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Playing the blues is addictive. It doesn't matter which blues instrument you play, but for me the harmonica is it. I've been working on some lessons from a Mel Bay book by David Harp. I don't have it all down yet but I'm getting there. David's lessons are for the Chromatic Harmonica though and lately I want to use my diatonic harps. Unfortunately my Golden Melody's weren't designed so much for blues playing as for single note folk songs, and don't bend notes very well. I've removed the covers from my "A" harp and opened the gap on some of the reeds a tiny bit to help with this. It still plays single notes really well but now I can bend that 3 draw a lot easier. I still need to work on it to get it right but at least it bends.
My favorite place to learn about playing the blues is from the You-tube videos of Adam Gussow. These video lessons are well done and Adam is a phenomenal blues harmonica player. He plays Hohner Marine Band harmonicas as do a lot of other blues players. I don't have any of these but have them on my list to get.
If you are interested in learning to play blues or any other style of harmonica you can find what you need just about anyplace online. If you want to know more about how harmonicas work check out this site for the diatonic harps: The Diatonic Harmonica Reference. If you're interested in everything to know about the Chromatic harp click here: Harp On! Chromatic Harmonica Reference. I visit these sites often and find them very helpful. My favorite place to get music for my harmonicas is at http://www.harptabs.com/. They have hundreds of songs available and it is very easy to search for what you want.
How to Play Blues Harmonica
How to play blues harmonica is really easy. You just buy a blues harmonica and play it, right? I'll bet that's not the smart guy answer you were looking. Well, here's the truth, you can play blues on more than just a "blues harmonica."
I play blues riffs on any of seven different diatonic harmonicas. I favor the Hohner Golden Melody harps for single note folk songs and fiddle tunes, and I use these for my blues tunes as well. I have Lee Oskar and Hohner Special 20 harps too. The harp I use the most though is a Hohner 10 hole harmonica called "The Chromonica." This is a great harp that is easy to blow with a good sound.
I bought a book called "Three Minutes to Chromatic Harmonica" written by David Harp. It includes three CD's to help you work your way through the lessons. I'm not yet all the way through the book but I am in the last chapter. I'll be going back again to re-do many of the lessons, and to memorize the riffs. I've done this already and I can see and feel the differences.
So, if you want to learn play the blues on a harmonica, you can start with the harp you already have. If you don't have one, then buy a low-end harp in the key of C to start. It can be a "Pocket Pal" or "Old Standby" by Hohner, or others by Suzuki, Lee Oskar, or Huang to name a few. Get a lesson book with CD's and listen to your favorite blues radio stations. Play along with your CD's and the music on the radio. The key is to practice as much as you can, and above all have fun.
I play blues riffs on any of seven different diatonic harmonicas. I favor the Hohner Golden Melody harps for single note folk songs and fiddle tunes, and I use these for my blues tunes as well. I have Lee Oskar and Hohner Special 20 harps too. The harp I use the most though is a Hohner 10 hole harmonica called "The Chromonica." This is a great harp that is easy to blow with a good sound.
I bought a book called "Three Minutes to Chromatic Harmonica" written by David Harp. It includes three CD's to help you work your way through the lessons. I'm not yet all the way through the book but I am in the last chapter. I'll be going back again to re-do many of the lessons, and to memorize the riffs. I've done this already and I can see and feel the differences.
So, if you want to learn play the blues on a harmonica, you can start with the harp you already have. If you don't have one, then buy a low-end harp in the key of C to start. It can be a "Pocket Pal" or "Old Standby" by Hohner, or others by Suzuki, Lee Oskar, or Huang to name a few. Get a lesson book with CD's and listen to your favorite blues radio stations. Play along with your CD's and the music on the radio. The key is to practice as much as you can, and above all have fun.
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