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Harmonicas- Finding the Harp that Fits Your Needs
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson]Chris Robertson
Harmonicas are wonderful musical instruments. They're versatile, they're relatively inexpensive, they fit in your pocket, and their music can evoke a wide range of feelings. Harmonicas - or harps, as they are commonly called - are used in a wide variety of musical genres, such as bluegrass, the blues, folk, rock, country, Gospel, jazz, and even Classical music.
If you want to learn to play the harp and are planning to take instruction, you should understand the different types of harmonicas that are available. The leading makers of harmonicas include Suzuki, Hering, Hohner, and Bushman. Beyond brands, though, there are other differences you should know about.
The harmonica that most people are familiar with is the ten-hole "Blues harp." Each of the holes has two reeds, which are tuned to play different notes. Blues harps come in virtually every key, and each harmonica can play 19 musical notes.
Blues harps are a subcategory of diatonic harmonicas, so named because of the two reeds in each hole. Diatonic harmonics generally play only one key. Another type of diatonic harmonica is the octave harmonica, which is tuned so that each hole plays the same note, only an octave apart from one another. The tremolo harmonica also has two reeds, but one plays a slightly flat note and the other plays a slightly sharp note.
A different category of harmonica is the chromatic harmonica. These harmonicas typically have twelve, fourteen, or sixteen holes, and four reeds per hole. They also have a sliding bar that moves the air from the mouthpiece to a specific reed plate. Chromatic harmonicas are most often used in jazz and Classical music.
Harmonica Instruction
When you learn to play the harmonica, you'll first be taught how to breathe correctly. Because successfully playing the harmonica involves both breathing out and breathing in, it's important to breathe from your diaphragm. You'll also learn how to correctly hold the harmonica, how to move it, and how to position your lips so you'll achieve the right notes. You'll also learn harmonica tablature, or tabs, which in instruction that replaces the need for learning to read music. Harmonica tabs tell you what actions you need to take, such as blowing in the fifth and sixth holes, rather than simply showing you music notation. For example, tablature might indicate an upward arrow with a number above it, indicating that you need to blow on that numbered hole, followed by a downward area with a number on top, indicating that you need to inhale on that hole. Tabs make learning to play the harmonica much easier than learning to play other instruments.
Choosing a Harp
Most harmonica instruction is given in the key of C, so it's probably best to buy a diatonic or Blues harp in the key of C. Most experts recommend that beginners purchase harmonicas with plastic or aluminum combs (the body of the harmonica) rather than wood. Plastic and metal are both more comfortable and more durable. However, you should be aware that, over time, you'll probably buy and try several different brands of harmonicas. Each person is unique, and each has to find the harmonica that is the best fit for his or her playing style.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular [http://www.majon.com]internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about [http://www.HarpDepot.com/]Finding the Right Harmonica or Majon's [http://www.majon.com/directory/Music]Music directory
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson http://EzineArticles.com/?Harmonicas--Finding-the-Harp-that-Fits-Your-Needs&id=611074
Types of Harmonicas
Types of Harmonica
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lenkefi]Peter Lenkefi
There are basically three types of harmonica, though a few more have come into existence with even more modified features.the right selection of the desired harmonica should be based on the style of music one wants to play and the kind of effects he wants to put in. There are 3 basic types: the diatonic harmonica, the tremolo harmonica and the chromatic harmonica.
1. Diatonic Harmonicas This was the first type of harmonica to be created. Although they are most commonly used to play blues and country, one will be able to play all kinds of popular music with a diatonic harmonica.
A diatonic harmonica has 10 holes and permits the player to use the tones and semi-tones equivalent to the white notes on a piano (using the scale of C major as an example) However, it is possible to play other notes by using bending and over blow techniques.
2. Tremolo Harmonicas: This type of harmonica is ideal for playing very traditional music because one may easily create a wonderful ‘tremolo’ effect. It is very popular with Gospel and old world; Folk, Country, Scottish and Irish music.
Tremolo harmonicas are constructed with double holes placed vertically. Each contains two reeds, one slightly de-tuned to the other. When vibrating together, these reeds produce a unique tremolo effect.
3. Chromatic Harmonicas: The chromatic harmonica has been created to compensate for the missing notes on the diatonic harmonica. You will be able to play both the tones and semi-tones of a chromatic scale (a chromatic scale is when both white notes and black notes are played in succession; C, Db, D, Eb, E etc) helped by a slide button.
A few other types of harmonicas are-
OCTAVE TUNED-
Octave harmonicas are similar to Tremolo models in reed layout and musical range. Instead of having reeds tuned to the same note, however, each double hole has one reed tuned an octave apart from the other.
SPECIAL TUNED DIATONICS- This is used for enjoying the advantage of additional notes and scales which are not present in chromatic harmonica.
CHORD AND BRASS HARMONICA- These are two more types of harmonica which are basically used for ensemble performances.
There are thousands of different models present in the market,be it a diatonic or a chromatic harmonica,and different models of different other types of harmonica.harmonicas can be made up of metal or plastic.
For more more information about harmonica types please visit http://www.learn-to-play-the-harmonica.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lenkefi http://EzineArticles.com/?Types-of-Harmonica&id=77045
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lenkefi]Peter Lenkefi
There are basically three types of harmonica, though a few more have come into existence with even more modified features.the right selection of the desired harmonica should be based on the style of music one wants to play and the kind of effects he wants to put in. There are 3 basic types: the diatonic harmonica, the tremolo harmonica and the chromatic harmonica.
