Gargamel
1 post
Dec 30, 2012
11:22 AM
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Hi,
I'm a complete beginner in mouth harmonicas. I played piano for 6 years, but i always wanted to play mouth harmonica.
How hard is it? :)
I did some research and will probably buy a normal Hohner Special 20 in C key. Is my choice a good one or do you recommend something else in this price range? In my country Special 20 costs around 23 eur or 28 dollars.
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arzajac
928 posts
Dec 30, 2012
12:25 PM
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How hard? For some people the problem is stopping once you get into the habit.
I think the Special 20 is a great first harp for a few reasons. First, it's airtight enough out of the box to perform very well - sometimes a cheap harp leads to frustration when you don't know if the problem is the harp or your technique.
Second, they are a popular middle-of-the-road harmonica . It's a good idea to try different kinds of harps as a beginner and sooner or later, you're going to buy yourself a SP20 anyway. They are available almost anywhere.
Third, they are easy to take apart and adjust. That's something that any harp player may be interested in doing eventually.
So, you may buy a SP20 and it may end up not being your favourite harp, but you won't regret having tried it.
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FMWoodeye
520 posts
Dec 30, 2012
1:14 PM
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The Special 20 would have been my recommendation, too, in the key of C.
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jiceblues
157 posts
Dec 30, 2012
1:40 PM
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After trying a few brands and 20 years of playing , i've got only SP20's in my gig bag .A very good harp .
23€ ? it's not expensive ; they are 35€ in my usual music shop (FRANCE) .
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nacoran
6334 posts
Dec 30, 2012
2:31 PM
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I'm guessing the Special 20 is probably the least controversial choice for a first harp. It's a good all around harp. Not everyone loves it, but some people do, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone complain that they hate it. It's easy on the lips, airtight, easy to work on, got a nice bluesy tuning and pretty durable. I think you'll enjoy it.
When you first start playing, play fairly softly. Lot's of people end up blowing a reed on their first harp because they think you need to play hard to bend. Some people like the more aggressive sound from playing really hard, but once you've gotten some practice time in you can figure that out for yourself.
Coming over from piano, you probably want to have the note layout chart in front of you. The harmonica can throw people who come over from other instruments because it is 'missing' some notes in the top and bottom octaves (you can get them with bends and overblows, but that can take a while, and even a lot of experienced players stay away from overblows.
Welcome to the forum. :)
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jiceblues
159 posts
Dec 31, 2012
5:04 AM
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@ GARGAMEL :
where are you from ?
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Gargamel
2 posts
Dec 31, 2012
5:37 AM
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Ok, today i bought special 20 :)
Now i need some beginner tips. I'll start with how to blow and get one note at the time :)
I'm from Slovenia.
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Scoltx
78 posts
Dec 31, 2012
8:51 AM
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Pickup Jon Gindicks Rock and Blues harmonica book/ cd it's a great beginning even coming from another instrument. Very good for working on a single notes. It'll be slow from a theory point of view, so think of it as a beginners technique book. It'll at least help you locate the 1, 4 and 5 notes/ chords in second position (cross harp) for blues and rock and how they lay out on the harmonica.
Next once you get comfortable with single notes, the basic blues scale and some bending, start digging into Adams earliest video's where he "gives it all away" :)
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jiceblues
160 posts
Dec 31, 2012
9:15 AM
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SP20's are cheap in SLOVENIA !
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Kingley
2083 posts
Dec 31, 2012
9:19 AM
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The Special 20 is a great choice of harp for any beginner.
My only suggestion would be to start learning to tongue block as early as possible. It's hard to learn at first but will pay dividends in the years to come. Too many lip pursers avoid it and then it can become harder to learn later on, as most people develop bad habits along the way. For the best of both worlds learn to play both lip pursing and tongue blocking. You will be a far, far better player for it in the long term.
