Any harmonica players?

[groovycarl]

I really want to start playing the harmonica but I don't how I should start. I don't even know if anyone around here offers lessons nor do I really want to take lessons. Is there a good book out there or any specific starter packs I might want to start out with? Or anything like that.

[Kathmandu]

woohoo! Harmonica players unite! :D

I always fiddled with a toy one when I was ten, and Then my grampa gave me my his old one.

If you want to learn I'm sure a book would help. I never used one, I had my grampa teach my the very basic stuff and I played piano at the time so that helped.

In the end I think the best stuff I ever learned came from the paul butterfield blues band. Really, just listen to stuff like that and try to learn it by ear, but that's just my opinion. (The harmonica playing on screamin' is amazing, and the guitar playing is pretty kickass too. :D )

good luck with it!

[rockonn91]

Ive always wanted to learn. I have a normal like tuned to C one, but I cant ever get any good bluesy sounds out of it... I donno how.

....so, I have nothing to say. look for some websites. perhaps they have a Harmonica Tricks.

[Kevin Taylor]

I always wanted to learn but could never figure out how to do bends on one.
Like the beginning of "School" by Supertramp.
If I could figure that out, I'd probably start trying again.

[earthman buck]

I always wanted to learn but could never figure out how to do bends on one.
Like the beginning of "School" by Supertramp.
If I could figure that out, I'd probably start trying again.
I could never figure out bends either. I read a thing once saying just to blow extra hard, and the sound would "bend." I dunno, that can't be right.

[Kevin Taylor]

I could never figure out bends either. I read a thing once saying just to blow extra hard, and the sound would "bend." I dunno, that can't be right.

I dunno...
I tried everything & just gave up cause I figured the harmonica I was using was too cheap or something. I think I'm gonna pick one up next time I visit the music store and give it a shot again. There's beena coupla songs I wanted to use one on, and the synth versions sound really cheesy.

[pizzicatopicker]

I fiddled with one one afternoon, picked up a few books and such. I learned that people dont really consider it a "real" insurment. 'Tis a shame, though, cause now I play one.

[Kevin Taylor]

I fiddled with one one afternoon, picked up a few books and such. I learned that people dont really consider it a "real" insurment. 'Tis a shame, though, cause now I play one.

That's weird. I wouldn't consider a Kazoo or a jews harp a real instrument, but a harmonica you can actually play tunes on.

[pizzicatopicker]

That's weird. I wouldn't consider a Kazoo or a jews harp a real instrument, but a harmonica you can actually play tunes on.

Yeah, but people just dont understand that its an INSTURMENT. Well, they probably do, though they dont think much more about it.

[ren]

I got a cheap c tuned harmonica and a book as a gift, and had fun trying to make it work. I can play some basic stuff, and could do dylan-esque blasts on it. The easiest way to get a bluesy sound out of it is to work on your wah - makes pretty much anything sound like the blues....

The note bending defeats me too.... the book describes it as moving your tongue to the roof of your mouth to bend the note... When I try it I end up with a crap whistling sound.... :rolleyes: I found this (http://www.harmonicaclub.com/common/note_bending_for_harmonica.htm) link - not sure if it'll help you.

I like messing with it though, and they cost almost nothing, so almost nothing to lose...

[pure]

well the harmonica has little holes if i'm not mistaken and the smaller the hole, the higher the pitch, so what if you used the tongue to make the hole smaller? and to do sorta of a pre-bend what if you had the tongue already there and removed it?

i'm not sure though.. i only played harmonica for a brief time and i wanted to start again but i can only get cheap ones so i give up.

[earthman buck]

well the harmonica has little holes if i'm not mistaken and the smaller the hole, the higher the pitch, so what if you used the tongue to make the hole smaller? and to do sorta of a pre-bend what if you had the tongue already there and removed it?

i'm not sure though.. i only played harmonica for a brief time and i wanted to start again but i can only get cheap ones so i give up.
Actually, all the holes are the same size. The pitch is determined by the reed. Or reeds, I don't know how many they have.

[pure]

ah well nevermind.. my memory sucks. but i wonder what would happen if i tried it.

[Grambo]

I've just started to play the diatonic and am begining to bend notes.

I think that on a ' C ' diatonic you can play the C minor blues scale and it's fifth - the ' G ' minor blues scale providing you bend a couple of notes in both cases.
I need a good book too