1. Diatonic Harmonicas This was the first type of harmonica to be created. Although they are most commonly used to play blues and country, one will be able to play all kinds of popular music with a diatonic harmonica.
A diatonic harmonica has 10 holes and permits the player to use the tones and semi-tones equivalent to the white notes on a piano (using the scale of C major as an example) However, it is possible to play other notes by using bending and over blow techniques.
2. Tremolo Harmonicas: This type of harmonica is ideal for playing very traditional music because one may easily create a wonderful ‘tremolo’ effect. It is very popular with Gospel and old world; Folk, Country, Scottish and Irish music.
Tremolo harmonicas are constructed with double holes placed vertically. Each contains two reeds, one slightly de-tuned to the other. When vibrating together, these reeds produce a unique tremolo effect.
3. Chromatic Harmonicas: The chromatic harmonica has been created to compensate for the missing notes on the diatonic harmonica. You will be able to play both the tones and semi-tones of a chromatic scale (a chromatic scale is when both white notes and black notes are played in succession; C, Db, D, Eb, E etc) helped by a slide button.
A few other types of harmonicas are-
OCTAVE TUNED-
Octave harmonicas are similar to Tremolo models in reed layout and musical range. Instead of having reeds tuned to the same note, however, each double hole has one reed tuned an octave apart from the other.
SPECIAL TUNED DIATONICS- This is used for enjoying the advantage of additional notes and scales which are not present in chromatic harmonica.
CHORD AND BRASS HARMONICA- These are two more types of harmonica which are basically used for ensemble performances.
There are thousands of different models present in the market,be it a diatonic or a chromatic harmonica,and different models of different other types of harmonica.harmonicas can be made up of metal or plastic.
For more more information about harmonica types please visit http://www.learn-to-play-the-harmonica.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Lenkefi http://EzineArticles.com/?Types-of-Harmonica&id=77045
Which Harp?
TITLE: Learn to Play Harmonica - Which Harp Should I Use?
When you learn to play harmonica you will discover that there are a number of options in what type you can play. If you are a little confused about your options then read on and decide for yourself what type would suit you best. For future reference the harmonica is also referred to as a 'harp'.
It is always a good idea to start at the beginning. Most people learn to play on the 10 hole diatonic version. Quite simply, they are considered the easiest to play. They also provide a good grounding for a player to hone their technique. However, it is somewhat of a general term because it refers to any harmonica that is to be played in one key only. In general, you can expect a standard harp to be in the key of C and is the most prevalent of all the mouth organs out there.
The chromatic harmonica is a well known instrument as many of the legends of this genre tend to showcase their talents with one of these. The harp is similar in appearance to the diatonic but has a button activated slide bar as part of its construction.
Without getting too scientific this slide bar acts as a funnel from the point where air is blown in and directed to the preferred reed plate that the musician has opted for. The effect of this is the creation of more varied notes and in the case of a larger harmonica (standard sizes are 10 holes) more keys can be accessed. It's fair to say that if you have just started to learn to play harmonica the chromatic may be a bit of a mouthful. More advanced musicians will want to take advantage of it's versatility and the greater challenge
The tremolo harmonica is a more specialized type. It creates what can be described as a wailing tone. The unique structure of having a double reed per hole is responsible for this. There are no particular reasons why you shouldn't try this version as a means of providing your playing with a bit of variety.
The ChengGong harmonica is a large diatonic harmonica with a mouthpiece that actually slides across the main body. The number of notes and chords that can be produced is remarkable due to this structure. As you learn to play harmonica and start to really improve this version can be used to expand your range. If you are interested in joining an orchestra then playing the harmonica will not limit you. There are specific types that are constructed to be used as part of a wider collection of orchestral instruments.
For example, there is the chord harmonica where a great number of chords can be produced through the double reed 4 note cluster arrangement. The harmonica itself is quite large in comparison to its cousins and has great capacity to produce memorable sounds. If you've never come across one of these I urge you to search on You Tube to see how remarkable this harmonica is.
For lots more information on the harmonica world check out the links below.
Click here for more info on how to learn to play harmonica. Check out this site for tips on which harmonica set to buy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benny_Lewis
http://EzineArticles.com/?Learn-to-Play-Harmonica---Which-Harp-Should-I-Use?&id=2891549
When you learn to play harmonica you will discover that there are a number of options in what type you can play. If you are a little confused about your options then read on and decide for yourself what type would suit you best. For future reference the harmonica is also referred to as a 'harp'.
It is always a good idea to start at the beginning. Most people learn to play on the 10 hole diatonic version. Quite simply, they are considered the easiest to play. They also provide a good grounding for a player to hone their technique. However, it is somewhat of a general term because it refers to any harmonica that is to be played in one key only. In general, you can expect a standard harp to be in the key of C and is the most prevalent of all the mouth organs out there.
The chromatic harmonica is a well known instrument as many of the legends of this genre tend to showcase their talents with one of these. The harp is similar in appearance to the diatonic but has a button activated slide bar as part of its construction.
Without getting too scientific this slide bar acts as a funnel from the point where air is blown in and directed to the preferred reed plate that the musician has opted for. The effect of this is the creation of more varied notes and in the case of a larger harmonica (standard sizes are 10 holes) more keys can be accessed. It's fair to say that if you have just started to learn to play harmonica the chromatic may be a bit of a mouthful. More advanced musicians will want to take advantage of it's versatility and the greater challenge
The tremolo harmonica is a more specialized type. It creates what can be described as a wailing tone. The unique structure of having a double reed per hole is responsible for this. There are no particular reasons why you shouldn't try this version as a means of providing your playing with a bit of variety.
