Which key is the best harmonica? The best harmonicas to fill your life with the blues. How to best position the instrument

This article will talk about how to play the harmonica. For beginning musicians this question is especially relevant. Next we will look at it in detail.

What kind of instrument is this

The harmonica, as it is also called, is a small wind organ that creates a deep and distinctive sound that pairs well with guitar and vocals. According to statistics, everything more people want to learn to play this instrument. It is used in various fields musical accompaniment. These include children's matinees, concerts, and home evenings.

How to choose the right one

There are several types of harmonicas:

Chromatic.
Blues.
Tremolo.
Bass.
Octave.

But there is a simple option. for beginners - diatonic. Has 10 holes and is in C major. When purchasing in a store, ask the seller for special bellows for the accordion. Use it to blow through all the holes to be sure of the sound.

The harmonica for beginners combines the advantages of diatonics:

The ability to play different compositions, including jazz and pop. They are familiar to many people from movies and videos.
The basic lesson learned on diatonic will be useful for working with different models.
As you improve your harmonica skills, you will be able to create more effects.

When choosing a material, give preference to metal panels. They are durable and hygienic. Wood will require additional protection from damage, and plastic will wear out. Therefore, draw your own conclusions. The most common harmonica for beginners is the Lee Oskar Major Diatonic. There are others, these are Hohner Golden Melody, Special 20.

How to best position the instrument

The sound of an accordion very much depends on the correct placement of hands. You need to hold it with your left, and your right should direct the sound flow. The air gap formed by the palm helps the sound and creates resonance. When you squeeze and unclench your brush, you can achieve different timbres and effects.

How to breathe correctly

Next, the actual playing of the harmonica will be described. Beginning musicians are especially often interested in the operating principle of the instrument. To ensure a strong and even flow of air, keep your head straight, relax your face and tongue. The main thing is not suction or blowing, but breathing through the harmonic. The work is done not through the lips and mouth, but through the diaphragm. It may be quiet at first, but with experience, a normal sound is created.

Single notes, harmonica chords and playing principles

So, how can beginners play the harmonica? You need to understand the structure of the tool. The harmonica for beginners is made in such a way that its 3 holes consistently create harmonious consonance, which makes it an easy instrument for quickly creating a specific composition. And playing a note on it is more difficult than playing a chord. Playing the harmonica is not something out of the ordinary. You just need to choose the right notes one at a time and work with your lips and tongue. Of course, first you will need to help yourself and apply a little pressure on the corner of your mouth.

Want to quickly learn how to play simple harmonica melodies? For beginners, the main thing is to learn chords and individual sounds. Next comes improvisation and the disclosure of special techniques and techniques. Let's move on to the melody. Don't be intimidated by the alphabetical markings of melodic sounds - they are easy to recognize. If the preparation is carried out without the help of others, a voice recorder, a metronome and a mirror may be needed in the lesson - for continuous self-monitoring. Playing along with individual melodic recordings will help you prepare for active melodic accompaniment.

Basic technique

Trill - two adjacent notes alternate. Is melisma.

Glissando is a slow and “slippery” translation of 3 or more notes into general consonance.
Tremolo is a trembling sound effect created by clenching and relaxing the palms or lips.
Bend is a change in the tone of notes by adjusting the strength and direction of the air stream.

How to play the harmonica with single notes? Harmonica lessons for beginners take place in three stages:

True sound.
The correct shape of the lips, that is, rounded.
Formed and relaxed air stream (mentally say “O”).

Learn to play single notes so as not to touch other holes with the air stream. Learn to use the three essential rules of high pitch when playing only single notes. Focus on the music and play as clearly as possible. Take your time. If something goes wrong, look in the mirror and see if the harmonica is lowered as you play, and play the note again as you exhale. Next, you need to remove the instrument from your lips, while maintaining their position and making sure that they are correctly rounded. It is likely that there was a mistake here, and the mouth had a different shape. To avoid making a mistake, make the correct form as if you want to whistle.

