentialy, there are two ways to play harmonica. (Of course there are more, but I'm not that great and it's simpler to think of it this way).

One way is the standard way. That is, if you have a G harmonica, you play in the G-major scale. Your root notes are at holes 1, 4, 7 and 12. In theory, you can play any random sequence of notes, and it will all "fit" in the G chord. Bob Dylan does this kind of shiznat.

The other way- the "bluesy" way, uses the fifth. (So for your G harmonica, you'd play in D major). Your root notes would then be at holes 3, 6 and 9, and you'd be able to get D, F#, A, B, and C.

The draw doesn't work well because the harmonica was probably made by cheap foreign labor in working in slave-like conditions. Just happens. It's like fret buzzing on a Squier guitar. Play on, fool.

[Danger Bird]

I know the Sabbath song is in C and is great fun to play.

[Violent_Bill]

Another Beatles song that I always dug the harmonica on was "Don't Pass Me By".

[Danger Bird]

Heart of Gold is pretty fun.

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

The draw problem is not to do with the quality of the harmonica, and is more the quality of your techique. IT just happens to be a difficlt hole to play.

[littletom]

Yeah the 2nd draw is just more awkward to get in tune. It should sound the same as 3 blow.

Like John Paul Harrison said, there are two ways. The standard "straight harp" way is where you are playing in the key the harmonica is named after e.g. G on a G harmonica. This is what Dylan does. I recommend buying a harmonica holder to go around your neck and try it for yourself. It's pretty easy to sound good because as long as you're playing in the key of G on your guitar, you be in key.

The bluesy "cross harp" way is where you mostly breath in and play in the 5th. You're less able to **** about and still sound good Dylan style this way though.

Look on youtube. I think there is somebody putting tutorial videos on which are probably more helpful than me trying to describe what to do.

[BobJoHankins]

I Really just started harmonica, and i don't know anything. Please post obvious facts about harmonica. I know lots of harmonica songs, though so need need to help with that.

"Desolation Row" by Bob Dylan on the album "Highway 61 Revisited" has THE GREATEST Harmonica solo. Or one of them. You have to listen to it.

[littletom]

If you're a Dylan fan who can play guitar get yourself a harmonica and harmonica holder. As long as you're playing the guitar in the same key as the harmonica you can just play anything and it'll sound okish. Obviously you'll still get better with practice. It's a lot of fun though.

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

I was impressed with the lessons on expertvillage.

[John Paul Harrison]

"Desolation Row" by Bob Dylan on the album "Highway 61 Revisited" has THE GREATEST Harmonica solo. Or one of them. You have to listen to it.

At the expense of crapping on the face of one of the century's greatest artists, I wouldn't recommend looking up to Bob Dylan as a harmonica virtuoso. In my opinion, he’s to harmonica what Kurt Cobain was to guitar. OMFG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opI1B1BtxeI&mode=related&search=

This guy’s really good, and has been putting out helpful videos of YouTube for some time. Once you learn tongue blocking, you’ll really be set.

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

eugh. tongue blocking. that's NO FUN

NO FUN AT ALL

Ok i prefer puckering



clips of me, sucking at harmonica:

http://media.putfile.com/Harmonica-Blues-Clip

[John Paul Harrison]

Puckering is like not wearing a condom. Fun, but not really safe.

Tounge blocking prevents 99% of stray notes. Not a bad clip. Sort of. Keeping a steady rhythm while playing is hard, so I can sympathize with that.

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

Yeah, i might get my metronome out.

[CannedKoala]

Any of you guys managed to bend notes?

Im new to the harmonica too and heard the puckering method was best because it was the best for bending

i cant remember where i read it, but it basically said, tounge blocking is easier but not as flexible. so im just practising the pucker until i get it down, doing well so far i think

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

Any of you guys managed to bend notes?

Im new to the harmonica too and heard the puckering method was best because it was the best for bending

i cant remember where i read it, but it basically said, tounge blocking is easier but not as flexible. so im just practising the pucker until i get it down, doing well so far i think

well tongue blocking sucks for bending

good for playing precisely

it's what you'd probably use for chromatic playing

[superjoe]

i have that harmonica...in g too. its really hard to bend any notes in the second position just because the notes are so low. I use it mostly just for playing woody guthrie and bob dylan stlye songs...just notes not much bending. I have a C harp in play in second position which sounds nice with open g slide guitar.

[insaneflyingmonkey]

I can't seem to block with my tongue and blow into the harmonica at the same time. Have I been reading all the tutorials wrong, am I missing something, or is it actually that difficult? By the way, I also recently starting playing.

[John Paul Harrison]

It will naturally be a bit hard to master right off, but tongue blocking is relatively simple to understand.

What exactly is the issue?

[insaneflyingmonkey]

I think (it's late and I don't want to rouse the neighbours, so I can't really belt out a harmonica riff to check) that I seem to either hit no holes, or many holes, thus defeating the purpose of the technique. Also, it is extraordinarily difficult to move about on the harp whilst maintaining my tongue this position. I suppose you're gonna say: practise, and really I can't blame you; I haven't really given it the old college try quite yet. I've mostly just given it several quick test, gotten it wrong, and relegated myself back to the world of harmonica "chords," and sometimes, "the pucker."

[Auberge le Mouton Noir]

i prefer the pcuker


you may as well spend your time getting the pucker right if you don't like tongue blocking

it's a much more effective method when you got it down