The ChengGong harmonica is a large diatonic harmonica with a mouthpiece that actually slides across the main body. The number of notes and chords that can be produced is remarkable due to this structure. As you learn to play harmonica and start to really improve this version can be used to expand your range. If you are interested in joining an orchestra then playing the harmonica will not limit you. There are specific types that are constructed to be used as part of a wider collection of orchestral instruments.
For example, there is the chord harmonica where a great number of chords can be produced through the double reed 4 note cluster arrangement. The harmonica itself is quite large in comparison to its cousins and has great capacity to produce memorable sounds. If you've never come across one of these I urge you to search on You Tube to see how remarkable this harmonica is.
For lots more information on the harmonica world check out the links below.
Click here for more info on how to learn to play harmonica. Check out this site for tips on which harmonica set to buy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benny_Lewis
http://EzineArticles.com/?Learn-to-Play-Harmonica---Which-Harp-Should-I-Use?&id=2891549
How to Play Blues Harmonica
How to Play Blues Harmonica - To Get Started Right - Here's What You Need to Know
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Shelton]Matthew Shelton
First of all it's important to know that there is not a separate, "blues" harmonica instrument - "blues harmonica" is instead a style of playing the harmonica. Blues harmonica is played most often on the major diatonic 10 hole harmonica.
Harmonicas were invented in Germany in the 1800s and were at the time were basically used to play the "oom-pa-pa" or classical music or folk tunes of the time and of that area. The major diatonic harmonicas really haven't changed their tuning very much since that time.
That doesn't mean that you have to play folk, classical, or oom-pa-pa music on the diatonic harmonica, it just means that you have to play in a different style, and with a few different techniques, in order to get the blues harmonica sound.
The first that has to be done in order to be able to play in the blues harmonica style and get the blues harmonica sound is to no longer play using the built-in blow-oriented tuning of the diatonic harmonica.
Instead, what you do is play in what's called second position or "crossharp".
In second position playing, your root note for the harmonica is the #2 draw on the harmonica ("draw" means inhale in harmonica language), NOT the #1 blow (which is the standard folk, classical, oom-pa-pa position).
The second position takes advantage of the DRAW CHORD which is built into the first four holes of the diatonic harmonica, which is a seventh chord - seventh chords are extremely important for blues music.
So now you have a new orientation for your harmonica playing: away from the BLOW-oriented style of the first position, to the DRAW-oriented of the 2nd position which uses the root note #2 draw, or the root chord you could also say, on the diatonic harmonica.
By starting on the #2 draw - what you have is a different scale that you are taking advantage of on the harmonica - technically it is a minor pentatonic scale.
However, this particular pentatonic scale has flatted notes or "blue" notes in it in order to get that "bluesy" sound, and is a specialized scale often called the blues scale. To get the flatted "blue" notes in the blues harmonica style it is necessary to become proficient at a technique called "bending notes" on the harmonica.
Bending a note on the harmonica is actually creating a note that wasn't built into the harmonica - it's almost a magical thing. The harmonica works by air flowing a brass reed that is riveted in a slot. The harmonica has one blow reed and one draw reed right above it in each slot. When the harmonica is assembled, you don't see the slots, but just know that these reeds, 1 blow and 1 draw, are in the same hole, one above the other.
You have 10 holes in the typical major diatonic harmonica, and 10 blow and 10 draw notes, so you have twenty built-in notes.
By bending notes, you can get considerably more notes, and more often than not it is these bent notes that gives the harmonica its' "soul" and its' very "vocal" sound.
How to bend a note is quite a study unto itself, but the main thing you are doing while bending a note is changing the air pressure while the air is flowing over the reed, and in almost all cases this will be on a draw note.
To get started bending notes, choose one of the harmonica holes that usually is one of the easier notes to bend, the #2 draw.
First you must have a good single note technique. That is, you must be good at playing only one hole at a time without other holes leaking in their sound.
Next - you draw in the #2 draw with that clear relaxed single note style so you can hear what that single note is supposed to sound like, and imagine that you are articulating the vowel "E" while drawing in on the #2 draw.
Three: Exhale so that you have a lot of air to work with on the #2 draw, and while drawing in saying "E", without changing anything else inside your mouth, change the vowel articulation to "OOO" or "AAAH".
What this ultimately will do will be to change the air pressure inside that slot and will cause the brass reed to vibrate at a different rate, and the reed will be "bent" down.This gives you your bent note or "blue" note.
Harmonicas come in many different keys: the higher the pitch of harmonica, the shorter the reed. The shorter the reed, the harder it is to bend the note, at least until you get used to it. So start with at least a midrange harmonica such as the key of C, or go to a lower pitch harmonica key such as an A or even lower, a G harmonica, to practice bending notes.
The actual bending technique will be the same for all keys, but you will find it easier to learn the bending technique initially on the lower pitch harmonicas.
So those are the main elements of how to play blues harmonica:
1. Playing in the 2nd position or "crossharp" style
2. Playing in a pentatonic blues scale
3. Getting the "missing" blue notes of the scale by using the bending technique.
Blues harmonica is the root technique of almost all other harmonica styles, so whether you are a blues fan or not, it is a great place to start learning more fun techniques on the harmonica.
You can go to [http://harmonica.com]harmonica.com to get more help on how to play blues harmonica, especially the bending technique.
