Cool, thanks. Rushing is the bane of all beginners on all instruments - make each note a good one, otherwise, it is just noise. 1:20 Correct Cupping 4:20 Don't Purse Too Tightly 5:35 There's a Goldilock Zone for amount of air - not too light, not too much 6:35 Take your time, You can't cheat the Harmonica, Every note counts, make it good. 9:10 Use a Metronome, not a Metra Gnome
Thank you Joe. For the first time in years I'm able to do a wawa. That technique with cupping your hands did the trick. Again(a million) thanks. From now on, I watch your videos first if not exclusively. Hope I don't wear them out and deprive the rest of the world of your teaching talent. Later.
really appreciated the tips, I recently purchased a harmonica in order to deal with some of my mental problems and I'm looking forward to improve my skills
Music will help,it works for me, mental, emotional, depression,I picked up the classical guitar,uke,, mandolin, and now I went back to the harmonica, both diatonic and chromatic, I'm thinking of go back to the violin also.
@@richarddeleon3558 WOW!! I have mental issues too. I'm learning harmonica, ukulele, & the recorder. It really helps. Unless I get down on myself because I'm not playing the way I feel like I could be.
Thanks for posting this man this video really helped a lot and you broke stuff down better than most videos I've seen. They kinda just say something and don't go very in depth. In the past hour I've even become much better. Thanks again.
Maaaan so many little tips that I only realize now I did when I first started to play, I’ve put it down and picked it up off and on over the years but I’m going at it again with different mind set and more determination, like I’m in prison and have nothing else to do or that Linley cowboy on the prairie at night
Hey Joe I'am new at playing the harmonica trying to learn it these are some great tips thanks so much expleshy liked the metronome for practicing. Are there aby tips for a better air blow . I don't know how to say what I mean but other then I'am a smoker and feel as if I'am not getting a good long enough air blow .There are alot of great harmonica players that smoked and still played freak in awesome expleshy blues players. Don't mean to sound stupid but besides to stop smoking is there anything else to help ?..tks
Ricki Wolfe Thanks for the great question! It’s a subject that I haven’t thought much about. From my days playing brass instruments(which I still do) one of the best things to do is to play long tones. On the harmonica you could pick a hole and either draw or blow note. Play the note for a long time and try to keep an even sound and really listen to the tone. Experiment and see if you can change the tone of your sound. Do this on all the holes of the harp draw and blow. You can even use more than one hole such as the chords on the lower part of the harmonica. I like to play 4 semi long notes in a row and one very long note. Try counting 1,2,3,4 very slowly as you do it so you have a sense of rhythm. Also check around youtube for breathing or pulmonary exercises as there are tons of videos. Here’s one I found and like ruclips.net/video/f-1kuahbLl4/видео.html I hope that helps! Drop me a message sometime and let me know how it’s going.
Corona virus has changed the world. My diversion was to try a harmonica. Not being a musical person, I admit it is very challenging. Thanks for your great lesson!
GiaLVo Thanks, glad you liked my video. Drop me an email sometime (it’s up in the description box) and let me know what you want to work on. I’ll try and get a video out for it.
I play by ear 👂 I’ve played for years when I was aboard the ship I was on 68/70 I’ve used a crushed pink pong ball for good separation I crushed it to keep it from moving around if you like to play poka use your 👅 tongue up and down off your cords try it it sounds like a circus too
I saw a guy in Lima peru..by the name.of JAIRO ZULETA ....he made.the german harmonicas. Doinds lijr a wawa pedal or a saxophone. In B flat or c Sharp..
I remember one of my music instructors in college showed me the wristwatch trick. I find it easier with an old time watch that has an actual second hand. It’s a little tougher with a digital watch.
One thing that's VERY important is to attempt (and PRACTICE) bending notes. I've noticed when u play 2nd position CORRECTLY u have to 'bend' .. On 2, 3 & higher. These tones are hard to reach.. Yet help take it to the next level. P.S: I'm stilllll practicing 😎🚬
Hi Joe! Thanks for your lessons! You're helping so much! One question, I'm trying to get started to overblow, and still, after some time, I just can't get the technique. Surely I do something wrong but I'm even wondering if I'm using the right harp: MarineBand in the key of C. Should I prefer some lower tuning or am I forced to customize the gap of the reeds? Thank you so much!!!
Playing Overblows is a much longer subject than I can put in a comment. There can be a number of things going on. As to your question specifically a lower key harp Might be a little easier. I would start with hole 6 overblow as that one seems to be the easiest to get. A Marine band is fine but the reeds should be a little closer to the reed plate. I have several marine Band harmonicas that overblow right out of the box. It takes a lot of trial and error to get your first overblows. It’s probably not the reeds unless they are seriously out of adjustment most likely it is a technique issue. Keep on trying and eventually you’ll get it!