Try to find a note on the fourth part of the harmonic. It should come out. And if it still doesn’t work, raise the harmonica and point it upward. This is allowed. Just watch your lips for the correct sound. When everything comes out with the 4th hole, go to the 5th hole of the harmonic. After processing single notes on the fifth, immediately work from 4 to 5. To do this, use the scheme of the ordinary “C major” scale (if there is a harmonica in the key “C major”). You can figure out how to play the harmonica without knowing how to read and write. But if you spend time and effort on learning, you can try more and more complex works and write down your own sketches.

We will talk about diatonic harmonics of the Richter system.

Firstly, for beginners it is important to choose the right model of instrument.

It is absolutely not necessary to immediately buy expensive harmonica models, such as Cross Harp and Meisterklasse from Hohner or Susuki Pro Master MR-350. These are, of course, very high-quality instruments, but you should not immediately make your life easier, because you do not know what instruments you will play in the future, since in our country it is not always possible to purchase the models of harmonicas you need.

It’s also not worth spending money, because in the process of breathing, sound production, and also mastering bends, you have an increased chance of breaking the reeds, that is, blowing out the harmonica.

I would recommend cheaper ones, but quite professional tools Hohner, preferably MS series. For example: Big River Harp or the identical Alabama Blues, or the slightly more expensive Special 20 MS. These accordions have a plastic body.

If you want an instrument with a wooden body, try the Marine Band MS.

Old Hohner models (the so-called Hand Made) are also convenient for beginners, such as the Special 20 Marine Band or Golden Melody - a more expensive, but very interesting model that has a body shape that is different from other harmonicas.

I would not recommend that beginners buy the now classic Hohner model - Marine Band Hand Made. This is a wonderful oldest model, but not the easiest for inexperienced players. In particular, you can get a lot of problems with its wooden body, since you need to carefully play this harmonica.

Don't go for cheap. Do not buy very cheap harmonicas made in China. Do not take accordions from the German company Seydel.

I would not recommend Hohner's Silver Star model, since after purchase it still needs to be brought to working condition.

You can also try the Lee Oscar model from Tombo, but it is quite difficult to purchase in our country. In addition, it costs a little more than Hohnera, although justified.

The next stage is the actual acquisition of a harmonic.

Don’t rush to buy a harmonica in the first store you come across. Consult with knowledgeable people, if you have any, or visit different stores to see the range and prices. It will be better if you take a knowledgeable person with you to the store.

I would recommend buying a harmonica in the key of C major. It is most convenient for those who are beginning to master the techniques of playing this instrument, since it is in the middle of the note range of harmonicas (not too low, not too high). In addition, most schools for harmonica are written for harmonica in this key. If you can't find a harmonic in the key of C major, you can purchase instruments in keys close to it.

If the store allows you to play the harmonica, check all the holes as you inhale and exhale (if you know how), and also, if you have mastered the bending technique, check all the bends.

It is very important to check the harmony of the chords. Test the chord on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th holes on the inhale, played at the same time. Also, any 3 or 4 holes on the exhale, taken simultaneously, should form a harmonious chord (on the C harmonic - a C major chord).

If you know how to play octaves, check the octave on the 1st and 4th holes on the inhale (taken at the same time), 1st and 4th on the exhale, 2nd and 5th on the exhale, and so on all octaves on exhale.

If the store does not allow you to play the harmonica, you must be provided with special bellows. Blow them through all the holes as you inhale and exhale, then move the bellows slide to the chord position and check the harmony of the chords in the same way as you would check them directly when playing the harmonica (indicated above).

After purchasing, blow out the harmonica right in the store. If in doubt, contact the seller. He may say that you don't know how to play. This may be true, but still carefully check it again on the furs.

Don't be shy - you spend your money and buy yourself a musical instrument.

Don't forget to take the receipt right away. Don't throw it away for a while.

If the harmonica suits you, but is a little out of tune, it’s not a big deal. It can be adjusted.

