I picked up a harmonica and a beginner book yesterday and I am really enjoying it. I was wondering what other web resources I should be checking out beside this fine site?
I'd also recommend Mitch Graingers youtube lessons (numbered). Ronnie shellist stuff on youtube and on harmonica123 . Will Wilde and Tomlin Leckie have some good youtube lessons too.
Welcome to the Forum and to the Harmonica. Im sure youll enjoy both.
Quick list for you: not in any specific order
1) FunkyHarp Youtube channel is a great free step by step beginner lesson by a guy named Luk Clebsh (i doubt i spelled that right) I highly recommend this for Raw Beginners.
2)Mitch Grainger youtube has a few good lessons.
3)Adam Gussow has great lessons and taught me most of what i know. His youtube lessons are not geared towards beginners, but... You can find his youtube lessons in order here:
4)Adam Gussow also has tradebit lessons for sale on this site. They are Excellent. Click on : *The Store* Its located above on the left for future reference. Start with the raw beginner stuff. Worth every penny. You ll be rolling in no time.
5)Ronnie Shellist youtube videos. And lessons for sale on Harmonica 123 Very Good lessons. Also worth every penny. Ronnies lessons make up a good portion of the other half of what i know.
6)Jason Ricci youtube. Great Stuff. Althought not for beginners really. But he has some earlier stuff that may be beginner speed.
So I recommend you go thru the Funky Harp Videos. Burn right through em. Watch a few everyday. Atleast up to around video 20 or 30. Don't worry about all the scales stuff though. Its important, but boring. Atleast it was for me. The biggest thing at your level is just to keep it interesting. So if a lesson bores you skip it for now.
After the Funky Harp stuff if you decide you want to keep playing, invest in Adam Gussows beginner lessons. And move up from there.
I also recommend you listen to the music that you want to play ALOT.
What kind of harmonica do you want to play? Blues, Rock, Country, Celtic, Folk, Polka, ..... etc. ???
What kind of harp did you buy? It seems obvious by your name, but ... i figured Ide ask. ----------
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Apr 11, 2016 2:27 PM
Also Listen to these guys on pandora or spotify to find some more artist you like.
That harp you got is ok for a little while, but you ll have a real hard time learning to bend notes on it. So after you have got single notes down and feel you want to move on to more advanced techniques, I would recommend a Hohner Special 20 or something like that.
In addition to the resources already mentioned, Liam Ward has some great videos for beginner level songs and techniques, as well as some more advanced stuff. Lee Sankey also has four video lessons on country blues available on YouTube and more for purchase on his website.
While you don't want to get too caught up in the search for an ever better harp (it was described here as the maelstrom of early harp confusion not long ago) I agree you'll want to upgrade to a better harp once you've got the basics down. Try out a few makes and models and see what you like.
I also only started my harp journey less than half a year ago, so some of my mistakes are still REALLY fresh in my memory.
As far as who to check out online, most of the main ones have been mentioned above, so you already have more than enough to go on with. After a while, you'll decide whose teaching style, methods, and musical direction suit you best, so I have nothing really to add there.
As far as extending your harp collection goes, if it was 6 months ago and I had the benefit of hindsight, I'd do it differently to save me sitting with a bunch of harps I neither play regularly, nor need... at the moment. As you'll see yourself not too far down the line, this may change - and rapidly.
Ignoring the "sandwich" versus "recessed comb" debate, there seems to me to be two basic shapes of diatonic harp - watch this space to see me get seriously corrected ;). On the one hand, you have the classic shape - Special 20, Hohner Marine Band, Lee Oskar Melody Maker et al. Then you have the more modern shape, where the reed plates are completely enclosed by the cover plates - e.g. Seydel Blues/Steel Session, Hohner Golden Melody.
As an absolute greenhorn, I had bought a bunch of the latter type, before I realised the shape of them doesn't really suit my mouth (once again, this is not set in stone).
My best advice to you at the moment would be - assuming you have the equivalent of maybe 70€ (80 USD?) to invest - once you have a couple of tunes down, and have decided you want to take it further and learn bending and other more advanced techniques, buy a SP20 and a Seydel Blues Session in the key of C, LEARN HOW TO GAP THEM, and decide which you prefer the feel of. For a beginner who is still deciding if the harp is for him/her, I would say these are two of the best harps for the money, as long as you know you have to set the gaps to get a realistic comparison.
