General Discussion

Hello All,

I'm interested in learning to adjust my reeds for better bends but as a starter dont have any old ones to practice on. Has anyone ever bot a cheap $10 harp to practice? Would it be worth it or would the reeds and plates be so cheap it wouldnt be worth it? I figure I'll use a French tuner to avoid the leaks on the cover plate. Any advice from those more advanced than a newbie like me would be appreciated.

Hello everyone, I just got a harmonica as a present and what a grateful surprise to discover I had a 30 days free lessons coming with it! 

But when I started viewing the videos I noticed that David says that you just need an A key to go through the begginer lessons, and mine  is G key. My father got me this present and neither him or me know a single thing about harmonicas, so it was an innocent error.

So, is is possible to learn and have a good example of how to play in my key in the website? continue reading...

Hi, 

Do many of you guys sing as well as play harmonica?

I don't feel comfortable singing,  but have done a few times at an acoustic guitar open mic venue.  Any suggestions for developing singing voice would be most welcome. 

In another subforum, I mentioned Musescore, a free software program that creates sheet music. I first started using it several years ago when my daughter was in a school band and had some really poorly copied sheet music. I also used it to transpose music from one instrument (clarinet) to another (alto saxophone). My main use has been to write horn charts for a band I'm in. It's very convenient to have sheet music in electronic format when the singer decides to change the key or a trumpet player starts playing a part written for another instrument.  continue reading...

Just wondering how everyone keeps track of licks they are learning.  In the past I have learned and practiced new licks until I thought I had them memorized, only to discover later on that I couldn't remember how to play them.  

Writing them down seems like a good solution, but if you don't recall how to play a lick from the tab you've written, then what?  I'd love to hear other ideas on this.   

Thanks in advance.

Assuming you have 30 minutes a day to study, what works best for you? One dedicated 30 session or two 15 minute sessions split up, one in the AM and another in the PM?

I've been practicing for about 3 weeks with a new Hohner Special 20 in A and draw 2 and 3 are hard to draw and sound flat already. I'm not drooling in the harmonica when I practice and I'm definately not playing hard and loud. I took it apart and there's no debris in the reeds that I can see. Is there anything I can do other than throw it out and buy a new one? These aren't cheap and I certainly can't afford buying a new harmonica every 3 weeks! Thanks.

In the opening of the movie Once Upon a Time in the West, within the first minute, it sounds to me almost like Franco rattle the reeds.

Does anyone know what he does, and/or how he does it?

Just binge watched the entire interview and must say it was well worth the watch. Jerry is a master of the instrument and a truly beautiful person, a treasure of the blues community. If you have the time give it a go. you won't be disappointed. 

Here where I live there's a small sauna, about 1 by 3 meters, and I found out that it's a lot of fun practicing harmonica there because of the acoustic. Not only fun, but it's also helping me a lot! The harmonica sounds louder to the ears, so you can play lighter and hear the nuances of your technic, and there's a nice reverb effect.

Not everyone has a sauna, but I think a small bathroom would do the same trick. I know it sounds weird, to practice in the bathroom, but give it a try! The sauna is my favorite place to practice now