harmonica

Dictionary


  • a small rectangular free-reed instrument having a row of free reeds set back in air holes and played by blowing into the desired hole

    • Wikipedia


    A harmonica is a very common Free reed instrumentfree reed musical wind instrument (also known, among other things, as a mouth organ, French harp, blues harp, simply harp, or "Mississippi saxophone"), having multiple, variably-tuned brass or bronze Reed (music)reeds, each secured at one end over an airway slot of like dimension into which it can freely vibrate, thus repeatedly interrupting an airstream to produce sound.Unlike most free-reed instruments (such as organ (music)reed organs, accordions and melodicas), the mouth harmonica lacks a keyboard. Instead, lips and tongue are used to select one or a few of the several holes arranged usually linearly on a mouthpiece. Each hole communicates with one, two or a few reeds. Because a reed mounted above a slot is made to vibrate more easily by air from above, reeds accessed by a mouthpiece hole often may be selected further by choice of breath direction (blowing, drawing). Some harmonicas (known as #The chromatic harmonicachromatic harmonicas) also include a spring-loaded button-actuated slide that, when depressed, further redirects air blown or drawn through a single hole, from one reed to an adjacent reed, usually a semi-tone sharper.The harmonica is commonly used in blues and folk music, but also in jazz, European classical musicclassical music, country music, rock and roll and pop music.

    Parts of the harmonica - The basic parts of the harmonica are the comb, reed-plates and cover-plates. The comb is the term for the main body of the instrument. These are traditionally made of wood, but plastic (ABS) and metal combs are perhaps more common today. The comb contains the air chambers which house the reeds - the name comb comes from the fact that in simple harmonicas it does indeed resemble a hair-comb. In some designs, however, the comb is in fact very complex in arranging how the air is directed, particularly more modern custom and experimental designs. There is much debate about whether comb-material has an effect on the tone of the harmonica. While this has traditionally been the assumption, several recent attempts at blind testing have not been able to show that people can hear a difference when comb material is the only variable. Reed-plate is the term for a grouping of several free-reeds in a single housing (usually brass, but occasionally steel and aluminum have been used, as well as plastics). These individual reeds are usually riveted to the reed-plate but they may also be welded or screwed in place (a notable exception is the all-plastic harmonicas designed by Finn Magnus in the 1950s, where the reed and reed-plate were molded out of a single piece of plastic). Depending upon whether the reeds are fixed on the inside (within the comb's air chamber) or the outside (in the open air)of the reed-plate determines whether the reed responds to pressure (blowing) or suction (drawing). In simple terms (see bending and overblowing below) reeds on the inside of the air chamber will respond to pressure while those on the outside will respond to suction. Most harmonicas are constructed with the reed-plates screwed to the comb or each other, however a few brands still use the traditional method of nailing the reed-plates to the comb. Again, the Magnus design had the reeds, reed-plates and comb all out of plastic and either molded together or permanently glued together. Some experimental and rare harmonicas also have the reed-plates held in place by tension, such as the WWII era All-American models.The cover or cover-plates are usually made of metal, however wood and plastics have also been used. These go on the outside of the harmonica protecting the reed-plates and projecting the sound. Usually covers are open designs of stamped metal or plastic and are simply there to be held, however a few modern designs such as the Hohner CBH-2016 chromatic and the Suzuki Overdrive diatonic have complex covers which allow for specific functions not usually available in the traditional design. Similarly, it was not unusual in the late 19th century19th and early 20th centuries to see harmonicas with special features on the covers such as bells which could be rung by pushing a button and the like. The windsavers, also known as valves, are typical in Chromatic harmonicas, and sometimes appear in diatonic for allowing bending notes during blowing. They tend to be very thin strips of plastic, sometimes paper, and are set up on the blow reeds. Windsavers appear most often on harmonicas where two reeds share a cell and leakage through the non-playing reed would be significant (primarily chromatic, octave and chord models).Some harmonicas have other parts as well. The mouthpiece is an object which is placed between the air chambers of the instrument and the player's mouth. This can be made integral with the comb, as part of the cover (as in Hohner's CX-12 chromatic) or as a separate unit entirely, secured by screws. It serves primarily as an ergonomic aid to make the playing experience more comfortable, however in some designs (particularly chromatic harmonicas) it is essential to the functioning of the instrument, housing the slider which allows the selection of major or sharp scales.