Last Edited by on Dec 31, 2012 9:21 AM
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SuperBee
779 posts
Dec 31, 2012
4:05 PM
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I'll second Kingley's advice. Tongue blocking is a lot of fun too. David Barrett teaches the technique very well and has numerous books and a great website which could be worth checking out for a while.
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Gargamel
3 posts
Jan 01, 2013
8:57 AM
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I, m learning single notes now. Little success so far :) I can hit one or two, but have huge problems to draw number 1. Sounds very bad.
Having some problems with proper mouth hold, but i guess practice makes perfect.
I'm using youtube jp videos and from Adam Gussow most of the time.
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groyster1
2114 posts
Jan 01, 2013
9:23 AM
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adams advice...be very obsessive...you can practice anywhere....
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Kingley
2096 posts
Jan 01, 2013
9:16 AM
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Keep practicing you'll get there. The main things are to relax and if you find yourself getting tensed up, take a short break and then go back to it. Muscle memory takes a while to sink in.
I second what SuperBee says. David Barrett's site www.bluesharmonica.com is superb. He is one of the top harp teachers in the world. Plus his site has loads more to offer anyone wanting to learn about all aspects of playing harmonica, besides just lessons.
Last Edited by on Jan 01, 2013 9:18 AM
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jbone
1153 posts
Jan 01, 2013
12:27 PM
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Gargamel: don't try too hard! draw and blow gently. Just enough air to make the reed in the hole sound.
Breathing exercises helped me find my inner air column. I began having better control once I learned to breathe from deeper in my torso.
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Gargamel
4 posts
Jan 01, 2013
12:44 PM
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I can now play a single note c scale up and down. I think i use too much air to do this and i pucker my lips too much, but hey i still did it :) now im going to practice this for days.
Is it normal that i hear some air sound before i hear a single note? Sounds like air escaping or the harmonica needs time to produce the sound.
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Pistolcat
347 posts
Jan 01, 2013
1:27 PM
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@Gargamel - That's not supposed to happen, no. It will get better with practice. If it's still the same in three months it can be part the harp, too. Especially if it just one hole. Until then I would bet it's you :)
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Gargamel
5 posts
Jan 01, 2013
2:00 PM
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When i play harmonica loud, i don't hear that much air before the note if any at all, so maybe it has something to do with me playing quietly (baby needs to sleep). But still, i can now do a nice scale up and down and THAT is awesome.
BTW, how or with what are you cleaning your harmonicas? Just a cloth and some water? I find it hard to whipe it completly without water.
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Afro Blue
97 posts
Jan 02, 2013
6:45 AM
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Hohner Blues Harps are also decent in my opinion. If you cannot find an SP20, you should be all right there. They have softer feeling reeds which will make bending easier potentially and the tone doesn't seem to modulate with your playing to the effect that a Marine Band does which would probably explain why a Marine Band is more popular.
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Hunger is the best spice.
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Baker
259 posts
Jan 02, 2013
7:20 AM
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@Gargamel – Have a look at harp tabs. http://www.harptabs.com. They have lots and lots of tabs of tunes you will probably know, mostly melodies.
Learning a few of these will help you with your single note playing, and will also get you used to moving around the harmonica.
It's also more fun than just playing scales and will help keep you interested.
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Gargamel
6 posts
Jan 03, 2013
12:05 AM
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I'm working on single notes now. Sometimes i hit them nicely, sometimes not. Is my mouth position correct:
http://s9.postimage.org/yvkfovhun/harp.jpg
Please advise.
I'm using puck lips method, not tounge blocking.
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Gargamel
7 posts
Jan 03, 2013
5:40 AM
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If i want to treat myself with good beginner program from a pro and i have already narrowed down to two guys, who would it be:
- Adam Gussow MBH beginners deluxe package for 35$ or
- David Barrett 17$ a month subscription?
My problem with David Barretts site is, that videos don't work on my Samsung Galaxy Note. I use it 95% of the time for watching youtube harp related videos.
