The world of the harmonica. Harmonica (harmonica): history, video, interesting facts

The harmonica is a small, versatile instrument used by most peoples of the world to play almost any type of music. Although at first glance it may seem that learning to play the harmonica is difficult, harmonica really an easy and fun instrument to learn to play. Read the steps below to learn how to play the harmonica.

Steps

Getting Started

Choose a harmonica. There are many various types harmonicas available for purchase, which vary in use and price. Today, you can buy a diatonic or chromatic harmonica. Either type can be used to play the most popular music, such as blues or folk.

• Diatonic harmonicas are the most common and accessible type, and, of course, the cheapest. She's in the mood for a certain key, which cannot be changed. Most diatonic harmonicas are tuned to the key of C. Types of diatonic harmonica include “blues harmonica,” “tremolo harmonica,” and “octave harmonica.”
  • Blues harmonica is common in the West, while tremolo harmonica is more common in East Asia.
• A chromatic harmonica is a type of harmonica that uses a mechanical apparatus that controls which holes produce sound. Basic 10-note chromatic harmonicas can only play one full sound (the same as a diatonic harmonica), but 12-16 hole chromatics can be tuned to any key. Chromatics cost significantly more than most diatonic harmonicas; A quality chromatic accordion from a reputable brand can cost several hundred dollars.
  • Due to its tunability, the 12-note chromatic harmonica is generally preferred for jazz music.
• The common shortened term for harmonica is “harmonica.” This name comes from other traditional names, including “French harmonica” and “blues harmonica.” As long as the context is clear, the words “accordion” and “harmonica” can be used interchangeably.

Learn about the harmonica. A harmonica is a reed musical instrument that uses brass reeds. The reeds are used to create tone when you blow or blow air through the holes. The reeds are mounted on a plate called a reed plate, which is usually made of brass. The part of the harmonica in which the reed plate is mounted is called the comb, and is usually made of plastic or metal. The harmonica mouthpiece can be built into the comb, or, as in chromatic harmonicas, screwed on separately. The protective panels for the rest of the device can be made of wood, metal or plastic.

• The chromatic harmonica guide bar is also made of metal.
• Depending on whether you inhale or exhale into the harmonica, different notes are produced by the reeds. A regular diatonic harp is tuned to C (C major) on the exhale, and G (G major) on the inhale. They complement each other perfectly and there is no need to add additional holes.
• The reeds inside the harmonica are thin and wear out over time. Light playing and regular maintenance will keep the sound good for as long as possible.

In this article, we will tell you how to choose and buy a good harmonica that 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 great 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 yourself a harmonica 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.

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Firstly, we want to help you understand the types of harmonicas, since you probably could see harmonicas in music stores different sizes and types. There are indeed different types of harmonicas: diatonic (10-hole), chromatic, 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 most often used 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). On chromatic harmonicas, as a rule, you can play complex classical works and jazz music, but here it is important to have a good musical education, be able to sight read music and have good training on the diatonic harmonica. Almost all harmonica players who play the chromatic harmonica start with the diatonic harmonica, since some techniques and skills, such as beautiful vibrato, or bends (which theoretically cannot be done on the chromatic harmonica, but in practice are used all the time) can be well honed on this diatonic harmonica without damaging the instrument's reeds.

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 in a store musical instruments, then require special bellows for harmonicas. 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!

The history of the creation of each musical instrument is interesting and surprising. Sometimes various facts the creation of an instrument makes us interested in its history. In addition, every musician is simply obliged to get acquainted in detail not only with the structure, but also with the history of the instrument he plays.

The harmonica is truly an amazing instrument. Nowadays you can learn to play the harmonica yourself using a tutorial or materials on the Internet. Despite its name, the accordion belongs to the wind instruments along with trumpets, saxophones, flutes and others. The eastern wind organ can be considered the forefather of wind instruments. At one time he was classified as reed instruments. But the word “wind” arose relatively recently. The name is related to the functioning of the instrument: to produce sound, air (“spirit”) passes inside.

Wind organs came to us from China. In the 18th century, English colonists brought with them an amazing instrument that consisted of bamboo with metal parts. The wooden tube contained reeds that were attached to the mouthpiece. By the way, this music technology later master organists adopted it, but it only took root in the 19th century.

