A short prologue to this hellish creation. For my end of term College English assignment I had to write a research paper. There was a running gag in my class about harmonicas because I always had one in my pocket and could play any song on it. (Unfortunately my little beauty broke this past November. She might be too mangled to resurrect.)
For my final research paper I decided to write about Harmonicas, a whole eight pages. (Albeit I made one of those pages comprising of a list you can buy so I maybe cheated a little.) Here is the rather underwhelming fruits of my labor, for you self-professed internet English teachers out there I trust you will have a field day telling me everything I did wrong. If you make it to the end at all, thank you. And just know that the only feedback I care about is my English teacherâs so anything else you have to say is purely for your own benefit. (This website is crap for formatting, git gud TTV, câmon, use that Patreon money I gave you.)
The Harmonica is often seen as a silly or annoying instrument. Sometimes itâs seen as a downright joke. That may be one of itâs greatest strengths as well as its greatest weakness. On the one hand the world can always use more laughter. On the other, people are often afraid they will be the ones laughed at. I will be telling you not only why you should learn the harmonica, but also what kind you should get and how to develop a greater skill and understanding of this marvelous instrument. Before I start making an argument, I feel it is important you understand the harmonicaâs roots and influence in our society.
The harmonicaâs development started in the early nineteenth-century. Free-reed instruments like the Chinese sheng were already relatively popular in Europe after being gifted by a French Jesuit named Jean Joseph Marie Amiot who was from Qing-era China. The harmonica was first produced about 1821. The genius often credited with bestowing upon us this beautiful harp was Christian Friedrich Ludwig Bushchmann. Other people also received the God-given inspiration and developed similar ideas about the same time though so it is debatable whether he was the true creator.
Mouth blown free-reed instruments appeared in the United States, South America, the United Kingdom and Europe roughly the same time. Created for classical music, these instruments were soon about to discover their truer purpose of rock and blues.
Richter tuning, invented by Joseph Richter (also credited with the creation of the blowing and drawing mechanism) was created in 1826 was adopted almost completely by those around him. German violin maker Mr. Meisel, bought a harmonica with chambers at the exhibition in Braunchsweig in 1824. He and ironworker Langhammer copied the instruments in the Graslitz only three miles away. They had produced hundreds of the little music makers by 1827, leading the way for many others in Germany as well as Czechoslovakia.
In 1830, a weaver and cloth maker from Trossingen, by the name of Christian Messner, replicated his neighborâs harmonica he bought in vienna. He was so successful, his brother and other family joined him. 1840 onwards, Christian Weiss, his nephew, also helped carry the torch. There were three major harmonica-making businesses by 1855; C. A. Seydel Söhne, Christian Messner & Co., and WĂŒrtt. Harmonikafabrik Ch. Weiss. (Only C.A. Seydel is still in business today.) Because of competition between the harmonica factories, machines to punch the reed cover plates were invented.
By 1857, the legendary Matthias Hohner, joined the game. Although only a clockmaker from Trossingen, he would he would begin producing harmonicas with only his wife and a single employee. Eventually, he became the first to mass-produce them. He used a wooden comb that he had made by machine-cutting firms allowing it to be mass-produced. In 1868, he began to supply the US. By the 1920s, the diatonic harmonica looked very similar to how it does today. Today, Hohner Harmonicas has the largest harmonica factory in the world. (âHohner.â)
âDiatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for playing German and other European folk music and have succeeded well in those styles. Over time, the basic design and tuning proved adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country, old-time and more. The harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the center of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany, the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Bushman, Hohner â the dominant manufacturer in the world), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo â the manufacturer of the popular Lee Oskar harmonica, and Yamaha also made harmonicas until the 1970s), China (Huang, Johnson, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner, Swan, AXL), and Brazil (Hering, Bends). The United States had two significant harmonica manufacturers, and both were based in Union, New Jersey. One was Magnus Harmonica Corporation, whose founder Finn Magnus is credited with the development of plastic harmonica reeds. The other was Wm. Kratt Company, which, founded by German-American William Jacob âBillâ Kratt Sr., originally made pitch pipes and later, in 1952, secured a patent for combs made of plastic. Both companies ceased harmonica production. The only recent American contender in the harmonica market was Harrison Harmonicas, which folded in July 2011. It was announced soon thereafter that the rights to the Harrison design had been sold to another company to finish production of orders already placed. In October 2012, it was revealed that a Beloit, Wisconsin, investment corporation, R&R Opportunities, had bought the assets of Harrison Harmonicas and that a feasibility study was under way to assess the possibilities of continued production of the Harrison B-Radical harmonica. Recently, responding to increasingly demanding performance techniques, the market for high-quality instruments has grown.â (âHarmonica âEarly Instrumentsââ.)