    Harmonica types -

    The diatonic harmonica - The diatonic harmonica is the most widely known type of harmonica. It has ten holes which offer the player 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and a blow for each hole minus one repeated note) in a three octave range. The standard diatonic harmonica is designed to allow a player to play chords and melody in a single key. Because they are only designed to be played in a single key at a time, diatonic harmonicas are available in all keys. Here is a standard diatonic harmonica's layout in the key of C (1 blow is middle C): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ----------------------------- blow: C E G C E G C E G C draw: D G B D F A B D F A !-----------------------------S ee? also: Media:BluesHarp Notes Layout.pngimage of the above diagramNote that although there are 3 octaves between 1 and 10 blow, there is only one full major scale available on the harmonica, between holes 4 and 7. The lower holes are designed around the tonic (C major) and dominant (G major) chords, allowing a player to play these chords underneath a melody by blocking or unblocking the lower holes with the tongue. The most important notes (the tonic triad C-E-G) are given the blow, and the secondary notes (D-B-F-A), the draw.

    Bending and other techniques - In addition to the 19 notes readily available on the harmonica, players can play other notes by adjusting their embouchure and forcing the reed to resonate at a different pitch. One does this by relaxing and coordinating muscles in the throat, mouth, and lips. This technique is called "bending", a term borrowed from guitarists, who literally "bend" a string in order to create subtle changes in pitch. Using bending, a player can reach all the notes on the major scale. "Bending" also creates the glissandos characteristic of much blues harp and country harmonica playing. Bending on a guitar bends the pitch upward. However, typically 'bending' on a harmonica means the pitch falls downward. Bends are essential for most blues and rock harmonica due to the soulful sounds the instrument can bring out. The famous 'wail' of the blues harp typically required bending.The physics of bending are quite complex, but amount to this: a player can bend the pitch of the higher-tuned reed down toward the pitch of the lower-tuned reed in any given hole. In other words, on holes 1 through 6, the draw notes can be bent and on holes 7 through 10 the blow notes can be bent. Hole 3 allows for the most dramatic bending: in C, it is possible to bend 3 draw from a B down to a G#, or anywhere in between.

    Overblowing - In the 1970s, Howard Levy developed the "overblow" technique, which, combined with bending, allowed players to play the entire chromatic scale. When bending, the player forces the lower of the two reeds in a chamber to vibrate faster. When overblowing, the player isolates the ''higher'' of the two reeds and by so doing can play higher pitched notes. By using both bending and overblowing techniques a player can play the entire chromatic scale using a diatonic harmonica. This has allowed diatonic harmonica players to expand into areas traditionally viewed as inhospitable to the instrument such as Jazz.The overblow is a difficult technique to master. To facilitate overblowing, many players use specially modified or customised harmonicas. Any harmonica can be set-up for better overblowing, the primary needs are tight tolerances between the reed and reed-plate and a general level of air-tightness between the reed-plate and comb. The former often necessitates lowering the "gap", the space between the tip of the reed and the reed-plate. Another often used technique is to make the space between the sides of the holes in the reed-plate and the reed itself as small as possible by drawing in the metal on the sides of the reed-plate opening towards the reed. While these modifications make the harmonica overblow more easily, overblowing is possible on any diatonic harmonica.Although there are players who use precise overblows and bends to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument, this is still very rare, not simply because the technique is difficult, but also because the sound of an overblow is different from the sound of other notes. Thus, even though a player could play any melody in any key (within a three octave range) on a C diatonic harmonica, most diatonic players prefer to use different keys of harmonicas for different songs, matching the possibilities of glissandos, register and dynamics of a given harmonica to a melody.

    Positions - In addition to playing the diatonic harmonica in its original key, it is also possible to play the harmonica in other keys by playing in other "positions", either by playing in another mode (playing in D Dorian or G mixolydian on a C Major harmonica) or by bending notes to achieve a scale not otherwise available on the harmonica (playing in E mixolydian on a C Major harmonica). Harmonica players (especially blues players) have developed a set of terminology around different "positions" which can be somewhat confusing to other musicians.
  • 1st position (or "straight harp"): playing the harmonica as it was intended, in its main major key.
  • 2nd position (or "cross harp"): playing the harmonica in a key a fifth above its intended key. Playing just the unbended notes, this position gives the mixolydian modemixolydian scale between 2 draw and 6 blow. However, bending the 3 draw allows the player to play a minor third (or a blue third), allowing a player to use a C harmonica to play in G mixolydian or G minor. Blues players can also play a tritone in this position by bending the 4 draw. See a more extensive discussion of this position at the blues harparticle on blues harp.
  • 3rd position (or "slant harp"): playing the harmonica a full tone above its intended key. This gives a dorian modedorian scale between 4 draw and 8 draw, though once again bends and overblows give players a variety of options. Blues players can achieve a tritone by bending the 6 draw.The terminology for other positions is slightly more varied, though it is possible of course to play in any of the modes and, using overblows and bends, it is possible to play in all 12 keys on a single harmonica (though this is very rarely done).

