Folk/Traditional Harmonica
taught by Gary Green
Thank you for enrolling in the Introduction to Folk/Traditional (F/T) Harmonica workshop. I hope you will enjoy it.
If you do not already own a ten-hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C and are heading out to purchase one for camp, you might like to read my tips on purchasing a harmonica.
To help you get a bit of a head start on the workshop, I have prepared some introductory remarks below. Should you wish to discuss anything about the information presented here or the course in general, please contact me at my email jrpcnl@yahoo.com and we can set up a time to chat via phone, Zoom or FaceTime.
For those of you who are taking lessons in or already playing diatonic button accordion, you will find that there are some similarities and differences between the two instruments. Your knowledge of one may help with the other.
Ten-hole diatonic harmonicas when used for Folk/Traditional music are played mostly in the first position and used as melody instruments. As such, one of the first things you need to learn is how to play the scale.
The notes on a ten-hole diatonic harmonica may be divided into three “sections“ or registers. If you examine the harmonica, you will see that it has two metal or plastic plates which cover the top and bottom reeds and upon which you place your lips. The top plate has numbers from 1 to 10 etched above the holes. Position the instrument such that you can see the numbers clearly and hole number 1 is on your left.
The first section - holes 1 to 4 - contains part of a low octave. More on this section in class.
The third section - holes 7 to 10 - contains part of a high octave. Again, more on this in class.
The second or middle section - holes 4 to 7 - contains a full mid-range octave and here is where we will begin to explore the instrument.
More on all these in class!
Each hole in a diatonic harmonica gives you two different pitches - one when you breathe out (Blow) and another when you breathe in (Draw). In the case of our harmonicas in the key of C, breathing out through hole 4 gives you the root note C and breathing in through hole 4 gives you the next higher note, D. Breathing out through hole 5 produces an E, and in, an F. Breathing out through hole 6 gets G, and in, A. Breathing in through hole 7 is a B, and out, a C. Notice that the pattern to go higher on the scale is breathing out and then in for holes 4, 5, and 6 but for hole 7 it reverses to “in” then “out”.
Those familiar with the diatonic button accordion will recognize the pattern above as the push (Blow) and pull (Draw) pattern used on buttons 3 to 6 to play the lower octave.
There are several different ways of writing harmonica tablature, all of which indicate the hole to use and the direction in which to breathe in order to obtain the desired note. One method indicates a note obtained by breathing out by using the appropriate hole number without a prefix (for example, 4, 7, 5) and a note gotten by breathing in by using a minus sign (-) as a prefix (for example, -3, -5, -8). Please see the chart below for the notes, tablature and breathing pattern for the second or middle range section of a harmonica in the key of C as discussed above.
Note C D E F G A B C
Tablature 4 -4 5 -5 6 -6 -7 7
Breathing O I O I O I I O (I = In, O = Out)
Don’t worry about technique at this point. Just try to get the hang of moving from one hole to another in the range of holes 4 to 7 and breathing in the pattern which allows you to get progressively higher notes as you move left to right and progressively lower notes as you move from right to left.
If you are having some challenges focusing on both the breathing pattern and moving from hole to hole at the same time, try focusing on one skill at a time. Even without a harmonica you can practice the breathing pattern by blowing and drawing through your slightly parted lips. You can practice moving from hole to hole by sliding the harmonica along your lips from left to right and back again while blowing in one direction and drawing in the other. With practice, you will become proficient in moving smoothly up and down the scale.
When I was trying to learn the descending scale, I came to realize that the opening to the Christmas carol “Joy to the World” was just that. Trying to play the opening made the task of learning the descending scale a bit more fun. Trying to play the remainder of the verse encouraged me to hunt around the harmonica to find the other notes by ear. Here is the opening -
Joy to the world! The Lord is come.
7 -7 -6 6 -5 5 -4 4
Are you able to find the notes for the remainder of the verse by ear?
One challenge in learning to play the harmonica is that unlike a lot of other instruments such as keyboards, woodwinds, strings, and diatonic button accordions, you cannot look and see where you are on the instrument. Over time you will develop an ear and feel for the harmonica which will help you determine your location on it. More about that in class.
In class we will learn some familiar folk tunes but, for now, have fun exploring all sections of the instrument. What are the missing notes in the lower and higher octaves? Try changing the shape of your lips. Are you able to play a single note? Are you able to play two or more notes at the same time? By learning the second-section octave before camp, you will have more time available to learn some tunes while you are at camp.
A note of caution - If you have been eating prior to practicing your harmonica, be sure to rinse out your mouth before playing. Bits of food lingering in your mouth can be blown into the harmonica’s reeds or drawn into your respiratory system. Neither is a good situation.
See you soon.
— GARY