Matthew Shelton is the founder of [http://harmonica.com]Harmonica.com, your best source for harmonica instruments, books, audio and video. You CAN learn to play the harmonica, and you can carry it with you to have fun wherever you go!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Shelton http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Play-Blues-Harmonica---To-Get-Started-Right---Heres-What-You-Need-to-Know&id=1769216
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Shelton]Matthew Shelton
First of all it's important to know that there is not a separate, "blues" harmonica instrument - "blues harmonica" is instead a style of playing the harmonica. Blues harmonica is played most often on the major diatonic 10 hole harmonica.
Harmonicas were invented in Germany in the 1800s and were at the time were basically used to play the "oom-pa-pa" or classical music or folk tunes of the time and of that area. The major diatonic harmonicas really haven't changed their tuning very much since that time.
That doesn't mean that you have to play folk, classical, or oom-pa-pa music on the diatonic harmonica, it just means that you have to play in a different style, and with a few different techniques, in order to get the blues harmonica sound.
The first that has to be done in order to be able to play in the blues harmonica style and get the blues harmonica sound is to no longer play using the built-in blow-oriented tuning of the diatonic harmonica.
Instead, what you do is play in what's called second position or "crossharp".
In second position playing, your root note for the harmonica is the #2 draw on the harmonica ("draw" means inhale in harmonica language), NOT the #1 blow (which is the standard folk, classical, oom-pa-pa position).
The second position takes advantage of the DRAW CHORD which is built into the first four holes of the diatonic harmonica, which is a seventh chord - seventh chords are extremely important for blues music.
So now you have a new orientation for your harmonica playing: away from the BLOW-oriented style of the first position, to the DRAW-oriented of the 2nd position which uses the root note #2 draw, or the root chord you could also say, on the diatonic harmonica.
By starting on the #2 draw - what you have is a different scale that you are taking advantage of on the harmonica - technically it is a minor pentatonic scale.
However, this particular pentatonic scale has flatted notes or "blue" notes in it in order to get that "bluesy" sound, and is a specialized scale often called the blues scale. To get the flatted "blue" notes in the blues harmonica style it is necessary to become proficient at a technique called "bending notes" on the harmonica.
Bending a note on the harmonica is actually creating a note that wasn't built into the harmonica - it's almost a magical thing. The harmonica works by air flowing a brass reed that is riveted in a slot. The harmonica has one blow reed and one draw reed right above it in each slot. When the harmonica is assembled, you don't see the slots, but just know that these reeds, 1 blow and 1 draw, are in the same hole, one above the other.
You have 10 holes in the typical major diatonic harmonica, and 10 blow and 10 draw notes, so you have twenty built-in notes.
By bending notes, you can get considerably more notes, and more often than not it is these bent notes that gives the harmonica its' "soul" and its' very "vocal" sound.
How to bend a note is quite a study unto itself, but the main thing you are doing while bending a note is changing the air pressure while the air is flowing over the reed, and in almost all cases this will be on a draw note.
To get started bending notes, choose one of the harmonica holes that usually is one of the easier notes to bend, the #2 draw.
First you must have a good single note technique. That is, you must be good at playing only one hole at a time without other holes leaking in their sound.
Next - you draw in the #2 draw with that clear relaxed single note style so you can hear what that single note is supposed to sound like, and imagine that you are articulating the vowel "E" while drawing in on the #2 draw.
Three: Exhale so that you have a lot of air to work with on the #2 draw, and while drawing in saying "E", without changing anything else inside your mouth, change the vowel articulation to "OOO" or "AAAH".
What this ultimately will do will be to change the air pressure inside that slot and will cause the brass reed to vibrate at a different rate, and the reed will be "bent" down.This gives you your bent note or "blue" note.
Harmonicas come in many different keys: the higher the pitch of harmonica, the shorter the reed. The shorter the reed, the harder it is to bend the note, at least until you get used to it. So start with at least a midrange harmonica such as the key of C, or go to a lower pitch harmonica key such as an A or even lower, a G harmonica, to practice bending notes.
The actual bending technique will be the same for all keys, but you will find it easier to learn the bending technique initially on the lower pitch harmonicas.
So those are the main elements of how to play blues harmonica:
1. Playing in the 2nd position or "crossharp" style
2. Playing in a pentatonic blues scale
3. Getting the "missing" blue notes of the scale by using the bending technique.
Blues harmonica is the root technique of almost all other harmonica styles, so whether you are a blues fan or not, it is a great place to start learning more fun techniques on the harmonica.
You can go to [http://harmonica.com]harmonica.com to get more help on how to play blues harmonica, especially the bending technique.
Matthew Shelton is the founder of [http://harmonica.com]Harmonica.com, your best source for harmonica instruments, books, audio and video. You CAN learn to play the harmonica, and you can carry it with you to have fun wherever you go!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Shelton http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Play-Blues-Harmonica---To-Get-Started-Right---Heres-What-You-Need-to-Know&id=1769216
I've been reviewing a really cool website about the Harmonica. I like what this guy says and you should check it out. Here's the link: http://www.jt30.com/
Harmonica information
Here's a great site for harmonica information: http://www.ianchadwick.com/essays/harmonicas.htm
Early Harmonicas
This article is a short piece taken from Wikopedia.