Three Things You Should Know Before You Buy Your Next Harmonica

Choosing the right harmonica depends very much on your playing style and the music you play. Get the right harmonica and you will enjoy playing it. Get the wrong one and you will "fuck" with it and quickly become disappointed. Here are a few things you should consider to make the right choice:
1. Shape of overlays

Some pickguards, such as the Lee Oskar and Hering Blues harmonicas, are good for tongue blocking. This type of padding is natural for tongue blocks and "octaves" (where you cover 4 holes with your lips and block the middle two with your tongue - approx.), it easily allows you to blow from both sides of your mouth, blocking unnecessary holes with your tongue.

Pickguards such as the Golden Melody and Suzuki harmonicas are good for lip locking. Don't get me wrong - you can block with both your lips and your tongue on any harmonica. But some fingerboard shapes are actually better suited to certain playing styles and help you hit the right note.

The shape of the pickguards is definitely something to think about when choosing a harmonica if you want a harmonica that is comfortable for your playing style.
2. Response time

Response is a very important factor when choosing a harmonica. The fast-response tongue vibrates primarily at the tip or upper third of its length. A reed with a medium response vibrates half its length. A tongue with a slow response vibrates (slower!) along its entire length.

What does this all mean? High-quality harmonicas provide a fast response, mid-priced harmonicas provide an average response, and cheap harmonicas provide a slow response.

If you just want to make some noise, or you're just starting to learn how to play, buy a cheap harmonica. If you want a passable harmonica for studying, buy a harmonica at an average price. But if you really want to play music, I would suggest buying a quality harmonica. Of course, a lot depends on how it was configured from the very beginning. But basically this is my experience with newly purchased harmonicas without any adjustments.
3. Volume

The volume of a harmonic is determined by a combination of the previous two characteristics - the shape of the pads and the response time - plus one more - airtightness. Harmonicas with plastic bodies leak less air throughout their life. Wood-bodied harmonicas constantly change throughout their life due to the expansion and contraction of the wood caused by moisture generated by your breath as you play. Wood is a very unstable material because it constantly changes with weather conditions And environment while playing, creating more and more air leakage problems.

There are a few things to pay attention to even with a plastic case. On some harmonicas, the plates with tongues are recessed into the body, providing less clearance between the pickguard, body and plates. Examples of this type of harmonica are "Special 20", "Lee Oskar", "Suzuki Bluesmaster" and "Hering Blues".

Other harmonicas, such as the Huang Slivertone, do not have their plates recessed into the body. These harmonics may be less airtight because the pads lie directly on the plates and can sometimes be a source of air leakage. There are, however, some high quality harmonicas designed this way, such as the "Suzuki Promaster" or the "Hohner Meisterklasse", but less expensive harmonicas with this arrangement may tend to leak more air.

Whatever your level of playing - seasoned professional or beginner - these three things will help you choose the right harmonica.

The harmonica is a small instrument, but with enormous capabilities. Harmonicas are most often used in blues and folk music. There are many types of harmonicas: diatonic, chromatic, octave, tremolo, special small ones for children. And each variety is more suitable for playing in one style or another. For example, octave and tremolo harmonicas are best suited for playing folk music, and diatonic for blues playing, although they can also play melodic music.

The basis of the harmonica is the reeds, which are located inside the comb body. When playing on them, an air stream is supplied through the holes in the comb, which causes the reeds to vibrate, and thus a sound is created.

The most famous harmonica manufacturer
- German company Hohner.
The company was founded by Matthias Hohner in 1857 in the German city of Trossingen and is still located there. In addition to harmonicas, the Hohner company produces guitars,
recorders, melodicas, accordions and various accessories. From the moment of foundation until today Hohner employees are constantly improving the design of accordions, creating new models, introducing modern technologies production. But despite this, some models are still made by hand, such as the legendary Marine Band harmonica.

The range of Hohner harmonicas is huge and includes all existing varieties. At first, when you first want to learn to play the harmonica, it may be difficult to choose, especially if you do not know the basic features of the various types of this instrument. It is advisable to take your first steps in playing using a diatonic harmonica in the key of C major (which in the European tradition is designated as C major, or simply capital C). Other types of harmonicas have features that, at the first stage, can distract from learning the basics of playing. Therefore, we will dwell in more detail on the diatonic harmonicas produced by the Hohner company.

