How to Play a Harmonica Key of G
Although it's as difficult as any other musical instrument to master, playing harmonica is a fun way to make music. One of the drawbacks of harmonicas is that they come in different keys, so a serious player will need to have many instruments on hand to play a variety of songs. However, a great deal of music is written in the key of G, so a blues-style "cross harp" nicely fits the bill.
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Instructions
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Pick up your C harmonica. To play blues style in the key of G, you will use your C harmonica in what musicians call "cross harp" instead of your G instrument. On most models, the key is marked on the right-hand end of the instrument's top cover plate. Hold your C harmonica in your left hand with the hole numbers facing up, wrap your right hand around your instrument and left hand and pucker.
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Breathe in gently and play the 2, 3 and 4 holes as a chord. That is your G chord, which sets home base for the music. Breathe out on the 1, 2 and 3 holes for a C chord. Now, breathe in while playing the 4 and 5 holes; that is a partial D chord.
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Play alternating G and C chords, one beat at a time, stomping out a rhythm. Now try tonguing out two beats on each chord, ta-ta, ta-ta. Get that steady chugging rhythm going; like a train leaving the station. Every so often hit the partial D chord, keeping that train rhythm. Experiment with that train, speed it up, play around with the rhythm.
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Get a feeling for where the notes are on the instrument, and try a few single notes. Pucker up to get a clean tone and try the melody of a familiar song, working on the first six holes. You'll probably notice you're playing nearly all of your notes while breathing in, or "drawing" on the harmonica. On the C harmonica, the blow notes from low end to high are C, E, G, C, E, G, C, E, G and C. The draw (breathing in) notes in order are D, G, B, D, F, A, D, F and A.
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Be patient as you develop your skills. Don't panic if you discover some missing notes. You will need to bend some of your draw notes to get to those. While playing a note on your 3 draw, try dropping your jaw and redirecting the air from the back of your throat to your stomach, as if you're swallowing the note. You probably won't get it right the first time and it takes much practice to get a good bend, so be patient. But you can get good bends on the 1-4 draw holes, plus draw 6.
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Tips & Warnings
Carry a harmonica with you, and play it every chance you get.
