How to Play Notes on the Harmonica

Playing the harmonica is a pretty easy task for most anyone. How you play is another story. With practice, anyone who can hold the small piece and blow and suck can devise some simple tunes. To progress with the instrument, you'll have to learn how to play single notes. Use these tips to give you a good overview.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Hold the harmonica properly even when you are playing single notes to give the instrument some stability. Put your left hand on the top and bottom of the harp, with your thumb on the bottom. The right hand should anchor the piece on the other end, leaving your fingers free to flutter over the ends of the holes for sound variations.

2. Pucker up as if you were whistling and start on the fourth hole from the left side. Blow and then suck air through the same hole. Move to the fifth hole and do the same. Go through holes six and seven and you will have played a scale.

3. Put the harmonica as far inside your lips as you can. This position will give the notes more depth, the harmonica more stability and less room for the rest of your mouth to blow through other nearby holes.

4. Take lessons briefly from a professional just to show you all the possibilities for playing the harmonica. For such a tiny instrument, there is a huge amount of sound that can be made. A good teacher will have you practice scales a lot and with many different techniques.

5. Try the tongue-blocking technique as shown in the video and practice alternating between the tongue block and the pucker blow. Being able to use both forms for playing will allow you to play many different tunes and vary the sound in a single song.