Hex's Harp Blog #1, indoctrination.

This is my harmonica blog, its not supposed to be big or flash, and I know that 99% of people who come across this will be uninterested but its being written as much for my benefit as anyone else's.

I got my first harmonica about 18 months ago I would say, it was a C key, Hohner Silver Star Diatonic. I attempted to play it by learning from books, I cont know where it is now, I remember having a blow out on one of the reads and then not playing for a while.

What that harp did teach me is that you can not learn to play from a book, not at all, they are useful though as aids to video and audio, but alone a book is useless.

Then about 12 months ago I got a 'Tombo: Lee Oskar' in the key of C, its got a much more meaty sound than that old Hohner ever had, and its the instrument I am using to this day.

I have played on and off badly ever since, never really took the time to actually learn to craft a sound, until about 2 months ago then it fell off my bookshelf.

How should you learn harmonica? Find a teacher, but if like me you can't because good harp players don't hang out in the Midlands UK then go to youtube and take a long look at all the video's on there.

My playing is coming on a treat, more mentally than anything else as I know understand why a series of licks sound good rather than just accepting that they do.

You wont find much if any of my playing on this site or any other because I play for me, not for a camera or an audience, its a private hobby because I like to think and play, its more a relaxation than an art for me. And that's fine, because harmonica is a lot of different things to a lot of people.

So, if your thinking about learning to play, here's some tips that I with I had have known early(er) on.

Watch a lot of people play, reading about it will never help you understand how to hold your instrument, and how to change the hold for different types of lick.

Listen to a lot, if you know how a pro does it then you can strive for that, you probably wont ever be that good because a real harp player is a rare thing, listen to Jason Ricci for more modern styles, he is the best harp player alive as far as I know, also listen to Little Walter, a great unique sound, oh and lets not forget Bob Dylan's folk styling.

Talk to other harp players, if you can find another player then talk to them, its rare in the UK to find some one to talk about it with, great though and saves you a trip to Texas to find the mother load of players.

Practice whenever your alone, if no one is listening then you can go wild and learn to use your lungs properly. If people are listening then you will try to make actual music and you need to be learning notes, not songs.

Lip pursing is my method but ALL OTHERS ARE FINE, its the sound that matters not the method, saying that though lip pursing will allow you to articulate notes better than shoe horning it (making a U with your tongue) and most the greats used to tongue block, or so I'm old (using tongue to block out any excess notes while you play.

Anyway I hope that some of this helps on some level. I can not stress enough that Jason Ricci's music and youtube channel is fantastic the guy really is the best harp player alive, not to mention the fastest.