    Special tuned harmonicas - A number of people have made specially tuned variants of the diatonic harmonica. For example, Lee Oskar Harmonicas makes a variety of harmonicas to help players used to a "Cross-harp" style to play in other styles. Cross-harp players usually base their play around a mixolydian scale starting on 2 draw and ending a 6 blow (with a bend needed to get the second tone of the scale; a full scale can be played from 6 blow to 9 blow). Lee-Oskar special tunes harmonicas to allow players to play a natural minor, harmonic minor, and major scale from 2 draw to 6 blow. Below are some sample layouts (notice that the key labels describe the scale from 2 draw to 6 blow, whereas traditional harmonicas are labelled according to the scale between 4 and 8 blow).Natural Minor (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow) / Dorian (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ----------------------------- blow: C EbG C EbG C EbG C draw: D G BbD F A BbD F A !-----------------------------H armonic? Minor (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ----------------------------- blow: C EbG C EbG C EbG C draw: D G B D F AbB D F Ab !-----------------------------M ajor? (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow), Lee Oskar "Melody Maker" ----------------------------- blow: C E A C E G C E G C draw: D G B D F#A B D F#A !-----------------------------T he? "Melody Maker" designed and marketed by Lee Oskar is a particularly interesting evolution of the harmonica, since it allows a player accustomed to playing "cross harp" (in mixolydian) to play in a major key (which is what the standard layout is designed for in the first place). Rather than providing the standard C major and G dominant chords, the Melody Maker provides a G Major 7 (2-5 draw), a C Major 6th chord (1-4 blow), an Am or Am7 chord (3-5 or 3-6 blow), a D major chord (4-6 draw) and a C Major chord (6-10 blow). If we are in the key of G, then, the melody maker provides the I chord, the IV chord, the V chord and the II chord, allowing II-V-I progressions as well as I-IV-V progressions.It is also possible for a harp player to tune the harmonica himself. By making small scratches in a reed, the note played can be changed. It is possible to either get a higher or a lower note. Some harp players make extensive use of these modifications. One of the most famous examples is the harp solo on 'On the road again' by Canned Heat, on which the harmonicist gets the minor 3rd crossharp on the sixth drawn reed, which is normally the major 2nd crossharp.

    The 14 Hole Diatonic - The Hohner Marine Band 365/28 14 hole harmonica is not a standard diatonic harmonica. It has 14 holes and its general dimensions are a bit bigger, so its structure is different from the normal diatonic harmonica and, in the key of C, is pitched one octave lower than the standard 10 hole C diatonic. Thus, hole 4 blow is one octave below middle C. Hole 7 blow is middle C. The Marine Band 365/28 in G is similar to a usual G diatonic, having it's higher register expanded. Holes 1 through 4 and 6 are draw bendable, and holes 8 through 14 are blow bendable. Special attention to the extra holes 11 - 14 where the bending capabilities are, in theory, extended a lot (from A down to E in whole 14, for example). 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 !------------------------------ ------------? blow: C E G C E G C E G C E G C E draw: D G B D F A B D F A B D F A !------------------------------ ------------