The first harmonica saw the light only in 1821. Her father was Christian F. L. Bushman. It is noteworthy that he was not an instrument maker or even a musician, but a watchmaker. His invention only vaguely resembled a modern harmonica. The instrument was originally called "aura". It was a steel plate with 15 holes, which were closed with metal tongues.

After some time, Bushman's invention was taken into production by several companies producing musical instruments: Hotz in Knittling and Christina Messner. The latter changed the instrument a little and gave it the name “mundeolina”; it sounded original and fresh.

The modern version of the harmonica was created by the musical master Richter from Bohemia. He made only 10 slots in the wooden body, but increased the number of reeds to 20. Thus, it was possible to play while inhaling and exhaling. The tuning system created by Richter for the harmonica is still considered the standard.

Matthias Hohner took up the industrial production of harmonicas. Honer soon began to conquer the music market surprisingly quickly, with only one worker in his workshop and the help of his family. Honer became famous throughout the world not only as a master, but also as one of the first music businessmen. In 1900, his company produced five million harmonicas, which were sold all over the world. Now the Hohner company produces about 90 types of harmonicas.

The harmonica is not only a musical instrument. It can be called real cinema of the first half of the last century. After the Second World War, it became the musical instrument of the black ghettos.

Before purchasing your first harmonica, you will need to decide what type of harmonica you are going to learn to play.

There are different types of harmonicas. This is mainly due to the fact that for execution various works required a certain system accordion (arrangement of notes) in which it is convenient to play this piece. For example, if you are going to play blues or country, a blues diatonic will suit you. If it's jazz or classical, you need chromatics. The tremolo harmonica is friends with the Russian folk. If you are going to accompany a group, then perhaps a chord or bass harmonica is suitable for you.

The result is something like this:

Blues harmonica
The blues harmonica is the most popular today. Usually it has 10 holes, each of which can be played by inhaling. draw) and exhale (eng. blow). With certain playing skills, you can play chromatically using special techniques - bends and blows. Sold in different keys and tunings, but the most common is C major.

Chromatic harmonica
The chromatic harmonica (“chrome”, “chromatic”) makes it possible to play chromatically (i.e. use all notes) without using special techniques. As a rule, a button (“slider”, “valve”) is used for this, when pressed, the notes shift by a semitone in one direction or another, but there are also chromatic harmonics without a slider, for example, bass harmonics, or chords. The number of holes is usually 12-16. Big size and the presence of a button allows most instruments to be visually distinguished from other types of harmonics. Most often used in musical styles such as blues, jazz, pop and classical.
The button chromatic was invented by the German company Hohner, apparently based on the diatonic blues harmonica in the early 20th century, with the first models appearing around 1910.

Tremolo harmonica
In a tremolo harmonica, two sound plates sounding simultaneously are slightly out of tune with each other, creating a tremolo effect. Thus, there are 2 reeds for each note, and the sound is more saturated. The presence of the A note in the lower octave allows you to fully play Russian melodies.

Octave harmonic
Octave harmonic is another type of diatonic. In it, two sound plates sounding simultaneously are tuned exactly an octave relative to each other. This gives greater volume and a different timbre to the sound.

Bass harmonica
The bass harmonica is actually two separate instruments, one on top of the other, connected by hinges on both sides. Each hole plays only on exhalation, and for each note there are two sound plates tuned to an octave.

Chord harmonica
The chord harmonica, like the bass harmonica, also consists of two movably fixed plates, the double reeds of which are tuned to the octave. But unlike bass harmonicas, it has both exhale and inhale notes, allowing you to use different chords.

You can use an inexpensive, simple instrument, but a harmonica High Quality buy later. With this approach, the matter most often does not come to the point of buying an harmonica, because the performer is completely disappointed in the harmonica after playing a low-quality instrument.

There are several types of harmonicas:

• Diatonic (10 hole);
• Chromatic;
• Tremolo;
• Octaves;
• Bass;
• Chords;
• Various hybrids of these harmonics.

Most often, chord, bass and octave harmonicas are used in harmonica orchestras; they are very difficult to find on sale, so we will not focus on them. Let's instead discuss diatonic, chromatic and tremolo harmonicas.