Diatonic harmonicas differ from others in that they have a diatonic structure with alternating successive 2 whole tones, a semitone, 3 whole tones and another semitone. Such an accordion has one row of holes, and behind each of them there are two reeds that give one note when you inhale, another when you exhale.

For comparison, octave harmonicas have a double row of holes, with two reeds in each. Coinciding holes in rows are tuned to the same note, but one octave apart. In tremolo harmonicas, one of the reeds is tuned slightly higher than the other, resulting in a “tremolo” effect. A similar tuning feature on the harmonica's sister accordion is called a "spill".

Today, the range of diatonic harmonicas includes four series:

Enthusiast– an entry-level series, it presents inexpensive accordions produced automatically.

MS-Series– the so-called modular system – this series includes accordions of both medium and high levels. The difference is that most harmonica parts are interchangeable from one instrument to another. The main parts are produced automatically, after which assembly and adjustment are done manually.

Progressive– a series of intermediate and high level harmonicas for advanced harpers. Collected by hand.

Marine Band is a legendary series, which is represented by several classic models of the old design from 1896, as well as modified models. These harmonicas are handcrafted and have a wooden body made from a variety of woods. Marine Band harmonicas have earned their popularity because they are ideal for blues playing; they are used by most famous musicians.

Based on their areas of application, diatonic harmonicas can be divided into two categories. Some are more suitable for playing blues, since they are convenient for making bends, which are distinctive feature blues playing. Harmonicas in another category are less suitable for blues and more suitable for others. musical styles. Let's take a closer look at the model range of Hohner diatonic harmonicas. For convenience, we will distribute them into series.

Marine Band Series

Enthusiast Series

MS-Series

Progressive Series

What should you look for when choosing a harmonica? As for the case material, it is very difficult to say unequivocally which is better - wood, plastic or metal. Every instrument sounds different and everyone has their own personal preference for sound. The wooden body used to have a swelling problem, but in the last few years the wood has been coated with a special varnish that minimizes this problem. The plastic case is more sealed and sounds duller, but due to the changed shape of the covers the sound is brighter. The metal body gives the brightest and loudest sound, which should also correspond to individual preferences.

You can start mastering the game on almost any accordion described above. Of course, harmonicas of the middle and high price categories are more convenient to play and provide more opportunities for sound production and work on timbre. For example, it is difficult to make blues bends on inexpensive Enthusiast series harmonicas, especially with little playing experience. But at the same time initial stage this is not so necessary.

Those who have been playing the harmonica for a long time and are passionate about this musical instrument most often have several different models, since each of them gives a different sound and capabilities. After all, harmonicas are inexpensive, unlike many others musical instruments, so you can start with the simplest models, and after mastering the basics, move on to more expensive ones and have the choice of which sound you like best and which style is preferable. By the way, in many models, especially the Enthusiast series, since 2015, along with the accordion, a special code is provided with which you can get a 30-day free access to David Barrett's training lessons. More than 3 thousand video and audio files will help you master the harmonica.

We hope that after this short review of Hohner harmonicas, it will be easier for you to make a choice with which harmonica model to start mastering this wonderful instrument, or which one to buy next. After all, the choice and variety of options provide real wealth for development, regardless of your level of training!

The harmonica is a reed instrument that appeared in Europe in the 19th century. The rapid growth of its popularity occurred in the USA. Blues, country, folk and other types of music are played on the harmonica. The production of harmonicas is concentrated in Japan, Germany and China. The tool differs according to the following criteria:

material;
key;
octave characteristics;
quality;
professional category.

Harmonicas can be intended for amateurs and professionals. The second category is rare, sometimes exclusive instruments. If we talk about amateur harmonicas, they are most often divided into:

Diatonic.
Chromatic.

The first allows you to play only basic notes, the second also allows you to play halftones (sharps and flats).

