#Harmonica 10 hole sound reference how to
#Harmonica 10 hole sound reference professional

In the chart below you´ll see all the notes that are available in the 10-hole diatonic harmonica in the Key of C, when blowing and inhaling normally (without using special techniques) in each of the 10 cells, being the ones in the upper row the blow notes and those in the lower row, the draw ones. 2.NOTES IN THE 10-HOLE DIATONIC HARMONICA

#Harmonica 10 hole sound reference how to

The first three photos show from different angles how to make the air chamber in closed position and the last one with the air chamber open. The idea is that always, whether left-handed or right-handed, when playing and using this “standard reference” method of holding the harmonica, the lowest notes are in the hand that holds the harmonica, which is the one that will allow you to obtain the greatest airtightness.īelow I share some photos where you can clearly see the position of the hands.

#Harmonica 10 hole sound reference professional

Some great professional blues harmonica players were left-handed: Sonny Terry, William Clarke and Paul Butterfield nowadays we can mention Sugar Blue, Lee Oskar and Carlos del Junco, among others. However, if you are a left-handed player (like me), the harmonica should be placed with the cell numbers down and the low notes on the right side the right hand holds the harmonica and the left hand is placed behind to achieve the mentioned air chamber. In this case, which is the most common, the left hand holds the harmonica and the right hand covers the back of the harmonica. The harmonica is normally held with the cell numbers facing up, with cells 1, 2 and 3… (the lowest notes) on the left side, as on a piano. You can verify this with the help of a mirror. The notes in the low and middle register of the harmonica (cells 1 to 7), are the ones where you will use the acoustic effects the most, so with your right hand you should cover as much as possible the whole back of the harmonica over those 7 cells.Do not over-tighten the hands, as muscle tension is not good and impairs mobility on the harmonica. The contact between the hand that holds the harmonica and the hand that covers the back of the harmonica must be firm enough so that the seal generated by both hands is effective and no air escapes in the closed air chamber position.The more airtight the chamber is, the better the acoustic effects will be and without much effort. You have to form an air chamber with your hands, as airtight as possible and of good size, trying to retain the sound inside the chamber and release it only when you move your right hand, opening the air chamber.When holding the harmonica, keep the following in mind: We will look at the most commonly used harmonica clamping method commonly referred to as “standard reference”. One of the first basic aspects to take into account when starting to play the harmonica is to learn how to hold it correctly, something fundamental to later be able to successfully achieve the two most used acoustic effects when playing: the hand tremolo (sometimes wrongly called “hand vibrato”) and the “wah-wah”, very characteristic effects of the harmonica sound. How to bend notes on the harmonica: Introduction to bending technique.

How to play single notes on the harmonica: Clean notes.

Notes in the 10-hole diatonic harmonica.