The harmonica first appeared in Vienna, where harmonicas with chambers were sold before 1824 (see also Anton Reinlein and Anton Haeckl). Richter tuning was in use nearly from the beginning. In Germany, Mr. Meisel of Geschichte des Akkordeonbaus in Klingenthal, Schwarzmeisel and Langhammer, bought a harmonica with chambers (Kanzellen) at the Exhibition in Braunschweig in 1824. He and Langhammer in Graslitz copied the instruments; by 1827 they had produced hundreds of harmonicas. Many others followed in Germany and also nearby in what would later become Czechoslovakia. In 1829, Johann Wilhelm Rudolph Glier also began making harmonicas.
In 1830, Christan Messner, a cloth maker and weaver from Trossingen, copied a harmonica his neighbour had brought from Vienna. He had such success that eventually his brother and some relatives also started to make harmonicas. From 1840 onwards, his nephew Christian Weiss was also involved in the business. By 1855, there were at least three harmonica-making businesses: C. A. Seydel Söhne, Christian Messner & Co., and Württ. Harmonikafabrik Ch. WEISS. Currently, only C.A. Seydel is still in business.
Owing to competition between the harmonica factories in Trossingen and Klingenthal, machines were invented to punch the covers for the reeds. In 1857, Matthias Hohner, a clockmaker from Trossingen, started producing harmonicas, eventually to become the first person to mass-produce them. He used a mass-produced wooden comb that he had made by machine-cutting firms. By 1868, he began supplying the United States. By the 1920s, the diatonic harmonica had largely reached its modern form. Other types followed soon thereafter, including the various tremolo and octave harmonicas.
By the late 19th century, harmonica production was a big business, having evolved into mass-production. New designs were still developed in the 20th century, including the chromatic harmonica, first made by Hohner in 1924, the bass harmonica, and the chord harmonica. In the 21st century, radical new designs are still being introduced into the market, such as the Suzuki Overdrive and Hohner XB-40.
Diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for the playing of German and other European folk music and have succeeded well in those styles. Over time the basic design and tuning proved adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country, old-time and more. The harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the centre of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany, the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Hohner - once the dominant manufacturer in the world), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo, Yamaha), China (Huang, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner) and Brasil (Hering). Recently, responding to increasingly demanding performance techniques, the market for high quality instruments has grown.
Shortly after Hohner began manufacturing harmonicas in 1857, he shipped some to relatives who had emigrated to the United States. Its music rapidly became popular, and the country became an enormous market for Hohner's goods. President Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket,[7] and harmonicas provided solace to soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides of the American Civil War. Frontiersmen Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the instrument, and it became a fixture of the American musical landscape.
The first recordings of harmonicas were made in the U.S. in the 1920s. These recordings are 'race-records', intended for the black market of the southern states with solo recordings by DeFord Bailey, duo recordings with a guitarist Hammie Nixon, Walter Horton, Sonny Terry, as well as hillbilly styles recorded for white audiences, by Frank Hutchison, Gwen Foster and several other musicians. There are also recordings featuring the harmonica in jug bands, of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated with the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the 2nd position, or cross-harp.
The harmonica's versatility brought it to the attention of classical music during the 1930s. American Larry Adler was one of the first harmonica players to perform major works written for the instrument by the composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin.
The harmonica first appeared in Vienna, where harmonicas with chambers were sold before 1824 (see also Anton Reinlein and Anton Haeckl). Richter tuning was in use nearly from the beginning. In Germany, Mr. Meisel of Geschichte des Akkordeonbaus in Klingenthal, Schwarzmeisel and Langhammer, bought a harmonica with chambers (Kanzellen) at the Exhibition in Braunschweig in 1824. He and Langhammer in Graslitz copied the instruments; by 1827 they had produced hundreds of harmonicas. Many others followed in Germany and also nearby in what would later become Czechoslovakia. In 1829, Johann Wilhelm Rudolph Glier also began making harmonicas.
In 1830, Christan Messner, a cloth maker and weaver from Trossingen, copied a harmonica his neighbour had brought from Vienna. He had such success that eventually his brother and some relatives also started to make harmonicas. From 1840 onwards, his nephew Christian Weiss was also involved in the business. By 1855, there were at least three harmonica-making businesses: C. A. Seydel Söhne, Christian Messner & Co., and Württ. Harmonikafabrik Ch. WEISS. Currently, only C.A. Seydel is still in business.
Owing to competition between the harmonica factories in Trossingen and Klingenthal, machines were invented to punch the covers for the reeds. In 1857, Matthias Hohner, a clockmaker from Trossingen, started producing harmonicas, eventually to become the first person to mass-produce them. He used a mass-produced wooden comb that he had made by machine-cutting firms. By 1868, he began supplying the United States. By the 1920s, the diatonic harmonica had largely reached its modern form. Other types followed soon thereafter, including the various tremolo and octave harmonicas.
By the late 19th century, harmonica production was a big business, having evolved into mass-production. New designs were still developed in the 20th century, including the chromatic harmonica, first made by Hohner in 1924, the bass harmonica, and the chord harmonica. In the 21st century, radical new designs are still being introduced into the market, such as the Suzuki Overdrive and Hohner XB-40.
Diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for the playing of German and other European folk music and have succeeded well in those styles. Over time the basic design and tuning proved adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country, old-time and more. The harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the centre of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany, the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Hohner - once the dominant manufacturer in the world), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo, Yamaha), China (Huang, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner) and Brasil (Hering). Recently, responding to increasingly demanding performance techniques, the market for high quality instruments has grown.
Shortly after Hohner began manufacturing harmonicas in 1857, he shipped some to relatives who had emigrated to the United States. Its music rapidly became popular, and the country became an enormous market for Hohner's goods. President Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket,[7] and harmonicas provided solace to soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides of the American Civil War. Frontiersmen Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the instrument, and it became a fixture of the American musical landscape.