If you live in mainland Europe, I'd gladly send you a Seydel to try. You like it, we agree a price; you don't like it, you send it back. Won't send you any of my SP20s though... I'm keeping them ;).
A Marine Band is a great harp. And one of my favorites. All the greats played it.
However with your "virgin" lips the wood comb might really be uncomfortable. If it is Too uncomfortable don't worry you ll eventually get used to it.
Thats why people recommend harps like the special 20 and other plastic combed harps. I know it may seem that plastic comb harps are cheap and Busch league, but this is not true. While the special 20 appears to be the same as the Hot Metal, the guts are what counts. The sp20 is a pro model harp. You may also like lee oskars.
I know i did the same thing. I bought a marine band when i first started and hated it because it killed my lips. Not until i had been playing for a few months could i stand it. Now they are no big deal.
If you can play it GREAT, but i just didn't want you to get discouraged.
Bending is probably way far field for you yet. Although it doesn't hurt to learn.
Funkyharp will take you thru step by step. I was never good with book learning.
Right now I suggest just getting to know the harp. What holes make what sounds, etc. Work on your embouchure and getting single notes. These things are MASSIVELY important.
I can show you a few good starting licks when you get single notes down.
Here when you get single notes down, play with this a bit. Try to stay on these two holes and mix it up. See what you can come up with. This is the essence of harp playing. IMO. Very Good exercise. Helped me out immensely.
Welcome mate. I was about to say get a Special 20 or a Marine Band as the Hot Metal, while ok, is not really up to hard continual harpin', but i read your comment and found out you got a MB, that's great it'll be much better in the long run. The HM is probably ok but i don't think it could match the MB or the SP20.
Btw. I said 2 holes. Because 2draw and 3 blow are the same note. So try using 3 blow instead. Just because sticking to the two holes will make you get creative with making up different timing and note combinations. Start with the lick shown. Then just mix it up. You ll be on your way. ----------
Yea. Thats why i was going to wait to give you stuff like that. Single notes comes first. And before single notes comes chords. But i figured that would give you something to get psyched about and work towards.
Funky harp will give short lessons and quick overviews on each subject. Than you can go out and search each subject in more detail on other videos. Do funyharp 1- 20 ... dont worry about practicing the scales just yet. Just try to understand them if you can.
Funky harp 1
Funky harp2
Funky Harp 3
Gindick Chord Rythms
Gindick single notes
Just keep at it. All the info is out there for ya on youtube and on this site. If you have any questions you know where to go.
Though it would be. Just follow his videos in order. You'll notice his videos are numbered in Roman numerals. And if something he covers isnt quite extensive enough on the explaination, just do a youtube search on that perticular subject until you understand it (or feel free to ask here). Then continue on.
As i said , if you have no musical backround, the scales lessons may be a bit much. And/or boring. So just take what you can from them and move on. There will be time to go back to that later. I still only know 2 or 3. So while you have to learn them eventually, it won't keep you from learning how to play. Just try to understand the concept of the scales and different positions and their uses.
The most important part is just staying interested and progressing forward. Good embouchure, learn what the notes sound like, try to play a song by ear. Practice alot, even if it means just playing.
Ive been playing less than a year, and ive come further than i thought i ever would when i started. But you have to be diligent. I don't practice scales or any of that really, (although i should) for the most part i just play alot and listen to the music/players I'm trying to imitate.
So listen, learn, play. As much as possible. You ll get where you wanna go.
Hey its not a competition. Sounds good. We're all here to help each other progress.
Good Clear Single Notes is the first Big Step.
The Very Beginning was SOO much fun. Because its all new. and progress happens relatively fast. Just keep recording yourself. That way when you feel like your NOT making progress, you go back and listen to your recordings from last month and you ll see how much better you sound already.
There is ALWAYS new stuff to learn. No matter how good you get. The better you get, you just start comparing yourself to better people. Players like Kim Wilson even envy certain skills of other players. So just keep it going. ----------