    The chromatic harmonica - The chromatic harmonica has a button-operated slide that allows the player to change the pitch of any given hole. This means that each hole has 4 pitches rather than 2. The slide typically shifts the pitch of any given note upward by a half step. The note layout of one octave on a chromatic is traditionally the same as the note layout on holes 4-7 of the diatonic harmonica, and is repeated over its length. This is known as "Solo tuning." Chromatic harmonicas are usually 12, 14 or 16 holes long. Numerous keys exist, just like the diatonics, but due to the fact that Chromatics can play all keys, most professionals stick with the key of C (which is perhaps easier to remember, since slide in will automatically be sharps/flats). In 12-holes variant, the first hole is usually middle C, while 16-hole variants start one octave lower. There may be exceptions, such as the Tenor C (which starts one octave below middle C; in essence hole 1-12 of a 16-hole variant).For key of C/Tenor C, the layout is as follows: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 !------------------------------ ------? blow: C E G C C E G C C E G C key out draw: d f a b d f a b d f a b !------------------------------ ------? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 !------------------------------ ------? blow: C#E#G#C#C#E#G#C#C#E#G#C# key in draw: d#f#a#b#d#f#a#b#d#f#a#b# !------------------------------ ------Note? that b# is the same as c and e# is the same as f. Because it is a fully chromatic instrument, the chromatic harmonica is the instrument of choice in jazz and classical music. In traditional harmonica bands, the chromatic harmonica plays the lead part. Chromatic harmonicas can "bend" notes down in pitch, but as this is a single-reed bend it sounds quite different than the typical dual-reed bends of a diatonic. Further, unless the windsavers are removed chromatic harmonicas cannot "overblow" at all.Chromatic harmonicas are often described as either "straight tuned" or "cross tuned. What this refers to is how the slider is shaped to isolate the reed set being played at a given position (button "in" or button "out"). Traditionally the chromatic was "straight tuned" and the slider selected either the upper reed-plate (button out) or the lower reed-plate (button in). In the later half of the 20th century a new system came into use in which the slider played the upper and lower reed-plates at the same time, staggered by which hole (thus with the button out you might play the upper reed-plate in hole 1, the lower reed-plate in hole 2, and then the upper again in hole 3 and so forth; pressing the button reversed this). This allows for a larger hole in the slider and thus presumably more air gets through. However, the slider also has to move farther than in the traditional design. Thus, the two methods co-exist with some companies and players prefering one style and others another.There are at least two other types of chromatic and slider designs as well. The first one has holes side-by-side with each other in the slider, thus opening only the left side of the chamber or the right side depending on button position. The Renaissance chromatic uses this design, which is claimed to mix the larger hole of a cross-tuned design with an even shorter movement than in straight tuned sliders. The simple way of doing this is to construct the harmonica more like a traditional Richter diatonic whereas the standard chromatic design shares more in common with the Knittlinger octave harmonicas. Note, however, the Renaissance uses a complex comb design to achieve their slider design. The second type of alternative design is found mostly in East Asia and is based more along the traditional Weiner tremolo construction. Here each reed is isolated in it's own cell within the comb and the slider selects a single reed at a time rather than a cell containing both blow and draw reeds. The Tombo Ultimo is an example of this type of chromatic.Finally, there are also several types of non-slide chromatic instruments available, particularly in Asia, such as the Suzuki Alto and Soprano Singles, the Tombo Contrabass, the Tombo S-50 and others. The first three are all-blow instruments which have a single comb with an upper and lower reed-plate. They are layed out like the white and black keys of a piano, with the sharps available on the upper reed-plate and the naturals on the lower. The latter is a much more intricate design with blow and draw reeds each sitting in a single cell and the player switches between a top row tuned to C# and a bottom tuned to C by changing the angle of the harmonica. These are rarely encountered outside of Asia, but are fairly common designs there.

    The bass harmonica - The bass harmonica is a special harmonica mostly used in ensemble playing. It usually consists of two harmonicas held together, one above the other, by an adjustable bracket. the lower harmonica has the natural notes of the chromatic scale, while the upper harmonica has the accidental notes.The bass harmonica has only blow notes. See the fuller description at: bassharp.com - www.bassharp.com.

    The chord harmonica - The chord harmonica has 48 chords: major, seventh, minor, augmented and diminished for ensemble playing. It is laid out in four-note clusters, each sounding a different chord on inhaling or exhaling. Each hole has two reeds for each note, tuned to one octave of each other. This gives the harmonica a more powerful and rich sound.

    The Tremolo Harmonica - Tremolo harmonicas have two reeds per note. In a tremolo harmonica the two reeds are tuned slightly off a reference pitch, one a bit sharp and the other a bit flat. This gives a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being not exactly in tune with each other and difference in their subsequent waveforms acting against one another. The degree of beating can be varied depending on the desired effect. Instruments where the beating is faster due to the reeds being farther apart from the reference pitch are called "wet", whereas those where the beating is slower and less noticeable due to the reeds being more closely in tune are called "dry".The tonal variation of the tremolo harmonica is not truly "tremolo". "Tremolo" is most often defined as a periodic change of volume (or, less often, pitch), and the tremolo harmonica really exhibits something entirely different: a frequency interference pattern. This effect is fairly common amongst Western culture Western free-reed instruments and is found in accordions, harmoniums and reed organs under various names (celeste, vox jubilante, etc...). The article Beat (acoustics) contains more information on acoustical frequency interference patterns.Tremolo harmonicas are perhaps the most common form of harmonica in the world, being very popular in folk music as well as in much of East Asia. In the West, the tremolo harmonica is usually encountered in traditional folk music, being found throughout Europe and South America in this role. In China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other parts of Asia, however, tremolo harmonicas are found in nearly every area of music from folk musicfolk to European classical musicclassical. Players often use several different harmonicas at a time, holding them one atop the other, in order to play notes and chords not available on any single instrument. Most tremolo harmonicas are built upon what is termed the "Wiener system", named after the city of Vienna (Wien in German) where they first emerged. In this design the two beating reeds are distributed one on each reed-plate (top and bottom) and then these share a common chamber. In practice, however, it is common for each individual reed to have its own air chamber. Unlike the diatonic harmonica described above (built on the "Richter system") the blow and draw reeds do not share a common chamber, but are separated off from one another. This allows the player to isolate each reed. While normally the player simply plays both the tremolo reeds at once, it is possible to achieve a wide variety of bends and other effects through selecting certain reeds and chambers and not others. Similarly, it is possible to play without the tremolo effect by only choosing the top or bottom chambers and blocking off the others with the lips. In practice, though, these are primarily used for effects and mostly the instrument is played as if the two beating reeds shared a single chamber.There are two commonly encountered tunings or note layouts used for tremolo harmonicas. The older layout is very similar to that used in the standard diatonic harmonica and also found in diatonic accordions and concertinas. This tuning has the major diatonic scale in the middle and top octaves of the harmonica with two chords in the lowest octave: the tonic in the blow and the dominant or fifth chord in the draw. This is very effective for chordal playing behind relatively simple folk melodies in either the tonic or the fifth of the key of the harmonica. A more recently developed tuning is commonly found on tremolos manufactured in or designed for Asia. This layout is derived from the "solo" tuning found in chromatic harmonicas and is sometimes called "scale" tuning. Here the notes of the major scale are found throughout the range of the harmonica without a separate chord section in the bass octave. This helps to facilitate a common practice in Asia of playing both a C and C# harmonica stacked in order to achieve full chromaticity by having essentially the same notes available in each octave of the harmonica.An interesting recent development has been that of the chromatic tremolo harmonica. This combines the slider design of the chromatic harmonica with the dual reed beating sound of the tremolo harmonica. Harmonica technician John Infande has been manufacturing his own design in limited numbers for several years !infandecustomharmonicas.com while the Japanese harmonica company Suzuki has recently released its design suzuki-music.co.jp.For more info on tremolo and other double-reed tunings, see:patmissin.com - !http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/ q15.html

