Harp Surgery

Harp Tips

Isolating Single Notes

The Good Doctor

This information is given from a lip-pursed embouchure perspective, but may be useful for other embouchures. Audio files are based on a 10 hole diatonic harmonica in C major.

Newcomers to the harmonica can find it difficult to play accurate single notes. Which is understandable – there isn’t much to aim at and the concepts of an airtight embouchure, good intonation and diaphragmatic breathing have yet to be explored. Ultimately everyone will develop their own approach to capturing single notes and some will find success sooner than others. However, if you are finding this skill elusive don’t give up. It is not that you will never do it; you just can’t do it yet. Give it time and you will get it. Let’s run through a few ideas that may help in your quest for isolating single notes.

Airtight
For the best tone and accuracy, first we need to eliminate any leakiness. This means placing your lips right round the mouth piece, with the corners of your mouth supportive but not rigid, and lips pushed slightly forward but not stiff. And drop that jaw. Remember also that each hole has the comb and dividers framing it. Your target area is nearly twice as wide as your eyes will tell you and pushing the harmonica into your lips will actually improve your accuracy, airtightness and tone.


Posture
Next you should remember to relax your posture. This includes your shoulders, neck, jaw and tongue. Make sure you’re not slumped or leaning on elbows either, as this compromises deep breathing from your diaphragm. If your cheeks are puffing in and out as you play, this also means you are not moving warm air from deep down in your abdomen and your tone will suffer as a consequence. Read more

Which Keys Do I Need?

The Good Doctor

The keys to success
Different players and tutors will give different answers depending on their experience and personal preference. The choice is subjective and may also be steered by budget. From a practical perspective however, there are keys that are used a lot and others that tend to gather dust. Here’s our take.

A complete set of regular tuned harps will have twelve keys : A  Bb  B  C  Db  D  Eb  E   F   F# G  Ab

Most players start with a C harmonica. This is mid-range tonally and most tutorial information is published in this key. Next up are  A  D  G  F  and Bb. These keys are used most often on the band stand, when jamming and when learning from recordings by the greats.

We then recommend a Low F. A regular F is very high tonally. A Low F lends itself to blow bending in holes 8-10. It’s also good for familiarising with the feel of Low tunings. Then we’d recommend Eb and Ab, and finally B, Db, E and F#. From experience, these last four are used least frequently.

You might also like to supplement your spread with a High G. Tonally a normal G is the lowest of the regular tunings. There may be the odd occasion when you want to work in a higher pocket. Pencil Full of Lead by Paolo Nutini is an example.

How low can you go?
From here, and if you’re willing to splash out, you can add your choice of Low tunings. These are an octave below regular tuned harps. They are not only ideal for creating a darker mood, but also for occupying a lower pocket when accompanying, for example, slide guitar. Listen to recordings by Son of Dave for an idea of how great these sound, and also Mr Lucky by Gary Primich.

1st Position Blues Harp – An Introduction (Part 1)

The Good Doctor

Harps and Guitar 1A guide to straight blues harping

No force, however great, can stretch a cord, however fine, into a horizontal line which is accurately straight. Elementary Treatise On Mechanics (William Whewell)

The classic blues harmonica journey starts with a crusade to the Holy Shrine of cross harp. Whereupon, straight harp (normally in the guise of Oh Susannah) is swiftly abandoned. Drunk on the glories of success, and soon lavishly equipped with assault amplifiers and bullet microphones, the crusade continues.

New techniques are won – including tongue blocking, vibrato, blow bends and third position blues – before a dark specter looms like a cloud on the horizon; the ghost of first position past. It’s been neglected for too long and now it’s broken our serenity, and it’s raining torment. Here’s how to make amends…

Read more

Why Is 2 Draw So Difficult?

The Good Doctor

I think my harmonica’s broken…

When learning to play individual notes for the first time, 2 draw (2D) is often the hardest reed to master. Harp Surgery frequently receives emails asking, is it me or is there something wrong with my harmonica? It may not be what you want to hear, but the short answer is, it’s not the harp.

2D is a long old reed, which swings through a big slot when we play. Picture in your mind a spring diving board, fixed at one end and unfettered at the other. The 2D reed and a diving board behave in the same way. Consider also, the fact that 2D shares a chamber with 2B, another long reed in another big slot. These two reeds constantly interact, working as a pair. Consequently, we expend a lot of air when we work in hole 2 and it can feel like we run out of breath really quickly.

Consider also the flexibility of the reeds. With a choice of one natural and two bent positions, 2D is very sensitive to changes in air pressure. When we play 2D for the first time, it can sound mangled or flat. Alternatively it won’t respond at all. At the same time we seem to be inflating really quickly.

Fear not, this is a common experience for beginners. Let’s investigate things and see if we can help you overcome an important hurdle. It’s a relatively short process and we promise you it will be painless. Kim followed our advice and look what happened to her! Read more

3rd Position Blues Harp – An Introduction

The Good Doctor

Harp Pic 2Anon they move, In perfect phalanx to the Dorian mode, Of flutes and recorders. Paradise Lost (Milton)

When we first pick up a diatonic harp, we’re on a mission from God. Nothing, but nothing’s going to get in our way. In short order we buy some cheap shades and a big old hat, then we embark on a crusade to capture that sound. You know the one. It fits in your pocket and goes da DAH da da.

We raid the wardrobe, car glove compartment and every drawer for loose change, and then plunder the sofa. Then we invest our accumulated swag in a used copy of Play Like Walter in Ten Minutes, while bidding on ebay for a second hand entry level harp with a fancy name like Sonny Boy’s Special or Blues Howler. Read more

Why Are Draw 2 And Blow 3 The Same?

The Good Doctor

Every truly cultured music student knows

Find your 10 hole C diatonic harmonica and blow hole 3. You’re playing G natural. Now draw hole 2. You’re also playing G natural. So why do we have duplicated notes on our instrument?

Well before we get all technical, for beginners it’s a great way to check that your 2 draw is true and not partially bent when you’re playing. When starting out, 2 draw can be hard to master. It can help to blow 3 and see if you are in pitch by comparing it with your 2 draw. If you’re experiencing problems, check out this helpful post ‘Why is 2 draw so difficult?‘. Now back to our two note conundrum. No it’s not a mistake, and yes, it does seem strange.

To solve the apparent mystery, let’s first consider blow 3. Our blow notes are arranged uniformly in terms of pitch. If we blow them in sequence from hole 1 to 4, we’ll hear the C major arpeggio. The same goes for holes 4 to 7, and 7 to 10 respectively. It’s the same result in three different octaves, each one higher in pitch than the previous, rather like a piano keyboard. Read more

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