Harmonica Index
Here beginneth the harmonica pages.
My aim here is to give as much advice I can to budding harpists ("harp" being a vernacular for "harmonica" within the relavent circles) simply because I had to teach myself how to play, and I know how difficult it can be for people who sincerely want to learn. For a few short anecdotes and reading tips you can read my own personal introduction.
Learning to play the harmonica well is not as easy as people think; this is largely because anyone who tries to learn must inevitably endure ridicule from people who simply cannot appreciate the fact that being a good harmonica player means being better than Bob Dylan. So if I can help just one more person learn how to play well then I will die a much happier man. Though preferably not for a while.
Initially I thought I might be able to write my own set of harmonica lessons. But I'm not a professional music teacher and, since I don't have that much time to dedicate to my website, I didn't want to do the job half-heartedly. Plus there are other sites that offer more general advice and guidence than I could ever provide by myself.
So instead I decided that the best thing to do was to find out which sites give the best advice, and concentrate on writing about a select few aspects of harmonica music that are very difficult and (hence) rarely talked about. These include harmonica theory, harmonica positions, and note bending. I've also provided a section on the main scales used by harmonica players, and list of resources that I found most useful when I was teaching myself to play.
N.B. This tutorial is written specifically for the diatonic/blues variety of harmonica, i.e. the small ones with ten holes. However, there is plenty of theory that is also applicable to all the other styles of harmonica playing.
If you:- find these pages useful;
- have any extra questions; or
- think a section needs changing.
If you already know a little about music theory, then you will probably get through the early stages relatively quickly. But be warned that there may be some aspects with which you are not totally familiar.
I hope this helps any budding harmonica players out there. Good luck!