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paulbunyn
57 posts
Jan 03, 2013
6:01 AM
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It seems you are doing it right. Maybe your not getting centered over the holes properly. Place a few drops of nail polish on the bottom side of the harp under the even numbered holes, it will take several layers built up to be able to feel it with your lip. Dip the harp in cold water for a minute to speed the drying time (Pinterest). When you feel the polish bump in the center of your lip you know you are centered over the hole. When playing and odd numbered hole you will feel 2 bumps, one on each side of center of your lip. When you feel you have the hang of it the polish can be peeled off with your finger nail.
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Gargamel
8 posts
Jan 03, 2013
6:31 AM
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That is awesome idea. If the nail polish stays on of course and you don't eat it all :)
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SuperBee
792 posts
Jan 03, 2013
11:17 PM
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Yep, I found some of the time I was quite frustrated by the download/streaming speed of Bluesharmonica.com
It's my only criticism of what is a really brilliant site, content an concept wise. I know he is protecting his content but for me, even with an iPhone the video was too slow to load. Much better on the desktop machine, in the two years I was a member I only had a couple of weeks where it was slow, and that was more likely my ISP than anything inherent with the site.
But, I didn't have to watch the videos a lot either. Once you watch the lesson a couple times you know what he's talking about. It's chunked up pretty well.
I've done quite a few of Adam's too. At least you get to buy the lesson, download it. Refer to it whenever. AG is a different kind of teacher, and he doesn't really teach tongue blocking, but he's still a really good teacher. Why not do Adam's lessons first, then have a month of David's stuff. You'll build some skill with Adam, and maybe get more from David quicker than you would otherwise.
Maybe.
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colman
217 posts
Jan 04, 2013
6:36 AM
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If blues harp is what you want,outside of all the books etc. ,the best thing you can do is tune your EAR,three basic schools of blues harp ,Sonny Terry,Sonnyboy williamson 2 and Little Walter...if you learn these styles ,you will be on the road to bright lites big city..
also 90% of the blues harp played from 1930 thru 2000
was a marine band ... do it to it !
Last Edited by on Jan 04, 2013 6:39 AM
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mlefree
74 posts
Jan 04, 2013
10:43 AM
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Gargamel, you've received many good suggestions herein. Mine differs from those so far, so I thought I'd share my opinion. I'm with everyone on the Sp20; they are great harps especially once you learn to set the "gap" on the reeds (be patient, that will come with time -- right now concentrate on playing the thing). My only suggestion is that you now go for a Sp20 in the key of A, and for a specific reason: This is the key that Jerry Portnoy uses in his "Blues Harmonica Masterclass," now available free on youtube (http://youtu.be/ytCBc-zg6_s). In this series of lessons, Jerry "walks" you each step, showing you how to play the lesson, then allowing you to play along until you are ready for the next lesson. I couldn't recommend it more highly; it unlocked the key to the harmonica for me when many other methods had failed.
Oh well, you are ready for your next SP20 (in A!), especially at that price! 8^) And, by the way, many, many more blues tunes are in the key of E (2nd position on an A harp) than in G (2nd position on C harp).
Good luck and stick with it! Soon you will be rewarded by the many aspect of playing the "short harp!"
Michelle
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Gargamel
9 posts
Jan 07, 2013
2:28 PM
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A little update from your raw beginner.
I can now play single notes and i can play first lesson song by Adam, Oh Susannah! I just learned it today. Of course it's not perfect yet, but bit is here and clear single notes too. I bought beginner lessons by Adam and will now work through them.
But i must say something. I tried to play single notes with pucker like Adam and many other are showing, but i couldn't do it all the time. It was ok for a minute, then not and so on. Then i tried JP Allen method (deep in mouth and tilt up) anf it worked. Needs practise too, but now it is much better then before.
Tell me, is this method wrong? Is it a bad habbit? Will i have bigger problems later on?
Now i really need to work on my bit and breathing. And still single notes ofcourse. Oh Susannah, lalalalalala.
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