    The Octave Harmonica - Octave harmonicas have two reeds per hole. The two reeds are tuned to the same note a perfect octave apart. Many share their basic design with the tremolo harmonica explained above and are built upon this "Weiner system" of construction. Octave harmonicas also come in what is called the "Knittlinger system". In this design the top and bottom reed-plates contain all of the blow and draw notes for either to lower or higher pitched set of reeds. The comb is constructed so that the blow and draw reeds on each reed-plate are paired side-by-side in a single chamber in the same manner as on a standard diatonic but that the top and bottom pairs each have their own chamber. Thus, in a C harmonica the higher pitched C blow and D draw found in the first "hole" would be placed side-by-side on the upper reed-plate and share a single chamber in the comb and the lower pitched C blow and D draw would be placed side-by-side on the bottom reed-plate and share a single chamber directly below the higher pitched pair of reeds' chamber. Knittlinger octave harmonicas are also called "concert" harmonicas and are almost always tuned in a variation of the traditional major diatonic with chords tuning found in diatonic harmonicas. Octave harmonicas built in the "Wiener system" may be tuned either in this traditional method or in the same manner as the Asian tremolos mentioned above.An interesting variation upon the Knittlinger octave harmonica is the so-called "half-concert" harmonica. This is not an octave harmonica at all, but rather a single-note diatonic harmonica which is built with a single reed-plate rather than the standard two--essentially it is one half of the standard octave harmonica.

    Toy harmonicas - Because of its simplicity, the harmonica is often the first real musical instrument children encounter. Toy harmonicas include tiny four-hole instruments and simple plastic models of a conventional size.

