Luxembourgguideliness.org. How To Play Harmonica. Harmonica is a musical instrument that is played by blowing to produce sound. This musical instrument consists of a small box in the shape of a square and a hexagon with a mouth on one side and keys on the other side. The box has several reeds or metal sheets that vibrate when blown. This is because there is air pressure from the keys being played. The harmonica musical instrument comes from China with its name, namely Sheng. Then, it was discovered in 1821 by Christian Friedrich Buschmann.
Types of Harmonica Musical Instruments
Before knowing how to play it, there are several types of musical instruments, including:
- First is Chromatic Harmonica. This musical instrument has a button on the right side that the player uses to play all the notes in an octave. This type is very popular in the world of jazz and pop music.
- Second is Tremolo Harmonica. This type has two reeds that are arranged neatly so that they can produce sound vibrations that hang and vibrate. In general, Tremolo Harmonica is widely used in traditional and folk music.
- The third is Marine Band Harmonica. This type of harmonica is very popular and well known in the world of blues and rock music. In addition, it has a distinctive and powerful sound. Usually, Marine Band Harmonica is used in music that requires a distinctive and high-energy harmonica sound.
Apart from the three types of harmonics above, there are various other types. Starting from Bass Harmonica, Orchestral Harmonica, and so on. Each type has its own uniqueness and distinctive sound characteristics. As well as, with the addition of a different dimension.
How To Play Harmonica
The following are the steps to play the harmonica well and correctly, including:
- The first is to regulate breathing properly, namely sucking instead of blowing into the harmonica. You can use survival breathing techniques for beginners. Then, in playing it must be done by relaxing and breathing slowly. Breathing in playing the harmonica is almost the same as singing and exercising. This is because you have to control the breath that will be released later.
- The second is to make a ‘ha’ sound when you exhale and do it when the harmonica is played. This breathing technique is called diaphragmatic breathing, deep breathing, zen breathing, belly breathing, and yogic breathing.
- The third is to put the harmonica into your mouth while maintaining a single note. This is an easy way to breathe properly when playing the harmonica. The important point, the farther the harmonica to the mouth, the better.
- Fourth is to blow the harmonicas one by one from left to right. You’ll hear the 1st, 3rd, 5th notes of the C, E, G major chords in the key of C. Then, repeat it three times with the highlight of the C major chord with a higher note at the end.
That is the interesting explanation above that can be conveyed about how to play harmonica. Hopefully after reading the discussion in this article, you can understand it well, use it as an additional reference, increase your knowledge and insight. And in the future, it can be useful and can apply this knowledge in everyday life.