Making Musical Sounds
The harmonica is capable of producing both notes and chords. A note is the sound produced by inhaling or exhaling on any one hole of the harmonica. A chord is a combination of three or more notes played together.
In some situations it is desirable to play two notes together. This is called a double stop. Each of these possibilities require a different technique to produce the correct sound. These different methods will be dealt with as the book progresses. The easiest thing to play on the harmonica is a chord.
To locate a particular three hole chord, simply place your mouth at the center note of the chord, allowing your mouth to cover a comfortable amount of the harmonica. For example, to play a chord using the 4, 5, and 6 holes, center your mouth on the number 5 hole. The number 4 and 6 holes will automatically be included. If you are unsure what holes you are covering, try placing your tongue in one of the holes, then replace it with your finger and have a look to see which hole it is. After doing this a few times you will soon become familiar with which holes you are sounding.
Some notes on the harmonica are played with an inhaled breath and others are played with an exhaled breath. By moving up and down the harmonica, higher and lower pitches are produced.
To begin the first example, place the harmonica in your mouth centered on hole 2 and exhale. Next, inhale in the same position. After completing the inhaled breath, move further towards the middle of the harmonica and repeat the process, then move to the high end of the harmonica and play again. Don’t worry at this stage about exactly what holes you are playing, just get a feeling for where you should move to produce higher or lower sounds.
As you play, make sure the harmonica points directly into your mouth rather than being angled (see photo). This will allow the air to flow freely through the instrument as you breathe and will produce the clearest sound.