    History - The harmonica developed from the intense interests in free-reeds which arose in Europe in the early 19th century. While free-reeds had been fairly common throughout East Asia for centuries and known in Europe for some time before this period, around 1820 there was a virtual eruption of new free-reed designs in Europe and North America. While a young Friederich Ludwig Buschmann is often cited as the inventor of the harmonica in 1821, it was almost certainly a case of simultaneous development amongst several inventors working independently with mouth-blown free-reed instruments appearing in the US, Britain and on the Europecontinent at roughly the same time. Sometime by the 1850s, the diatonic harmonica had more or less found its modern form and the other diatonic types followed soon thereafter (the various tremolo and octave harmonicas). By the late 19th century, harmonica production was big business and had evolved from a handcraft into mass-production with figures well into the millions, a status which continues to this day. New designs continued to be developed in the 20th century including the chromatic harmonica, the bass harmonica, the chord harmonica and others. Even in the 21st century radical new designs such as the Suzuki Overdrive and Hohner XB-40 continue to be brought to market.The harmonicas massive success is attributable to many factors. First, it is a fairly easy instrument to play. The diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for the playing of GermanyGerman and other European folk musics and are extremely successful for that. However, probably unintentionally the basic design and tuning was extremely adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country musiccountry, old-time and similar. Second, the majority of harmonicas are quite small--often small enough to unobtrusively fit in a pocket. Third, harmonicas are cheap - amongst the most inexpensive of musical instruments available while not being intended as a toy. Fourth, harmonicas are fairly easy to manufacture and their simple construction allowed for industrial level production without sacrificing the quality of a hand-crafted instrument, unlike most string instruments or other wind instruments. For these reasons the harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the center of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high indeed. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Hohner - once the dominant manufacturer in the world, producing some 20 million harmonicas alone in 1920 when German manufacturing totaled over 50 million harmonicas), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo, Yamaha), China (Huang, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner) and Brasil (Hering). Ironically, as the demand for higher quality instruments which respond to more demanding performance techniques has increased there has been a resurgence in the world of hand-crafted harmonicas which cater to those wanting the absolute best without the compromises inherent in mass manufacturing.The first recordings of harmonica were made in the US in the 1920s. These recordings are mainly 'race-records', intended for the black market of the southern states. They consist mainly of solo recordings (DeFord Bailey), duo recordings with a guitarist (Hammie Nixon, Walter Horton, Sonny Terry) or recordings featuring the harmonica in some kind of novelty act called the 'Jug Band', of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated to the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the 2nd position, or cross-harp.The harmonica then made its way with the blues and the black migrants to the north, mainly to Chicago but also to Detroit, St. Louis and New York. The music played by the Afro-Americans started to become increasingly different there. The main difference is the electric amplification of the instrument: first the guitar and then the harp, double bass, vocals, etc. The original Sonny Boy Williamson is the most important harmonicist of this era. Using a full blues band, he became one of the most popular acts of Chicago. He also installed for good the blues harpcross-harp technique, opening the possibilities of harp playing to new sky. It is hard to imagine how much influence he would have had on the blues, if he had lived longer. Unfortunately, Sonny Boy liked to bring women from the audience on stage and dance with them as he played, but he eventually was stabbed by a jealousyjealous husband.But the harmonica didn't die with him. A young harmonicist by the name of Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs would completely revolutionize the instrument. He had the idea to play the harmonica near a microphone (typically a "Brown Bullet" microphone marketed for use by radio taxi dispatchers, giving it a "punchy" midrange sound that can be heard above radio static, or an electric guitar) and cup his hands around it, thus tightening the air around the harp, giving it a powerful, distorted sound, sometimes reminiscent of a saxophone. This technique, combined with a great virtuosovirtuosity on the instrument made him arguably the most influential harmonicist in history. It is almost impossible nowadays to find a harp player who wasn't influenced by Walter. Unfortunately, Little Walter also died young, from injuries suffered in a fight.Little Walter's only contender was perhaps Big Walter Horton. Relying less on the possibilities of amplification (although he made great use of it) than on sheer skill, Big Walter was the favored harmonicist of many Chicago leaders, including Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. He graced many sides of Waters in the mid-fifties with extremely colorful solos, using the full register of his instrument as well as some chromatic harmonica. The only reason he is less known than Little Walter is because of his taciturn personality and his inconsistency, and his incapacity of holding a band as a leader.Other great harmonicists have graced the Chicago blues records of the 1950s. Howling Wolf is often overlooked as a harp player, but his early recordings demonstrate great skill, particularly at blowing powerful riffs with the instrument. James Cotton is also a household name of the Chicago Blues scene. He used a less amplified tone, relying on hand effects, giving his playing a country blues feeling to it. Sonny Boy Williamson II also used the possibilities of hand effects to give a very talkative feel to his harp playing. A number of his compositions have also become standards in the blues world.The 1960s and 1970s saw the harmonica become less prominent as the electric guitar became the favorite instrument for solos. Paul Butterfield is perhaps the most well known harp player of the era in the blues arena. Heavily influenced by Little Walter, he pushed further the virtuosity on the harp. Sadly he rapidly fell into drugs and alcohol, and after his first two albums, his career became stagnant. Bob Dylan also famously played his harmonica to add a touch of blues to his folk and rock sound during this era.Recently, two harp players have had major influence on the sound of the harmonica. Heavily influenced by the electric guitar sound, John Popper of Blues Traveler has developed an incredible virtuosity on the instrument. His electric and highly distorted solos are played at a breakneck speed. His influence is heavy on modern rock and blues harp players trying to reach new heights with the instrument.Jazz harmonicist Howard Levy (who has often recorded with Bela Fleck and Rabih Abou-Khalil) is perhaps the most innovative player since Little Walter. He has perfected the bending technique, using the notes it produces with more precision. He has also further advanced the technique called overblowing, which enables the diatonic harmonica to play fully chromatic scales, while retaining the particular sound of the harp. Although he has been performing this technique for quite a while, it has been displayed more and more in the 1990s, and players are starting to integrate it in a more blues or rock oriented music.

