Harmonica is a modern musical instrument with an ancient history

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Harmonica is a modern musical instrument with an ancient history
Harmonica is a modern musical instrument with an ancient history

Video: Harmonica is a modern musical instrument with an ancient history

Video: Harmonica is a modern musical instrument with an ancient history
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Harmonic is a term that has several definitions. This word is used by musicians, mathematicians and physicists. In mathematics, a harmonic is the simplest periodic function. In physics, this is vibration. In music, the science of harmony. Also, textbooks were called harmonica, in which the course of harmony was outlined.

Harmonica is a generic name for a family of different musical instruments that produce sound through a flexible vibrating plate. Such instruments are called reed instruments. The tongue can be activated by blowing, pinching or pulling.

harmonica it
harmonica it

First reed instruments

Harmonica is a fairly ancient instrument. Its prototypes were known even before our era. In ancient China, there was an instrument that resembles modern harmonicas. It was called Shen. According to its internal structure, it looked more like a labial organ. It was made from reed or bamboo tubes.

Shen was used to accompany musical works of court singers and dancers. He soon becamepopular with the common people.

Types of harmonics

  • Manual harmonica. In such instruments, sounds are produced by a stream of air, which actuates the reeds with the help of fur. Basically they have two keyboards: right and left. These include accordion, accordion and button accordion.
  • Foot harmonica. If in the case of the previous type, the fur was actuated with the help of the hands, then in foot harmonicas it is actuated with the feet. The harmonium is an instrument that looks very similar to a piano in appearance, but the mechanism for producing sound is completely different. If the piano is a stringed keyboard instrument (the sound is produced when the hammer hits the string), one pedal of which pushes the damping mechanism away, and the second, on the contrary, presses it, then the harmonium is a reed wind keyboard instrument, and the pedals serve to pump in air, which leads mechanism in action. Foot harmonicas include nogophone and organola.
  • The harmonica is one of the most compact musical instruments. There are no bellows, so the mouth itself is needed to actuate the tongues.
  • Other types of harmonics include orchestration, multimonica and melodic harmonica.
harmonica
harmonica

History of the harmonica

The first harmonica was created in 1821. It was intended more as a tuning fork than a musical instrument. It was a plate with slots and tongues. It was possible to extract sound from it only through exhalation. The watchmaker became the author of the creation.

The term "labialharmonica" came from the name of the accordion, which was called "hand harmonica". Since they have a similar principle of operation, the compact musical instrument began to be called "harmonica" or "mouth harmony".

This little musical instrument spread very quickly around the world. The production of accordions was not stopped even during the wars, on the contrary, they were supplied to soldiers. The harmonica even appeared in silent films, of course, it was impossible to hear it there, but the fact was captured on film.

The peak of the popularity of the little harmony fell on the 1950s, when the wave of rock and roll blew up the whole world. Now the instrument is also popular among representatives of different musical directions.

glass harmonica
glass harmonica

Out of the ordinary

Almost all harmonicas can be attributed to wind instruments, but there is one type of harmonica - glass - which is very different.

This instrument is an improved type of musical glasses. Everyone knows that if you wet your finger and move it along the rim of the glass, a sound will be made.

A musical harmonica is an instrument that consists of hemispherical glass cups strung on a metal rod. It spins and dips the cups into the water, which makes them sound crystal clear. The mechanism actuates the pedal.

This musical instrument is classified as an idiophone, that is, the source of sound for them is the body of the instrument itself.

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