Harmonica tremolo

They tend to have the two sound reeds slightly out of tune relative to each other on each note. This is what creates the tremolo effect. These harmonicas have only the sounds of the “white piano keys” and do not have any “black keys”. The tremolo can be considered a primitive harmonica; anyone with the slightest ear for music can learn to play it quickly and easily. However, due to the large shortage of missing notes, it is very limited in its capabilities. If you choose a tremolo harmonica, you will only be able to perform simple children's melodies, Russian and Ukrainian native songs and, probably, the anthems of some countries.

Chromatic harmonica

It has all the sounds of the chromatic scale, i.e. with all the “white and black keys of the piano.” Chromatic harmonics are capable of reproducing complex classical works and even jazz music. But at the same time, it’s good to have a good musical education, sight read music and play the diatonic harmonica perfectly. Everyone who plays the chromatic harmonica started with a diatonic harmonica, because you can learn some techniques (like bends or beautiful vibrato) perfectly on a diatonic harmonica without damaging the reeds of the instrument.

It is the most popular harmonica in the world and can play any music in any style. It has a rich and thick sound relative to the harmonics described above. It has all the notes, but, nevertheless, you should master sufficient skills to play this instrument. This harmonica is sometimes called a blues harmonica, but this does not mean that it is intended only for blues compositions. The name is explained by the fact that the diatonic harmonica gained enormous popularity precisely in the era of the formation of blues music, into which, by the way, it fits perfectly.

Harmonica reeds

The material from which the harmonica reeds are made directly affects the durability of the instrument. Hohner and Suzuki traditionally use copper reeds for their harmonicas. Seydel made an innovative breakthrough in this area; it became the first company to make steel reeds for its harmonicas. They are difficult to break and last longer.

Harmonicas have different tones. If you consider yourself to be a beginner harmonica player, then opt for a harmonica in the key of C major. It will be easier and easier for you to master the main techniques and skills. In addition, most of the existing tutorials are written for the harmonica in C major. Once you start learning the harmonica of this key, you will then easily play all the others, higher and lower. keys.

Checking the tool before purchasing

If you purchase a harmonica in a special musical instrument store, be sure to ask for special bellows for harmonicas. With their help, they “blow through” each hole as you inhale and exhale to make sure that all notes are sounded. It is very important to “breathe” each hole separately. This can be quite challenging if you have never played the harmonica before. When checking each hole for inhalation and exhalation, pay attention Special attention to additional sounds in the form of “ringing”, which can be found on harmonicas. This means that the reed clings to the harmonica board. In this case, ask for another harmonica. In addition, in low keys (A, G and lower), the reeds may hit the harmonica cover; in principle, this is normal, there is nothing wrong with that. But after going through several harmonics, you will find one that does not ring. On harmonicas in the key of C major there should be no ringing at all, so the best criterion for buying a harmonica in C major is a clear sound on each hole.

Harmonica does not tolerate sudden fluctuations in temperature and dampness. Before playing, it is recommended to heat the harmonica in your palms to human body temperature. For a long life, the harmonica should be carried in a case, played softly and try not to drop it. Periodically it must be shaken out, removing particles of dirt and accumulated saliva. And then the harmonica will delight you with its sound for a long time.

Develop a sense of rhythm

If you have a natural sense of rhythm, that’s good, but this does not free you from working on the rhythmic pattern of the work. This is where a regular metronome will come to your aid. By the way, metronome analogues can be easily found on the Internet. Having achieved some success, do not stop and continue to master complex species rhythm, learn to determine the size of a musical composition by ear.

The harmonica is very compact and convenient to carry with you all the time. You can train in any free minute, you will feel significant progress and in a few months you will not recognize yourself.

Develop musical memory

Once you start learning a melody from notes or tabs, try to break away from them at some point and pay attention to the intonation. Play from memory, putting your soul into this piece. At the same time, you will develop your ear for music, each time memorization will become easier.

Accurate sound and original playing style

High-quality sound and a good sense of rhythm are the main thing for a master! Show your individuality in variations on the theme of the melody, but the sound must be impeccable!

The game of virtuosos is the best textbook for beginner performers. You should always have with you not only a harmonica, but also audio recordings of your favorite melodies and musicians. Listen to them whenever possible.

Play in a group

So, you are already quite good at playing and improvising, and now you are invited to Music band. Playing in a group requires compliance with special rules: you must wait for the moment when you can solo without interrupting other performers. A sign of the skill of a harmonica player who performs in an ensemble lies precisely in the ability to collaborate. If you give others the right to speak, you won't be left behind either.