As seen above Harmonicas have had a long history of development and have had many minds put into the invention and perfection of the instrument. It also has an incredibly rich history in American history and music. âPresident Abraham Lincoln carried a harmonica in his pocket, and harmonicas provided solace to soldiers on both the Union and Confederate sides of the American Civil War. Frontiersmen Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid played the instrument, and it became a fixture of the American musical landscape.â (âHarmonica âEurope and North America.ââ)
Many famous Musicians have incorporated the harmonica into their music. âAmongst the most famous musicians that you might have knew who played the harmonica on stage before, youâre bound to surely find some names that will surprise you as well: John Mayer, Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, Shakira, Mick Jagger, Van Morisson, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Jimmi Page and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Bono (U2), Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Neil Young, Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen and many other greats.â (âHarmonicas: 13 Super-Fun Facts You Never Knew About Them â Harmonica Jamz.â)
With all these prestigious players it should be apparent that the harmonica is not only a tool to make people laugh, but also a professional instrument that can provide a high quality of music and sound. If ever you wanted to learn the harmonica, but were afraid of what people would think of you, you can always spout off this list of people, as well as John Lennon. In fact, John Lennon was so well respected in the Harmonica community, Hohner produced a special edition Harmonica in his honor. (âMusic Trades - February 2012.â)
In addition to being a professional instrument, the Harmonica is also good for your health. âPlaying the harmonica requires inhaling and exhaling strongly against resistance. This action helps develop a strong diaphragm and deep breathing using the entire lung volume. Pulmonary specialists have noted that playing the harmonica resembles the kind of exercise used to rehabilitate COPD patients such as using a PFLEX inspiratory muscle trainer or the inspiratory spirometer. Learning to play a musical instrument also offers motivation in addition to the exercise component. Many pulmonary rehabilitation programs therefore have begun to incorporate the harmonica.â (âHarmonica âMedical Uses.ââ) (âPulmonologists Treat Breath Shortness with Harmonica Classesâ)
Not only does it have physical benefits but music is also good for the brain. âIn one study reviewed, researchers studied patients who were about to undergo surgery. Participants were randomly assigned to either listen to music or take anti-anxiety drugs. Scientists tracked patientâs ratings of their own anxiety, as well as the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.â
The results: The patients who listened to music had less anxiety and lower cortisol than people who took drugs. Levitin cautioned that this is only one study, and more research needs to be done to confirm the results, but it points toward a powerful medicinal use for music.â (Laundau, Elizabeth)
With the powerful ability to soothe a troubled mind, music is a valuable tool. Would it not be wise to then have the ability to create music whenever needed? This is the power the harmonica has that a piano or full-sized guitar does not, a harmonica can fit in the pocket and is easily transportable.
The harmonica is not only beautiful sounding, rich in history, good for your health, but it is also quite affordable. You can pick up a beginner harmonica for roughly twelve bucks, but they will often be harder to blow and break faster. If you want a brass-clad friend that blows as sharp as stiletto and will stay with you for a good few years as long as you treat it right, the Blues Harp MS from Hohner is the harmonica I personally use.
With brass plates, doussie lacquered brown comb, stainless steel plates, sheâll sing as pretty as your momma cooing a lullaby. (âBlues Harp.â) Sheâll run you forty dollars but if you tap her out now and then and donât screw her back together too tight sheâll be as good to you as a southern belle.
There are several top-quality harmonicas you can buy if you are willing to spend some dough and commit;
The Major Diatonic by Lee Oskar
(Lee Oskar Harmonica Major Diatonic (1910)- Best Quality for Price, Replaceable Reed Plates | Harmonica Store)
The Rocket (super-charged Special 20) by Hohner (http://www.harmonicastore.com/product/hohner-harmonicas-rocket-progressive-model-m2013.html)
The Crossover MB by Hohner
(Hohner Marine Band Crossover | Blues, Country, Rock Harmonica (M2009) - Bamboo Comb | Harmonica Store)
The 1847 Classic by Seydel
(Seydel 1847 Classic Diatonic Harmonica (16201-) | Harmonica Store)
The Special 20 by Hohner
(Hohner Special 20 Harmonicas (560) - Classic harp for blues, country, rock | Harmonica Store)
And the Marine Band Deluxe by Hohner (Hohner Diatonics | Harmonica Store)
(âRecommended Chart.â)
I hope you can see there are many different options for you to buy a harmonica, not all of them are expensive, but if you want quality you have to put some money into it. As long as you take care of it, almost any harmonica can provide you with years of enjoyment.