Tony Stephens Thanks for the question Tony! Generally I play using the pucker otherwise known as lip pursing. However I do frequently use tongue blocking. I think you'll find that most harmonica players use a combination of the two.
I have a question: I have a Horner special 20 in C. My second one. The lower notes below hole 4..i cannot get good sounds out of it. Any suggestions please?
Denise Gibbons Thanks for the question. I guessing you are having problems on the draw notes? The draw notes on the lower 3 holes sometimes take a little more air to get them to sound clear when you are starting out. Try dropping your jaw just a little and use a “ta” syllable. That will help your mouth cavity and throat to be a little more open. If you want some personalized help, I teach lessons over Skype. You can contact me at my email. Joe@harmonicajoe.com. Thanks!
Try using a Lee Oskar by Tombo , to me they always work straight out of the box and they last longer. I started on Hohner but found them unreliable,although the Hohner Special 20 seemed more reliable a Hohner Blues Harp soaked in water (or sourmash whiskey) sounded best. Don’t forget to trim the swollen wood back with a razor blade or your lips will end up bleeding.🤪🤩👯♂️
That's true, getting an expensive properly set up harmonica will help you a lot, but these tips are solid, although very basic. Good video overall, though.
Thanks Anthony, I don’t own any expensive harmonicas yet. I mostly play on Hohner Marine Bands and Special 20s. I do have a couple of Seydels that I love but they are a little hard on my wallet at this point.
Erald Ylli Thanks for your answer! Yes I would love a custom harmonica or 2 but I use Hohner Marine Bands, Crossovers and Special 20s for the most part and make small adjustments to them myself.
@@HarmonicaJoecom I wasn't being a wise ass, it's just I noticed you are playing a Marine Band Crossover? I think, and they are out of my price league. I play a Special 20 and a Big River. Both nice harps. I tried a Lee Oskar in the key of D and didn't like it at all, though I had read a lot of good things about them. Very bright. I'd really like to try a Marine Band crossover when I gain a bit more playing technique. Seems to be the standard decent harp. Thanks for all the great tips.
Anthony Monaghan didn’t think that at all. Yes, I play a Marine Band Crossover a lot. They are a bright sound, more than the regular marine band or Special 20. They really are a very good harmonica. The price is comparable to a Seydel at around $70 or so depending where you get it. They play very well right out of the box. Thanks for your reply!
Very useful tip on the rear hand position. Thanks.
Cool, thanks. Rushing is the bane of all beginners on all instruments - make each note a good one, otherwise, it is just noise.
1:20 Correct Cupping
4:20 Don't Purse Too Tightly
5:35 There's a Goldilock Zone for amount of air - not too light, not too much
6:35 Take your time, You can't cheat the Harmonica, Every note counts, make it good.
9:10 Use a Metronome, not a Metra Gnome
BoldCautionProductions Thanks!
The real MVP
Nice 1 Thank you... I'm off to a good start... and have plenty to practice...
excellent thanks. As a true beginner so nice to see how to create good habits from the beginning.
Lucinda Cindy Martin Thanks, glad you liked it!
Lucinda Cindy Martin; Are you still playing?
THANKS.....
Nice, Joe! I've been playing for over 10 years, but it's always good to get back to the fundamentals. Thanks!
Dov Landzbaum Thanks, glad you liked it!
Thank you Joe.
For the first time in years I'm able to do a wawa. That technique with cupping your hands did the trick.
Again(a million) thanks. From now on, I watch your videos first if not exclusively. Hope I don't wear them out and deprive the rest of the world of your teaching talent.
Later.
Hi joe thank you for the great tips.
Glad you liked it, thanks!
Perfect practice makes perfect. Tip #5 helps with perfect practice. Thanks for your tips.
Carol Syman glad you liked it, thanks!
This was by far the best tutorial for harmonica that I found on RUclips
Tamim Taj Thank you, Glad you liked it! Pass the word!
These are awesome tips. Apart from those, "learn something new" is the most powerful advice I´ve had. Cheers from Brazil.
Nerenahd Dhaneren Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Thanks you made my day ❤️
Awesome!
really appreciated the tips, I recently purchased a harmonica in order to deal with some of my mental problems and I'm looking forward to improve my skills
Glad you enjoyed the video. I'm sure you'll enjoy playing the harmonica!
Music will help,it works for me, mental, emotional, depression,I picked up the classical guitar,uke,, mandolin, and now I went back to the harmonica, both diatonic and chromatic, I'm thinking of go back to the violin also.
I agree music is a fantastic healer
@@richarddeleon3558 WOW!! I have mental issues too. I'm learning harmonica, ukulele, & the recorder. It really helps. Unless I get down on myself because I'm not playing the way I feel like I could be.
@@deni-gibbs keep it up Denice,I'm pretty sure you do sound better than you think 🤗.