The first recordings of harmonicas were made in the U.S. in the 1920s. These recordings are 'race-records', intended for the black market of the southern states with solo recordings by DeFord Bailey, duo recordings with a guitarist Hammie Nixon, Walter Horton, Sonny Terry, as well as hillbilly styles recorded for white audiences, by Frank Hutchison, Gwen Foster and several other musicians. There are also recordings featuring the harmonica in jug bands, of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated with the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the 2nd position, or cross-harp.
The harmonica's versatility brought it to the attention of classical music during the 1930s. American Larry Adler was one of the first harmonica players to perform major works written for the instrument by the composers Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin.
The Hering Harmonica
I copied this article directly from this website: http://www.brazilmax.com/. It provides a great description of a harmonica that you might never have heard of.
Hering Harmonicas: Building a Better Harmonica in Brazil
by Bryan McCann
Blumenau, Santa Catarina - Ilberto Manke leans into his work, filing microscopic brass shavings from a set of virgin harmonic reeds. Manke is a tuner at the Hering harmonica factory in this small city in southern Brazil. Pumping a pedal beneath his wooden work table, he summons a jet of air that rises from a hose through a set of standardized reeds, producing a sweet hum.
When he takes a new reedplate û one-half of the guts of a harmonica - fresh from the assembly line and places it on top of the standardized reeds, the clash is cacophonous. With a few rasps of his file, Mr. Manke brings a muddy A-flat up to concert A, shimmering at precisely 440hz. The rest of the reeds seem to follow obediently, rising to harmony under the tutelage of his file. In less than a minute, the whole room reverberates with the celestial swell of a well-tuned harmonica.
Manke seems to know a thing or two about tuning, although he is relatively new to the job. He has been with Hering only since 1960 - fellow tuner Osmar Setter has been at it since 1958. Together, the pair tunes most of the 30,000 harmonicas Hering produces every month.
Manke and Setter are typical of the workers at Hering, who employ artisanal skills honed by generations of their German forebears. The factory itself - a cavernous wood and plaster shed that looks more like a Bavarian ski lodge than an industrial plant - underlines the continuity. The production end of the harmonica business here has changed surprisingly little since Alredo Hering founded the business in 1923. More of the stamping and cutting of the instrumentÆs basic anatomy is now given over to heavy machinery, but the close work that turns a pile of parts into a resonating marvel is still done by practiced hands trained through rigorous apprenticeship.
The marketing end of the business, meanwhile, has changed dramatically.
Through the 20th century, harmonicas straddled the divide between toys and musical instruments. Hering itself manufactured musical toys through the mid-1990s. Diatonic harmonicas - the small kind, usually with 12 holes and 24 reeds - were inexpensive enough to be nearly disposable, limiting the benefits of careful manufacture. And the market for fine chromatic harmonicas - the large kind, with the spring-operated slide that triggers a second set of reeds - was so small and fragmented that its specific needs were met mostly through after-market customization.
But in the 21st century, a niche market that used to be fragmented is now linked by instantaneous communication. Vigorous online discussions about arcane topics like the physics of reedplate resonance and the optimal glue for replacement valves keep harmonicists in Germany, Japan, the United States, and elsewhere deeply informed about the minutiae of manufacturing.
In Blumenau, globalism drives localism. The more Hering strives to meet the demands of the finicky wired consumer, the more it draws on the cumulative expertise of artisans like Manke and Setter. The result is that the Hering factory, a kind of outpost of 19th century German manufacturing in subtropical Brazil, flourishes for another generation, training a new cohort of apprentices.
Hohner, the German company that is the dominant player today, controlling roughly two-thirds of the world market for serious harmonicas, began churning out the first factory-produced harmonicas in 1857, and became a household name at about the same time as Otto von Bismarck.
Parallel streams of German immigration to the US and to southern Brazil then yielded similar consequences - the local popularization of the harmonica, adapted to new musical styles like the blues and choro, the ragtime-like music practiced with fierce devotion by many Brazilians.
But Alfredo HeringÆs decision to transplant old-world manufacturing techniques to Blumenau gave Brazil something the US never had - a thriving home-grown harmonica factory that maintained the old traditions in the new world.
A generation ago, it seemed like globalization would eliminate this odd survivor. Hohner bought Hering in 1968 but sold it in 1975. Hering struggled through the 1980s, its work force and market share shrinking. In 1993, current owner Alberto Bertolazzi left the SÒo Paulo financial market and bought the company in a speculative venture. ôMy idea was to buy Hering, quickly sell off its shares to international investors interested in the brand name, and return to SÒo Paulo,ö he remembers.
But BertolazziÆs acquisition happened to coincide with the rise of listserves catering to the obsessions of previously splintered subcultures. As he eliminated the toy line and prepared to sell off the company, he found himself bombarded with increasingly specific suggestions for adjustments that might increase air-tightness, resistance to humidity and tuning fidelity - the three challenges that most vex the industry.
A new niche was opening - the possibility of reaching harmonica mavens through pre-market artisanal detail rather than after-market customization. Instead of selling shares, Bertolazzi turned to the older generation of Hering workers and to professional Brazilian players like Ronald da Silva (a.k.a Ronald da Gaita), and they began tinkering. The retro-model 1923 Vintage - a 12-hole diatonic with a wooden body and brass screws that would be instantly familiar to a 19th-century German - grew out of such experiments. So does the Stan Harper 56, a 14-hole, 56-reed chromatic harmonica that is the new pride and joy among HeringÆs artisans.
