Can't thank you enough my tongue game has improved so dramatically I've had several people gushing over my technique. I mean I definitely take them over the top on the 1hole and the blow their minds on the 2hole
Isn't it interesting how each of us must develop his "own" technique for bending? I tried several: eeeeyooou, wee-woo, tilting the harp - nothing worked even slightly. Only after I tried Vaders breathing (which I can imitate very well) it finally bend!! I still struggle from the 4th hole up, in finding the sweet spot but at least I finally learned how to do it. Thank you very much! Subscribed
After a month fighting with this thing my bends FINALLY clicked! I was just not relaxing enough. The. Suddenly a light bulb came on. It almost feels automatic now. I feel my Adams Apple drop real low. Awesome lesson man
BRO GREAT VIDEOS My little nieces and nephews bought me a hohner Blues harp diatonic C I can't believe how dramatic the sound is, I got it as a present. I can't play The harmonica YET,but I promised them I will practice and play them a song,but give me 12 months. Thank you for the awesome videos and you have encouraged me to learn and play this harmonica and I am actually having fun too.
I can only be accurate in my notes and bends by closing the other holes with my tongue. Please tell me if I should unlearn this and go for the actual way or just keep up licking the hell out of my harmonicas
Tongue blocking like this is ok, and used by some great players. It will take you a little longer to master bending though without the use of a ‘free’ tongue!
Not sure if it's anatomy or just my harp (Special 20 I know has slightly different bending characteristics), but I found the 1 draw super easy and natural to bend way before the other holes. Btw your videos are amazing and very helpful!
That’s awesome Aaron. You’re on the right track. It’s normally the one hole or the four hole people get first! Use it as a reference for how bending ‘feels’ while you practice the other holes!
I found the one hole easiest and seemingly due to the resistance it provided on the draw when I would attempt a bend. I am struggling to get my mouth to conform to the correct shape but the resistance seems to do it. Now to figure out the others...
Tried to join,after filling out info,I hit enter.I refilled out info,and it said "e-mail already in use.I guess the enter didn't work,but I do want to join.
I want to learn to play harmonica by listning to music... didn't u have another channel where there were more than 50 videos where u were teaching that every week?? I couldn't find it anymore.. can u reupload those videos plz
Yes! It’s called harmonica time and I am creating a lot of videos for the re launch of that channel along with a new website. Coming soon! Thanks for asking! 🤙✊🏾🎼🌻
🎉 Thank you for the lesson. I play the harmonica by my ear playing along with RUclips videos (cover version of harmonica, violin, saxophone etc.) for 5 years already. Your lesson is easy to understand. Good instructor 🎉😃
I don't know if anyone will see this comment, but I found a comment on a forum that just let EVERYTING just click, especially with the tongue position: Take a straw or imagine a straw in your mouth > imagine sucking air through it, but be thorough with your imagination as your brain needs to take this position > now imagine sucking as if it's icecream/milkshake in it. This change in your tongue is exactly how you'll be altering the air stream. I wasn't able to conceptualize it before FIRST doing the sucking air through the "straw" and THEN moving to the sucking position for a milkshake. After this, I had a perfect bend in about an hour.
holy shit buddy, i love you so much! You actually were the one that could explain it that i understood it!! I tried so many guides but youre one was it! I love you, dude!!! Great work!
Bending prerequisite: Must know Star Wars and Darth Vader... I really appreciate the explanation of what is going on in the mouth and breadth. Just starting and have been able to bend but this will definitely help me perfect it.. Thank you.
I learned tongue blocking 3 of 4 holes. But not the lip pucker technique. Can I still bend using the tongue blocking technique ? Or do I need to learn to lip pucker the harmonica?
This is a great question. The short answer is yes you can bend using tongue blocking. All the same principles apply. However, I believe it’s more difficult as a beginner to learn bending using tongue blocking, which is why I don’t teach tongue blocking until step #14 after my students have learned the single hole technique and bending. So... If you’re really comfortable with tongue blocking then try to get bending, by using more of your throat & palate to create the resonance you need!
@@MitchGraingerMusic 4 and 6 I can get pretty consistently. The sweet spot gets smaller and smaller the higher up the harmonica you go. I was getting frustrated until I realized the margin for error is tiny. You can miss the right spot completely
Who the f**k is Darth Vader?? A Chicago style bluesharp player? Did i miss someone, anyone, something? Does Darth knows how to bend that damned hole 3 all 3 steps properly and strong? Come on Darth, give us some of your secret skills and put them on YT. Hole 3.... it's the wormhole on the Diatonic which makes you wanna quit.
A friend of mine let me borrow some really old harmonicas. I've never played and they look a bit bigger than what you have, but sounds amazing. Should I get a little one to first learn how to play or do all harmonicas play the same? The one I have is Echo Bell Metal Reeds by Hohner. I also have The Super Chromonica. Should I get a simpler one first?