You can visually distinguish the two types by a special key on the side, which raises the note by half a tone. It is, of course, easier for a beginner to learn to play the diatonic harmonica. Having mastered it thoroughly, you can easily switch to chromatic. Tonality is one of the criteria for choosing an instrument. The most common harmonicas sound in the key of C major. Some manufacturers also produce accordions in the key of G major and others.

A harmonica can be made of wood, metal and plastic. Each of these materials has its own positive features and disadvantages. For example, wood is sensitive to moisture and requires greater care in care. However, in good hands This instrument produces excellent sound.

Features of choosing a harmonica for beginners

The specificity of the harmonica is such that if you choose the wrong model, you may not learn to play at all. Only a limited range of brands are suitable for beginners. An incorrectly chosen model in the hands of a novice musician may not sound the way it should - for example, some holes do not play, which immediately raises the suspicion of a fake or defect. Experts say: harmonicas cannot be falsified, and their design does not allow manufacturing defects to appear. But the market is full of completely legal models that are unsuitable for high-quality music performance. Their number, even among high-quality German and Japanese harmonicas, reaches 89%!

Attention! If the 1-2-3 hole does not play when you inhale or 7-8-9-10 when you exhale, this is the cost of inept playing, and not evidence of a defective harmonica.

A good accordion costs at least 2 thousand rubles. High-quality models offer:

Hohner Company: Special 20, Golden Melody, Marine Band Deluxe and its sister Marine Band Crossover.
From the Seydel line, Classic, Silver, Session Steel and 1847 are suitable.
Suitable for training are Suzuki Olive and Manji, as well as the Chinese Easttop T008K.
Beginners may be mistaken in thinking that a cheap Chinese harmonica will be suitable for learning. Musicians call such models a piece of metal, but not an instrument.

When purchasing an accordion in a store, blow out each hole. In general, there are special bellows for this, but if the department does not have them, they will not be able to refuse you blowing with your mouth. The holes need to be checked for inhalation and exhalation. Extraneous ringing during sound is undesirable. They are not critical, but indicate that the tongue is clinging to the cover or board. If you choose an accordion in the key of “C”, then it should sound clear.

After purchase, carefully care for the instrument. Over time, the accordion may become upset, require replacement of the comb and fail. In addition, it can be manually improved and thereby significantly improve the sound quality. A bad accordion with its sound can discourage all desire to learn to play it, but a good one will become a reliable friend of a beginning musician.

How to choose a harmonica: video

In this article we will tell you how to choose and buy a good harmonica, which you can learn to play.

Unfortunately, more than 89% of all harmonicas from leading (including German) manufacturers are not suitable for professional playing, much less for training (and this figure does not take into account a single Chinese harmonica, of which there are a dime a dozen on our market).

Once you try to learn to play a low-quality instrument, a person forever discourages the desire to master this instrument. And the main manufacturers of harmonicas, unfortunately, with a silent conspiracy, continue to “stamp” low-quality goods, since it is this that brings them the greatest profit. This is why the harmonica remains such a rare instrument and needs to be popularized.

It is professional harmonica players, popularizers of this instrument and enthusiasts who have the main function of informing all beginning harmonica players how to choose and buy a harmonica, which harmonicas should be learned to play, and how not to make a mistake in choosing, because music stores offer such huge amount harmonicas.

In fact, you can count the number of good harmonicas on your fingers. And we are immediately in this article let's list everything good models harmonicas, which are played by professional harmonica players and which anyone can learn to play.

List of good harmonicas:

By the way, we remind you that if you are just going to study, then you need to purchase one of these harmonics in the key of “C major” (this key is denoted by the Latin letter “C”).

Easttop T008K
Hohner Golden Melody
Hohner Special 20
Hohner Rocket
Seydel 1847
Seydel Session Steel
Hohner Marine Band Crossover
Hohner Marine Band Deluxe
Suzuki Olive
Suzuki Manji

Many people think that first you can choose and buy a cheap harmonica, a kind of “workhorse”, and then you can buy a harmonica for yourself good quality. But, as a rule, it doesn’t come to the point of buying the latter, since people are completely disappointed in this instrument after playing on a low-quality harmonica.