    Related instruments - The unrelated glass harmonica is a musical instrument formed of a nested set of graduated glass cups mounted sideways on an axle and partially immersed in water, and played by touching the rotating cups with wetted fingers, causing them to vibrate. The concertina, diatonic and chromatic accordions and the melodica are all free-reed instruments which were developed alongside the harmonica. Indeed, the similarities between harmonicas and so-called "diatonic" accordions or melodeons is such that in German the name for the former is "Mundharmonika" and the later "Handharmonika", translated simply as "mouth harmonica" and "hand harmonica". The harmonica shares similarities to all other free-reed instruments by virtue of the method of sound production.

    Harmonica community - There is an active harmonica community on the Internet and in reallife, with conferences, cruises and everything. SPAH (Society for thePreservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) is one society with aparticularly amusing acronym. A harp-l.org - Harmonica Mailing List is available with searchable archives.

    Some famous harmonicists -

    Harmonica bands -
  • Borrah Minevitch Harmonica Rascals
  • A Troupe da Gaita

    Harmonica ensembles -
  • The Harmonicats
  • Adler Trio adlertrio.com

    Bluegrass musicBluegrass players -
  • Mike Stevens mikestevensmusic.com - Diatonic

    Blues players -
  • Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues
  • donbaker.ie - Don Baker
  • Tom Ball
  • Carey Bell
  • Billy Branch
  • Paul Butterfield
  • William Clarke
  • James Cotton
  • Paul deLay, notable for chromatic playing as well as diatonic
  • Rick Estrin
  • Joe Filisko
  • Harmonica John Fraser (harmonicajohn.com), Plays drums and harmonica simultaneously
  • Dennis Gruenling dennisgruenling.com - Jump Blues Chromatic, Diatonic
  • Adam Gussow, member of Harlem blues duo Satan and Adam.
  • Michael Peloquin, versatile player of many styles rooted in the blues
  • James Harman
  • Jon Gindick
  • Mark Hummell
  • John Mayall of the Bluesbreakers
  • Delbert McClinton, taught John Lennon how to play harp
  • davidmiller.us - David Miller - Diatonic, Chromatic
  • Jean-Jacques Milteau
  • Charlie Musselwhite charliemusselwhite.com - Diatonic, Chromatic
  • Rod Piazza themightyflyers.com - Chromatic, Diatonic
  • Rob Paparozzi honeydrippertx.tripod.com - Blues/Jazz, Diatonic/Chromatic
  • Jerry Portnoy harpmaster.com - Diatonic
  • Gary Primich garyprimich.com - Diatonic, Chromatic
  • Snooky Pryor
  • Annie Raines
  • Jimmy Reed
  • Peter Madcat Ruth (eharmonica.net)
  • Curtis Salgado
  • Corky Siegel of the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band
  • George Harmonica Smith
  • Mike Tetrault (expage.com), known for his great note-bending abilities and expertise with the technical side of harp playing
  • Sonny Terry
  • Sugar Blue, known for high speed playing.
  • Little Walter, great pioneer in amplified blues harmonica, Muddy Waters' first harmonica player.
  • Big Walter Horton
  • Junior Wells, played with Muddy Waters
  • Mark Wenner
  • Sonny Boy Williamson I
  • Sonny Boy Williamson II
  • Greg Szlapczynski
  • Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds
  • Greg "Fingers" Taylor of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band

    Folk musicFolk -
  • Bob Dylan
  • Woody Guthrie
  • Sonny Terry

    Rock and roll -
  • Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
  • Beck
  • Jack Bruce
  • Alice Cooper
  • Rivers Cuomo of Weezer
  • Magic Dick of the J. Geils Band
  • Roger Daltrey of The Who
  • Bob Dylan
  • Melissa Etheridge
  • Ian Gillan of Deep Purple
  • The Eldora ParadeJustin Hayward-Young
  • Peter Hope-Evans
  • Mick Jagger
  • John Lennon
  • Huey Lewis
  • Johnny Marr
  • Ron "Pigpen" McKernanRon McKernan of the Grateful Dead
  • Alanis Morissette.
  • Lee Oskar of War (band)War, who has since designed his own popular brand of harmonicas
  • Ozzy Osbourne, in his earliest days with Black Sabbath
  • Wally Palmar of The Romantics
  • Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
  • John Popper, perhaps the most famous living harmonica player, known for his fast playing.
  • Keith Relf
  • Rymodee from This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb
  • John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful, son of a classical harmonica player
  • Shakira
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Steven Tyler of Aerosmith
  • Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam
  • Neil Young

    Country music -
  • Clint Black
  • Norton Buffalo norton-buffalo.com
  • Jimmie Fadden of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
  • Phil PT Gazell
  • Buddy Greene
  • Kirk Jellyroll Johnson jellyrolljohnson.com
  • Charlie McCoy
  • Terry McMillan
  • Mickey Raphael
  • Wayne Raney, known for his "talking harmonica"