What have we learned so far? A) The harmonica has history and roots in most parts of the world, manly Central Europe, North America and East Asia. B) The Harmonica is not only a joke instrument, but a professional piece of musical equipment that has been used by professional people the world over to make music generation after generation. C) The Harmonica has health benefits, not only physically but it also helps soothe the soul. D) The harmonica can come from several different sources, so there should be no trouble finding an instrument that suits your skill and price range.
Now I will assume I have successfully convinced you into buying a harmonica, now you have it in your hands but youâre thinking, how do I use this thing? You could just start breathing into the thing, but who knows what ungodly noise could come out the other side? There are a few things you need to know before you start your musical journey.
First things first, how do you properly sound a note on the harmonica? If you were to just stick your mouth on it and start blowing as a beginner youâd probably sound about three or four notes at once, the goal in the beginning is to develop control of your lips and breathing.
Youâll want only one note to sound, to do this, form your mouth as if you were going to engage in a Hallmark movie kiss, lips outstretched and forming a small hole at the end. Touch your lips to one hole on the harmonica and blow till you only hear one reed sound. After this, try inhaling. Repeated this several times, try moving to the left or the right, it will take a little practice to consistently sound clear, single notes, but soon it will be as natural as walking.
Youâll want to practice this every day, whenever you have some spare time alone pull out your companion and give him/her a little blow. In the beginning the notes will not flow so easily, but this is okay, right now you are just getting familiar with what hole sounds what note, you will learn what notes flow in time. Until you become more experienced it is best to stay on the left side of the harmonica as to avoid high-pitched screaming that would drive those around you insane.
When you feel comfortable enough going from side to side, blowing consistent, single notes, it is time for you to learn your first piece of tablature, spelled TAB for short. We will start with a basic necessity, Oh When the Saints Go Marching In. The most common form of tablature you will find on the internet looks like this:
(This particular portion could not be formatted on this site to any readable extent, if you really want a tab there is a neat thing called a search bar at the top of your computer.)
4 5 -5 6 4 5 -5 6 4 5 -5 6 5 4 5 -4
Oh when the saints! Go Marching in! Oh, when the saints go marching in!
5 5 -4 4 4 5 6 6 6 5 -5 6 5 4 -4 4
Oh Lord I want to be in that number! When the saints go marching in!
Many people already familiar with tablature will probably be able to figure this out themselves, but for the less musically inclined I will explain it. Each number corresponds to a hole on the harmonica. A number by itself means you blow in at that hole, a number with a negative sign before it means that you breathe-in, (also called drawing) at that hole. It is a very simple but effective system of recording music.
Another great bonus of learning the harmonica, is that the harmonica community is a fantastic group of people who have composed tablature for almost any song you can think of, from the modern songs to the way backs. All it requires is a quick google.
I hope this paper has informed you and encouraged you to purchase a harmonica for yourself. It is an excellent hobby that aids both the body and the mind. If you do decide to pick up the harmonica I would be more than happy to hear about how you enjoy it. My email is supersol268@gmail.com
Sources
âHohner.â Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Oct. 2017, Hohner - Wikipedia.
âHarmonica.â Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Dec. 2017, Harmonica - Wikipedia
âHarmonicas: 13 Super-Fun Facts You Never Knew About Them â Harmonica Jamz.â Harmonica Jamz, 20 May 2017, www.harmonicajamz.com/harmonicas-facts-fun/
âMusic Trades - February 2012.â Hohnerâs Second John Lennon Harmonica, The Music Trades Corporation, 30 Nov. -1, digitaleditions.sheridan.com/publication/?i=95577&article_id=941783&view=articleBrowser&ver=html5#{âissue_idâ:95577,âviewâ:âarticleBrowserâ,âarticle_idâ:â941783â}.
âPulmonologists Treat Breath Shortness with Harmonica Classesâ. American Institute of Physics. January 1, 2006. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Now found at https://web.archive.org/web/20060617150522/http://aip.org/dbis/stories/2006/15114.html.
Landau, Elizabeth. âThis is your brain on music.â CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Feb. 2016, www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/health/brain-music-research/index.html
âBlues Harp.â HOHNER - enjoy music, 7 Dec. 2017, The one and only Blues HarpÂź: HOHNER - enjoy music.
âRecommended Chart.â Harmonicas Recommended To Buy- Diatonics, Hohner, Lee Oskar, Harmonicas Recommended To Buy- Diatonics, Hohner, Lee Oskar.