Firstly, we want to help you understand the types of harmonicas, since in music stores you probably could see harmonicas of different sizes and types. Harmonicas are really different: diatonic (10-hole), chromatic harmonicas, tremolo, octave, bass, chord harmonicas, as well as hybrids of these harmonicas. How do you still choose and buy a harmonica? Octave, bass and chord harmonicas are the most commonly used harmonicas in harmonica orchestras, and you probably won't find them for sale in your country, so we won't go into them here. Let's talk about diatonic, chromatic and tremolo harmonicas, and how to choose a harmonica.

Tremolo harmonicas.
In such harmonicas, on each note, the two sound reeds are slightly detuned relative to each other, thereby achieving a tremolo effect. On such harmonicas there are sounds only of the “white piano keys” and not a single black key. This harmonica is quite primitive; it is very easy for anyone with even the slightest hearing to learn to play. And at the same time, it is very limited in capabilities due to the large shortage of missing notes. By choosing a tremolo harmonica, you will be able to play only simple children’s melodies; Russian and Ukrainian ones can “lay down” well folk songs, well, and perhaps also the anthems of some countries - and, unfortunately, that’s all.

Chromatic harmonicas – on the contrary, they have all the sounds of the chromatic scale (all white and black piano keys). Chromatic harmonicas, as a rule, can play complex classical works, jazz music, but here it is important to have good music education, be able to sight read music and have good preparation on diatonic harmonica. Almost all harmonica players who play the chromatic harmonica start with diatonic harmonica, since some techniques and skills, such as beautiful vibrato, or bends (which theoretically cannot be done on a chromatic harmonica, but in practice are used all the time) can be well honed on a diatonic harmonica without damaging the reeds of the instrument.

Diatonic harmonica and how to choose it . The diatonic harmonica is the most popular harmonica in the world. An instrument on which you can play any music, in any style, and the sound of which is very rich and thick when compared with the harmonicas described above. All notes are present, but certain skills must be acquired to play this instrument. This harmonica is also called a blues harmonica, but this does not mean that only blues can be played on it. It just became very popular precisely in the era of active development of blues music, where it fits perfectly. It is diatonic (blues, or ten-hole) harmonicas that we popularize. For us, this is the most beautiful sounding musical instrument in the world!

Secondly, you need to decide for yourself which reeds you want to choose a harmonica with.
The material of the harmonica reeds directly affects the durability of the instrument. While Hohner and Suzuki have traditionally used copper reeds in their harmonicas, Seydel has made an innovative breakthrough in this area and became the first company to make steel reeds for its harmonicas. As a result, they last longer and are difficult to break.

Thirdly, it is important to note that harmonicas come in different tones. and if you are just a beginner harmonica player, then you should choose a harmonica in the key of C major.
Simply put, it will be easiest for you to master the basic techniques and skills; besides, almost all existing tutorials, including our tutorial for the harmonica, are written for the harmonica in “C major”. Having started learning to play the harmonica in this key, it will then be easy for you to play all the others: both higher and lower keys.

The fourth and last point when choosing a harmonica should be checking the instrument. If you buy a harmonica from a musical instrument store, ask for special harmonica bellows. You can “blow” each hole on them, both during inhalation and exhalation, making sure that all notes are heard. Unfortunately, music stores rarely carry bellows, so most likely you will have to check the harmonica yourself, and if the store does not have bellows, you cannot be refused. It is important for you to “breathe” each hole individually, which can be very difficult if you have never played the harmonica before. When checking each hole for inhalation and exhalation, pay attention to additional sounds in the form of “ringing” that can be found on harmonicas, which may mean that the reed is clinging to the harmonica board. In this case, ask for another accordion. Also, in low keys (A, G and lower), the reeds can hit the lid of the harmonica and also with a characteristic ringing. This happens very often on the Golden Melody harmonica, and in principle it is normal, but try several harmonicas of your chosen model, and you may come across one that does not ring. On harmonicas in the key of C major, there should be no ringing at all, so a clear sound at each hole is the best criterion for buying a harmonica in C major.

We wish you a successful choice and purchase of a harmonica!