Thanks for posting this man this video really helped a lot and you broke stuff down better than most videos I've seen. They kinda just say something and don't go very in depth. In the past hour I've even become much better. Thanks again.
Donald Tyrrell Glad you liked it, thanks!
Great useful tips thanks
Tony LeDrew Glad you liked the video, Thanks!
Thank you John c reilly
Thanks so much! I can hear improvements in my approaches to playing right away.
Daniel Murphy That’s great! Glad you liked the video. Check out my others and I’ll have more coming very soon. thanks!
I liked the intro,terse and to the point, also you are very instructive 🏴 thanks.
richard de leon Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Maaaan so many little tips that I only realize now I did when I first started to play, I’ve put it down and picked it up off and on over the years but I’m going at it again with different mind set and more determination, like I’m in prison and have nothing else to do or that Linley cowboy on the prairie at night
Great! Remember to go slow and have fun!
Thank you Joe , very useful information, God bless you!
Love from India
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Nice advices! , saludos desde Madrid.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Hey Joe I'am new at playing the harmonica trying to learn it these are some great tips thanks so much expleshy liked the metronome for practicing. Are there aby tips for a better air blow . I don't know how to say what I mean but other then I'am a smoker and feel as if I'am not getting a good long enough air blow .There are alot of great harmonica players that smoked and still played freak in awesome expleshy blues players. Don't mean to sound stupid but besides to stop smoking is there anything else to help ?..tks
Ricki Wolfe Thanks for the great question! It’s a subject that I haven’t thought much about. From my days playing brass instruments(which I still do) one of the best things to do is to play long tones. On the harmonica you could pick a hole and either draw or blow note. Play the note for a long time and try to keep an even sound and really listen to the tone. Experiment and see if you can change the tone of your sound. Do this on all the holes of the harp draw and blow. You can even use more than one hole such as the chords on the lower part of the harmonica. I like to play 4 semi long notes in a row and one very long note. Try counting 1,2,3,4 very slowly as you do it so you have a sense of rhythm. Also check around youtube for breathing or pulmonary exercises as there are tons of videos. Here’s one I found and like ruclips.net/video/f-1kuahbLl4/видео.html
I hope that helps! Drop me a message sometime and let me know how it’s going.
Corona virus has changed the world. My diversion was to try a harmonica. Not being a musical person, I admit it is very challenging. Thanks for your great lesson!
Marshall Prince Well then something good came out of all of this! Keep on playing and I’ll be posting more beginner videos soon! Thanks!
@HarmonicaJoe.com can u make a video on how to read sheet music for diatonic harmonica . not the tabs
That is a great idea! I will put that on my to do list, thanks!
Good tips for beginners
GiaLVo Thanks, glad you liked my video. Drop me an email sometime (it’s up in the description box) and let me know what you want to work on. I’ll try and get a video out for it.
I want you to make a video playing Train Train by blackfoot
Bryant Ramsey Good one!
@@HarmonicaJoecom please
I play by ear 👂 I’ve played for years when I was aboard the ship I was on 68/70 I’ve used a crushed pink pong ball for good separation I crushed it to keep it from moving around if you like to play poka use your 👅 tongue up and down off your cords try it it sounds like a circus too
Try it
Tongue blocking chords at times certainly can sound like a circus!
What is that annoying beep machine! Surely people do that in their heads
Very impressive and innovative
Mandeep Harmonica Music Thank you! I like your playing as well!
Thanks 🙏, l learnt some techniques from your videos
Mandeep Harmonica Music Thank you for the kind words. I’m afraid I don’t play much chromatic at the moment . I’ll be listening to more of your videos.
I saw a guy in Lima peru..by the name.of JAIRO ZULETA ....he made.the german harmonicas. Doinds lijr a wawa pedal or a saxophone. In B flat or c Sharp..
Thanks a lot! This was so useful!
Sthitapragnya Deshpande Glad you liked it, thanks!
Nice example
Guy Baldridge Thanks!
Useful tips, thanks. Also great trick with the wristwatch!
Brian Pearce thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video!
I remember one of my music instructors in college showed me the wristwatch trick. I find it easier with an old time watch that has an actual second hand. It’s a little tougher with a digital watch.
Hi this is Sudip Bose Kolkata India could you tell me what make and scale harmonica you are playing in this tutorial. Thanks.
Sudip Bose Hi and thanks for the question! I’m playing a Hohner Crossover in the key of C.
Awesome video, thank you!
PaulyC8879 glad you liked it, thanks!
I tried this But is still sound like a mouth organ, I have 2 harmonicas in C. Tried lip changes over the instrument and cupping as you say.