    Irish music -
  • Tony Eyers harmonicatunes.com - Diatonic
  • Brendan Power brendan-power.com - Chromatic, Diatonic

    Jazz -
  • Larry Adler - Chromatic
  • Bruno De Filippi - Chromatic
  • William Galison - Chromatic
  • Max Geldray of the ''Goon Show''.
  • Enrico Granafei - Chromatic
  • Clint Hoover skypoint.com - Chromatic, Diatonic
  • Julian Jackson - Chromatic
  • Ron Kalina - Chromatic
  • Don Les - Diatonic & Bass
  • Howard Levy - Diatonic
  • Laurent Maur laurent-maur.com - Chromatic
  • Hendrik Meurkens hendrikmeurkens.com - Chromatic
  • Chris Michalek - Diatonic
  • Toots ThielemansJean "Toots" Thielemans - Chromatic
  • Les Thompson - Chromatic
  • Mike Turk aahome.com - Chromatic, Diatonic
  • Sandy Weltman - Diatonic
  • Frederic Yonnet fredyonnet.com - Diatonic

    European classical musicClassical music -
  • Larry Adler - Chromatic, Virtuoso
  • Robert Bonfiglio - Chromatic
  • Willi Burger ? doctorharp.it- Chromatic, Virtuoso
  • Ronald Chesney - Chromatic, Virtuoso
  • Franz Chmel chmel-classic.de - Chromatic
  • Sigmund Groven - Chromatic
  • Jim Hughes - Chromatic
  • Cham-Ber Huang - Chromatic
  • Larry Logan - Chromatic
  • Tommy Morgan - Chromatic, Diatonic, Bass, etc.
  • Tommy Reilly - Chromatic
  • John Sebastian - Chromatic (John Sebastian, Sr. - father of John Sebastian, Jr. of The Lovin' Spoonful, folk and blues player)
  • Douglas Tate - Chromatic
  • Yasuo Watani - Chromatic

    External links -
  • patmissin.com - Pat Missin's web site
  • volcano.net - Jack's Harmonica page, containing "tablaturetabs" and free lessons
  • mondorgel.nl - Harry's Harmonica page, containing all models with pictures and information
  • grotch.tk - Grotch Harmonica Software, Also containing "tablaturetabs", and a program to transpose tabs (from different tunings, keys or positions)
  • angelfire.com - Chromatic harmonica reference
  • angelfire.com - Diatonic harmonica referenceCategory:Woodwind instrumentsCategory:Free reed aerophonesCategory:Sets of free reedsLink FApt !da:Mundharmonikade:Mundharmoni kaet:Suupilles:Armónicafr:Har monicalv:Mutes? !harmonikasnl:Mondharmonicaja: ーモニカno:Munnspillpl:H armonijka? ustnapt:Gaitaru:Губная !гармоникаsl:Orglicesv :Munspeltt:Harmonikauk:Губ а? !гармонікаzh:口琴

    • Websites


    Summertime Blues!
    Summertime Blues! is a festival, featuring some of Canada's finest Blues artists! Performances are scheduled every weekend in August, 2006 at the Harbourfront Plaza in beautiful, historic,downtown Nanaimo, British Columbia. This is a free community event!
    http://www.nanaimobluesfestival.com/

    Dogtired Recording Studio
    Recording, Mastering, Commercial, Soundtrack, and Website Services for Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga, and Upstate New York. Located in Schenectady New York, Dogtired Studio is currently accepting work. We have a complete multitrack digital studio. Our services include * Recording of commercials, voice overs, and bands * Sound tracks for cheerleading, skating, musicals, stage * Field and live recording * Digital mastering * Digital duplication from tape and vinyl * Complete web site development including shopping cart and sales capability. * PA Equipment rentals * Lessons in recording and production, harmonica, and guitar
    http://www.dogtiredstudio.com/

    Harmonica Shop
    Offers harmonicas, accordions, harmonica music,diatonic harmonicas, chromatic harmonica, harmonica books and more.
    http://www.harmonicasandstuff.com

    Pat Missin's Home Page
    Information about the harmonica and related mouth-blown free reed instruments
    http://www.patmissin.com

    HarmonicaLessons.com
    Learn to play harmonica/blues harp. Lessons, instruction, beginner's hints, and tips. Download songs, riffs, and sounds.
    http://www.harmonicalessons.com/

    Harmonica Links
    Directory of harmonica players, vendors, manufacturers, and instructors.
    http://www.harmonicalinks.com/

    Jon Gindick's Harmonica Instruction Catalog
    Books to aid beginners in learning blues and country harmonica. Product information, videos, and ordering details.
    http://www.gindick.com/
    Personal tools
    • DirPedia.com
      • - combining a dictionary, an encyclopedia and a web directory