How to learn to play the harmonica at home

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The harmonica is one of the most popular musical instruments. It pairs perfectly with guitar, accordion and other instruments. One of its features is its small size, you can take it with you on any trip or hike, while playing the accordion will delight and not let you get bored. You just need to know how to do it. So how do you learn to play the harmonica?

First you need to purchase it, also perseverance and patience will not hurt. If desired, anyone can learn to play the harmonica, both an experienced musician and a person far from musical education. The harmonica is a two-way wind instrument, that is, the sound goes both on exhalation and on inhalation. Compared to the guitar, piano, and other instruments, the harmonica is much easier to learn to play, but it also takes practice and patience.

In order to learn how to play the harmonica, you need to master the correct position of the lips andlanguage, learn the technique of whistling. After all, it is the whistle that is the basis of playing this instrument. To do this, the lips must be compressed when whistling, without changing the position of the accordion. It is advisable to first select one hole and direct the air flow directly through it. If everything is correct, a clear sound will be heard, without interference and wheezing. Having mastered this exercise, you can proceed to the next. Curling the tongue with the letter “U”, and, taking the tool to the lips, cover three holes already, covering two holes with the tongue, constantly alternating them.

At first it will be difficult, but if you wish, it is quite possible to master it. This exercise will help you master the technique of moving the melody up and down. Next, four holes on the instrument are covered with lips, while trying to make the harmonica allow you to breathe freely. Cover three holes with your tongue, inhale and exhale through one hole. For purity of sound, the tongue must be relaxed.

Such exercises are very popular among harmonists. They will allow you to learn how to play such an instrument with high quality.

There are other ways, or rather tips on how to learn to play the harmonica. Here is one of them: correct breathing. To do this, without an instrument, it is recommended to inhale and exhale several times in a row through the nose, then through the mouth, and then slowly inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth, and vice versa. Such an exercise must be done every day and at the same time make sure that the breathing is even and the same. Having trained without an accordion, you can begin to set your breath directly throughtool. In this case, the main thing is to monitor the frequency and strength of breathing and listen to the sounds played on the instrument.

It is worth noting that playing the harmonica is not as easy as it seems, because there are a lot of melodies. They sound differently, depending on the position of the lips, tongue, strength of exhaled air.

In order to understand more precisely how to learn to play the harmonica, it is worth buying video and audio CDs with playing lessons that will help you visually understand the above exercises. On the bookshelves you can find literature devoted entirely to the question of how to learn to play the harmonica, where all the secrets of this musical craft are described in great detail and in an accessible way. Special books on the basics of musical theory will not interfere either.