8th hole draw..
Tue, 07/21/2026 - 00:00
Hello, love the course etc. It's awesome. I'm a beginner and working on Amazing Grace from level 1. I'm really having trouble on the 8th hole draw, could it be my harmonica? It's a Special 20 in C. Haven't had it that long. Anyway no big deal at all I ordered another one in A so I could continue the studies. Just curious if this is an unusual hard note to hit or something I don't know. lol.
Thanks
Trey
Trey:
Not a bad idea to post your question in the "Ask Harmonica Instructor David Barrett" part of this Forum. He'll get back to you with questions ... and answers.
But in the meantime: What sort of trouble? E.g., getting note to sound; thin sound? bad intonation? The Special 20s are really good harps, so as long as you picked up a new one from an authorized Hohner source, the harp itself shouldn't be a problem. Over time I have occassionally had difficulty getting a full sound out of high notes in various-keyed harps, and generally find that with the shorter reeds and higher pitch, sometimes it helps to make sure the mouth cavity is big. E.g., making sure my jaw drops, tonque isn't reducing the volume of the mouth, etc. And start gently when drawing. Drawing too hard can cause trouble for those higher reeds, too.
Good luck.
Ukulele Rob plays Hohner™ harmonicas customized by Kinya Pollard, the HarpSmith™