The instrument draws on local materials and the factoryÆs wellspring of artisanal lore. The body of the Stan Harper is made of sustainably-harvested Amazonian hardwood. Its new, low-profile mouthpiece eliminates wasted breath and improves response. And thick brass reedplates produce greater resonance.
None of these details have stopped serious harmonicists from indulging an elemental urge to become one with the instrument by adjusting its innards.
JosÚ Staneck of Rio de Janeiro, for example, switched from a 12-hole chromatic to the Stan Harper as soon as it became available. In his estimation, ôThis instrument is amazing. I barely did anything to it.ö Meaning all he did was: take apart the harmonica and, using a curved jewelerÆs awl, carefully bend each reed to the exact height suited to his playing style. Then he cut 14 holes in a piece of scotch tape, exactly matching the outline of the mouthpiece, and inserted it between the mouthpiece and the reedplates, in pursuit of perfect air-tightness. Then he nestled a slim cone of aluminum around the spring, to prevent it from bruising the wooden body during trills.
But these fanatical alterations are entirely in tune with the spirit of the factory in Blumenau. On StaneckÆs current wish list is a Stan Harper with a slightly higher pitch, with A tuned to 442hz, as is common in many orchestral settings. He knows that, with professionals like Manke and Setter on the job, Hering is precisely attuned to his needs.
Hering products on Amazon.com
Visit Hering Harmonicas in Blumenau, Santa Catarina
The folks at Hering are extremely friendly and happy to receive visitors to the administrative house, where they have a small display about Hering history, including old models, etc. The people there can talk about the various aspects of production. They do not normally offer tours of the adjacent factory building itself, both for safety and proprietary reasons.
Hering Harmonicas
Rua Ari Barroso, 685
Salto do Norte
Blumenau, SC
Telephone: + (55-47) 3338-0299
Hering USA (in English)
Bryan McCann is the author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil and Director of the Brazilian Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is also an amateur harmonica player.
Find Brazilian music on Amazon.com.
Listen to BrazilMax Radio
Talk about Brazilian music on the BrazilMax Forums
Hering Harmonicas: Building a Better Harmonica in Brazil
by Bryan McCann
Blumenau, Santa Catarina - Ilberto Manke leans into his work, filing microscopic brass shavings from a set of virgin harmonic reeds. Manke is a tuner at the Hering harmonica factory in this small city in southern Brazil. Pumping a pedal beneath his wooden work table, he summons a jet of air that rises from a hose through a set of standardized reeds, producing a sweet hum.
When he takes a new reedplate û one-half of the guts of a harmonica - fresh from the assembly line and places it on top of the standardized reeds, the clash is cacophonous. With a few rasps of his file, Mr. Manke brings a muddy A-flat up to concert A, shimmering at precisely 440hz. The rest of the reeds seem to follow obediently, rising to harmony under the tutelage of his file. In less than a minute, the whole room reverberates with the celestial swell of a well-tuned harmonica.
Manke seems to know a thing or two about tuning, although he is relatively new to the job. He has been with Hering only since 1960 - fellow tuner Osmar Setter has been at it since 1958. Together, the pair tunes most of the 30,000 harmonicas Hering produces every month.
Manke and Setter are typical of the workers at Hering, who employ artisanal skills honed by generations of their German forebears. The factory itself - a cavernous wood and plaster shed that looks more like a Bavarian ski lodge than an industrial plant - underlines the continuity. The production end of the harmonica business here has changed surprisingly little since Alredo Hering founded the business in 1923. More of the stamping and cutting of the instrumentÆs basic anatomy is now given over to heavy machinery, but the close work that turns a pile of parts into a resonating marvel is still done by practiced hands trained through rigorous apprenticeship.
The marketing end of the business, meanwhile, has changed dramatically.
Through the 20th century, harmonicas straddled the divide between toys and musical instruments. Hering itself manufactured musical toys through the mid-1990s. Diatonic harmonicas - the small kind, usually with 12 holes and 24 reeds - were inexpensive enough to be nearly disposable, limiting the benefits of careful manufacture. And the market for fine chromatic harmonicas - the large kind, with the spring-operated slide that triggers a second set of reeds - was so small and fragmented that its specific needs were met mostly through after-market customization.
But in the 21st century, a niche market that used to be fragmented is now linked by instantaneous communication. Vigorous online discussions about arcane topics like the physics of reedplate resonance and the optimal glue for replacement valves keep harmonicists in Germany, Japan, the United States, and elsewhere deeply informed about the minutiae of manufacturing.
In Blumenau, globalism drives localism. The more Hering strives to meet the demands of the finicky wired consumer, the more it draws on the cumulative expertise of artisans like Manke and Setter. The result is that the Hering factory, a kind of outpost of 19th century German manufacturing in subtropical Brazil, flourishes for another generation, training a new cohort of apprentices.
Hohner, the German company that is the dominant player today, controlling roughly two-thirds of the world market for serious harmonicas, began churning out the first factory-produced harmonicas in 1857, and became a household name at about the same time as Otto von Bismarck.
Parallel streams of German immigration to the US and to southern Brazil then yielded similar consequences - the local popularization of the harmonica, adapted to new musical styles like the blues and choro, the ragtime-like music practiced with fierce devotion by many Brazilians.
But Alfredo HeringÆs decision to transplant old-world manufacturing techniques to Blumenau gave Brazil something the US never had - a thriving home-grown harmonica factory that maintained the old traditions in the new world.