One thing that's VERY important is to attempt (and PRACTICE) bending notes. I've noticed when u play 2nd position CORRECTLY u have to 'bend' .. On 2, 3 & higher. These tones are hard to reach.. Yet help take it to the next level. P.S: I'm stilllll practicing 😎🚬
What brand do you recommend for a starter like me? My thanks in advance...
Check out my video where I show some good harmonicas for beginners ruclips.net/video/0Fm-lxIs20k/видео.html. Thanks for watching!
Hi Joe! Thanks for your lessons! You're helping so much!
One question, I'm trying to get started to overblow, and still, after some time, I just can't get the technique. Surely I do something wrong but I'm even wondering if I'm using the right harp: MarineBand in the key of C.
Should I prefer some lower tuning or am I forced to customize the gap of the reeds?
Thank you so much!!!
Playing Overblows is a much longer subject than I can put in a comment. There can be a number of things going on. As to your question specifically a lower key harp Might be a little easier. I would start with hole 6 overblow as that one seems to be the easiest to get. A Marine band is fine but the reeds should be a little closer to the reed plate. I have several marine Band harmonicas that overblow right out of the box. It takes a lot of trial and error to get your first overblows. It’s probably not the reeds unless they are seriously out of adjustment most likely it is a technique issue. Keep on trying and eventually you’ll get it!
Tip 1 I would call wah-wah which happens after the harp. Vibrato is all before the harp
Otherwise awesome tips thank you
Thanks Jerry Van. Yes I said vibrato but meant to say wah wah!
Thank you Sr.
tvdigi You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Very good info. My question Are you using the Pucker style or Tongue Blocking?
Tony Stephens Thanks for the question Tony! Generally I play using the pucker otherwise known as lip pursing. However I do frequently use tongue blocking. I think you'll find that most harmonica players use a combination of the two.
I gat harmonica and i am learning to play it
Shirley Hernandez I have a gat harmonica but i dont play it, I shoot it.
My favorite harmonica player is Adam gussow
He is one of my favorites also!
I have a question: I have a Horner special 20 in C. My second one. The lower notes below hole 4..i cannot get good sounds out of it. Any suggestions please?
Denise Gibbons Thanks for the question. I guessing you are having problems on the draw notes? The draw notes on the lower 3 holes sometimes take a little more air to get them to sound clear when you are starting out. Try dropping your jaw just a little and use a “ta” syllable. That will help your mouth cavity and throat to be a little more open. If you want some personalized help, I teach lessons over Skype. You can contact me at my email. Joe@harmonicajoe.com. Thanks!
Try using a Lee Oskar by Tombo , to me they always work straight out of the box and they last longer. I started on Hohner but found them unreliable,although the Hohner Special 20 seemed more reliable a Hohner Blues Harp soaked in water (or sourmash whiskey) sounded best. Don’t forget to trim the swollen wood back with a razor blade or your lips will end up bleeding.🤪🤩👯♂️
Great
shayzad Ali Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Love story 1970 theme song lesson plz Sir
Barun Sarkar Good idea, I haven’t played that on harmonica, I’ll see how it lays on the harp.
@@HarmonicaJoecom then please help me Sir
07:29
every hole's a goal
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks! Glad you liked it
Can you bend your notes ?🤔
Don’t blow to hard practice playing softly
Sonny Terry
I love Sonny Terry’s playing!
Also helps when you are playing a $200 harp I guess...still, some good tips.
That's true, getting an expensive properly set up harmonica will help you a lot, but these tips are solid, although very basic. Good video overall, though.
Thanks Anthony, I don’t own any expensive harmonicas yet. I mostly play on Hohner Marine Bands and Special 20s. I do have a couple of Seydels that I love but they are a little hard on my wallet at this point.
Erald Ylli Thanks for your answer! Yes I would love a custom harmonica or 2 but I use Hohner Marine Bands, Crossovers and Special 20s for the most part and make small adjustments to them myself.
@@HarmonicaJoecom I wasn't being a wise ass, it's just I noticed you are playing a Marine Band Crossover? I think, and they are out of my price league. I play a Special 20 and a Big River. Both nice harps. I tried a Lee Oskar in the key of D and didn't like it at all, though I had read a lot of good things about them. Very bright. I'd really like to try a Marine Band crossover when I gain a bit more playing technique. Seems to be the standard decent harp. Thanks for all the great tips.
Anthony Monaghan didn’t think that at all. Yes, I play a Marine Band Crossover a lot. They are a bright sound, more than the regular marine band or Special 20. They really are a very good harmonica. The price is comparable to a Seydel at around $70 or so depending where you get it. They play very well right out of the box. Thanks for your reply!
my hands are small 😭😭😭
Nice looking and too small, that attracts me. Thanks too. A.das. islampur, u.d.
We get it...don’t talk so much...make your point and blow, respect the intellect of your audience.
Thanks,
JSM
Mentor Ohio
Man you got a big nose. No offence.
You must be kidding