Harmonica mouth-organ

HOW TO PLAY HARMONICA MOUTHORGAN


Introduction

The diatonic scale harmonicas are good for beginners, although this kind of mouthorgan (harmonica) has some limitations and not all songs can be played on this harmonica as it doesnt have flat notes or komal surs. but it sounds good than chromatic mouthorgan and easy to learn

The chromatic scale harmonicas require a little more knowledge about music theory. If you have ever played another music instrument before, you might find that the chromatic scale harmonica is for you.There are also many songs that cannot be played on the diatonic scale harmonica, simply because there are missing notes on the diatonics. You will be able to play any song on the chromatic scale harmonicas.

A word about notations or notes :

It is reallu not important to follow the notes given in any website ,actually one tune can be played in many different ways so just get comfertable with the tune and play it.


My Harmonica Notation System :

I will use my own notations which is not used by any other site because i myself invented this while learning mouthorgan. although u can easily sonvert my notations to nay other forms as all the notes are basically the same.


SO LET'S BEGIN :

LET'S BEGIN

Enough of the introduction.

Now i have provided notations of many songs you may select any tune for starting but i'll suggest you to start with 'dil ne dil ko pukara - kaho na pyar hai' as it's very easy and will give you confidence.

Tips for playing :

1) Play each line at least five times. Start slowly and increase speed with each repetition.

2) It is not absolutely necessary that you play clear single notes. When trying to get a blow hole 4, it is OK if you include holes 3 and 5. Eventually you will want to learn to play single notes. Work at it and it will come to you naturally.

3) Make sure you practice every day. Your practice does not need to be for long periods of time. It is quite acceptable to practice for just five to ten minutes. In fact, it is possible to practice for too long. It may be counter productive. It is more important to practice every day, then it is to practice for a complete hour once a week.

4) Wet those lips and insert the harmonica well inside your mouth. A mistake many beginners make is to try to play their instrument out on the front of their lips. It is almost impossible to get clear single notes and get that bluesy sound. Wrap those lips around the hole you are trying to play. Pucker up as if drawing through a straw. Keep those lips well moistened so your instrument slides easily back and forth.

5) As you move your harmonica from hole to hole, move the instrument inside your mouth. Do not turn your head to move up to another hole.

6) Concentrate on quality of tone rather than speed in changing from note to note. The harmonica sounds best when playing slow emotional tunes. Try to make your music express emotion.

How To Use Your Tongue
Most beginners puff from their lungs for each syllable or number. It is much better to use your tongue to break up the syllables and produce rhythm. Try whispering "Taa-Taa-Taa-Taa" through your harmonica into any hole. Just use one gentle steady blow but break up its rhythm with your tongue. Now vary your rhythm pattern much like the old Morse Code. Whisper, "Daa-dit-daa-dit-daa-dit".

When you are playing a song use your tongue to form the words. In fact, try to pronounce the lyrics to the song through your harmonica. Think of it as "singing" through your instrument. It will improve your playing tremendously.

A Word About Tone
How come the professionals that you hear sound so much better than you? I am not speaking about technique. But their sound is much different from your harmonica. Is it because they are using a more expensive harmonica?

Most professionals cheat. They use special microphones and amplifiers that actually change the natural sound of the harmonica. But in all fairness I should tell you that what you hear from your harmonica is not the same sound that someone standing directly in front of you is hearing. You are hearing it partially from the inside, through your throat, nasal passages and up into your ear canal. For a more realistic listen to what you really sound like, play your harmonica inside a shower stall (without the water running). Then you will hear more of what others hear as the sound bounces off the walls.

Also everyone has a slightly different harmonica voice. The tone is partially produced inside our mouth. Children, with smaller mouths. will sound different than adults. Men will sound different than women. Big men will sound different than small men. But you can have some control on your tone. In general a gentle blow will have a more pleasant tone than a blast of air. Blowing from deeper in your throat will sound different than puffing from your cheeks. As you can change how your voice sounds, you can also change how your harmonica sounds.

Experiment around a little. See if you can produce noticeably different tones by the way you shape your mouth, jaw and tongue. The experienced harmonica player will have developed his ear to the point that he can tell the difference.

Using Your Hands

You can use your hands to add effects to your music. Cup your harmonica in your hands in such a way that you can enclose it completely to muffle its sound. Then by opening and closing your hands with each syllable you will be producing a "waa-waa" sound. By rapidly opening and closing your hands you will be producing a tremolo effect. By opening your hands wide and forming a megaphone you will increase the volume.

Do you have to play clear single notes? No, not really. At first it is a little difficult to get just one note. Most beginners will play holes 3, 4 and 5 when trying to play hole #4. And that is OK. Many old timers play the harmonica just like that. When you do, you are playing chords. And often it sounds rather nice. However, eventually you will want to be able to get clear single notes. This will come in time. Just keep trying.

CONTROL YOUR BREATHING AND TRY TO PLAY SINGLE NOTE

How often do you find yourself running out of breathing room in your lungs in the middle of an important note? How do you plan it so that this doesn't happen? And how do you smoothly change from a blow to a draw note? And how do you keep from getting winded as if you had just jogged a mile?

Breathing is an important factor in your harmonica playing. I wish I could give you some steps to improving your breath control. There isn't too much that I can say, other than it comes naturally. Once you have played a song 25 times then you know when you have to fill your lungs. But I can think of a couple helpful tips:

1. Blow gently. It can be downright exhausting to try to increase your volume by increasing the flow of air passing through your instrument. And it can wear your harmonica out faster also. If playing with a band or loud singing it is tempting to compete with the others. Forget it! The harmonica is not a trumpet. It is a soft-toned instrument that sounds best if played the way it was intended.

2. Play single notes. If you are playing 3 holes at a time you are playing chords and you are also using 3 times as much air. This could be why you have to take a breather after playing a few songs.

Improved breathing comes naturally in time.