A generation ago, it seemed like globalization would eliminate this odd survivor. Hohner bought Hering in 1968 but sold it in 1975. Hering struggled through the 1980s, its work force and market share shrinking. In 1993, current owner Alberto Bertolazzi left the SÒo Paulo financial market and bought the company in a speculative venture. ôMy idea was to buy Hering, quickly sell off its shares to international investors interested in the brand name, and return to SÒo Paulo,ö he remembers.
But BertolazziÆs acquisition happened to coincide with the rise of listserves catering to the obsessions of previously splintered subcultures. As he eliminated the toy line and prepared to sell off the company, he found himself bombarded with increasingly specific suggestions for adjustments that might increase air-tightness, resistance to humidity and tuning fidelity - the three challenges that most vex the industry.
A new niche was opening - the possibility of reaching harmonica mavens through pre-market artisanal detail rather than after-market customization. Instead of selling shares, Bertolazzi turned to the older generation of Hering workers and to professional Brazilian players like Ronald da Silva (a.k.a Ronald da Gaita), and they began tinkering. The retro-model 1923 Vintage - a 12-hole diatonic with a wooden body and brass screws that would be instantly familiar to a 19th-century German - grew out of such experiments. So does the Stan Harper 56, a 14-hole, 56-reed chromatic harmonica that is the new pride and joy among HeringÆs artisans.
The instrument draws on local materials and the factoryÆs wellspring of artisanal lore. The body of the Stan Harper is made of sustainably-harvested Amazonian hardwood. Its new, low-profile mouthpiece eliminates wasted breath and improves response. And thick brass reedplates produce greater resonance.
None of these details have stopped serious harmonicists from indulging an elemental urge to become one with the instrument by adjusting its innards.
JosÚ Staneck of Rio de Janeiro, for example, switched from a 12-hole chromatic to the Stan Harper as soon as it became available. In his estimation, ôThis instrument is amazing. I barely did anything to it.ö Meaning all he did was: take apart the harmonica and, using a curved jewelerÆs awl, carefully bend each reed to the exact height suited to his playing style. Then he cut 14 holes in a piece of scotch tape, exactly matching the outline of the mouthpiece, and inserted it between the mouthpiece and the reedplates, in pursuit of perfect air-tightness. Then he nestled a slim cone of aluminum around the spring, to prevent it from bruising the wooden body during trills.
But these fanatical alterations are entirely in tune with the spirit of the factory in Blumenau. On StaneckÆs current wish list is a Stan Harper with a slightly higher pitch, with A tuned to 442hz, as is common in many orchestral settings. He knows that, with professionals like Manke and Setter on the job, Hering is precisely attuned to his needs.
Hering products on Amazon.com
Visit Hering Harmonicas in Blumenau, Santa Catarina
The folks at Hering are extremely friendly and happy to receive visitors to the administrative house, where they have a small display about Hering history, including old models, etc. The people there can talk about the various aspects of production. They do not normally offer tours of the adjacent factory building itself, both for safety and proprietary reasons.
Hering Harmonicas
Rua Ari Barroso, 685
Salto do Norte
Blumenau, SC
Telephone: + (55-47) 3338-0299
Hering USA (in English)
Bryan McCann is the author of Hello, Hello Brazil: Popular Music in the Making of Modern Brazil and Director of the Brazilian Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is also an amateur harmonica player.
Find Brazilian music on Amazon.com.
Listen to BrazilMax Radio
Talk about Brazilian music on the BrazilMax Forums
Converting Tabs to Notes for the Harmonica
I just found the greatest Tab Ruler chart for Harmonica players. This chart is located on what is probably one of the best harmonica information and song sites I have seen yet. You can access the site at http://www.harptabs.com/. Look for "Tab Rulers" down the left side. It opens a page with access to several charts and aids for converting harmonica notes and tabs.
I have a notebook that I keep copies of music I have downloaded. A copy of all these charts will go in the book
I have a notebook that I keep copies of music I have downloaded. A copy of all these charts will go in the book
Playing the Harmonica
I had a good night tonight. I played my Harmonicas in town at the informal jam session that a few local musicians put on. This was my third attempt and I did pretty well. The past sessions I involved myself in weren't as good because I was so nervous. It's funny how easy it is to play music in front of people, even when you know they are listening, and how difficult it is when you get in front of a microphone and do it "for real." I played three songs when it was my turn. The first was called "Haste to the Wedding," next I played "Maria" then I played "Wild Horse at Stony Point." All went fairly well even though I was a little nervous when it was my turn. One of the "old timers" told me I did well but was "a little bit fast."
Huang Harmonicas
Huang harmonica production began more than two decades ago by two ex-Hohner harmonica makers, Frank and Cham-ber Huang (also a virtuoso harmonica player). Incorporating their working and playing experience, the Huang brothers developed a product line that is comparable to any of the world renowned brands. Made in a state-of-the-art factory in China, they are lower in cost than competitive models, without a sacrifice in quality. As you probably know, many of the "traditional? companies are manufacturing in China, also producing excellent products. The Huang products include a broad range of diatonic harmonicas, chromatic, bass and tremolo models. Solo and Octave tuned models are available. Many professional and recreational players consider the Huang harmonicas among their favorite harps. Considering their competitive pricing, multi-key purchases are now affordable. Huang is constantly improving their products, and many of their standard products have now been improved with 25% stronger reed plates and better air-tightness. We carry the entire Huang product line. In stock and ready to ship. Try a Huang harmonica today !! You will be a believer !!
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