I know people recommend starting off on an ten whole diatomic C harmonica or something like that. It isn't necessary and you said your harmonicas sound nice so I wouldn't worry. Maybe when you get one of your own you can try it out
@@bimarasi my tip to you is to play to a blues backing track (g blues if you have a c harmonica) and juts play and remember the things that sound good. Also, listen to a lot of solos from other harmonica players :)
i'm kind of struggling to bend in my harmonica, i can bend in the first hole just fine, but the 4th hole i can't and i'm doing the exact same technique, is it possible that is due to the harmonica itself? cheers
@@MitchGraingerMusic Haha! I’m with ya Mitch. I’ve had many over the years but most these days probably wouldn’t have a clue. Thanks again for the video. Your really good at explaining things. I’m a beginner player and still struggling to get bends down. It’s trickier to do then I thought. I found your channel today by chance so that was good. I’m assuming you offer lessons? If so I need to jump on board so I can have some sort of structured plan. I’ll subscribe so I can follow all your stuff. Thanks again!
@@allenhawker3911 Thanks so much mate! I love my manual car, It's a 99 Honda Prelude :) I've got a full course of 30 step-by-step harmonica lessons, play-a-longs and a whole bunch of other harmonica lessons at my site harmonicatime.com. You can check it out free here: harmonicatime.com/#join-free
THIS IS HARD! I bought a harmonica today and of course thought I'd master it in under 15 minutes. Bending requires so much more effort, concerning air, the shape of the mouth, movement of the tongue, etc. Not as quick and easy as bending a guitar string, which is more mechanical, but works every time. I lack patience and am a "get it done yesterday" type of person.
Thank you so much man! Your lessons are excellent. I see you get a lot of messages like this but seriously! Thank you so much, I've had a c and d harmonica for years but these lessons are really making me understand it a lot better. I'm still shit but I know what I'm trying to do
Damage the Harmonica, just from bending on the 5th? For real now? Or did he mean only when you have a cheapo harp or a very old one or whatever? Surely my shiny new Hohner Crossover would not bet an eye, would it tho? I am not going to try that now, but a clarification would be really appreciated!
So last night while practicing my technique finally clicked. I had drastically under estimated how much lip I had to get on my harmonica. Also have to angle the harmonica up a bit. Now all of a sudden I've got really clean notes. But an issue I'm still having is that after playing for a bit, the harmonica warms up and some of the notes just don't play anymore. Especially holes 2 and 8. Is this an issue of technique or a cheap harmonica?
One time I was bending the note so bluesie that I got a high pitch squeal out of the note, the reed broke and ended on my tongue. Thank God I didn't swallow it. So I decided not to bend the note so harsh.
I'm just glad that as I am starting with my harmonica this video series is progressing! Hoping that once I reach this level there's more for me to go ahead! :) Loved this series!
There is now, paying for them on his site. Or you could check out Tomlin harmonica on here who gives tons of free lessons (and also does teaching courses. Christelle Berthon is a fab teacher too. Superb player - check her out.)
Hey. Thanks for the video. I have a question can the problem be with my harmonica. I can't bend at all I tried everything. It works only when I change its angle to about 45° to my lips. Thanks in advance
What harp have you got? A good quality harp helps a lot as you are dealing with air pressure and air leakage that occur with cheap harps can make things hard!
@@MitchGraingerMusic Thank you very much for such a fast reply. I've got "hohner pro harp C". And actually I can bend a bit only the first hole using only mouth/tongue technique. I've also ordered "hohner cordial 20 c-major", waiting for it to be delivered. I know that it's harder to bend F and G, but I have C so... 🙂
I can easily bend 1st hole, second hole but not so clearly but 3rd and 4th are impossible, i've tried many ways but the note stays the same. I've struggled months, i'm bout to give up
Have you checked out the forums at HarmonicaTime.com? There’s lots of good advice there, from many people who’ve been through the same frustration and then got it!
Im really struggling to bend on my harmonica. It’s a really old Hohner pocket pal, so I’m wondering if my issues are due to the harmonica itself or if it’s common to struggle this much at first.
Just remembered I can't whistle- I hope this won't get in the way of learning how to bend! I can bend the first hole, but no luck on the fourth yet. Will try again tomorrow. Thanks so much Mitch =)
no way keanu reaves just taught me to play the harmonica
😅
Can't thank you enough my tongue game has improved so dramatically I've had several people gushing over my technique.
I mean I definitely take them over the top on the 1hole and the blow their minds on the 2hole
Lol well played
Lmao
Isn't it interesting how each of us must develop his "own" technique for bending? I tried several: eeeeyooou, wee-woo, tilting the harp - nothing worked even slightly. Only after I tried Vaders breathing (which I can imitate very well) it finally bend!! I still struggle from the 4th hole up, in finding the sweet spot but at least I finally learned how to do it. Thank you very much! Subscribed
That’s why I lay it all out. It’s much easier when you know what the aim is, rather than just making funny faces and sounds as sone describe 😜🤙
draw bends:
8:47 - 1 hole
9:17 - 2 hole
9:51 - 3 hole
10:47 - 4 hole
5 hole skip - could damage harp (10:56)
11:23 - 6 hole
This is the best note bending lesson I came across after viewing close to 10 bending videos. Thx 🙏
After a month fighting with this thing my bends FINALLY clicked! I was just not relaxing enough. The. Suddenly a light bulb came on. It almost feels automatic now. I feel my Adams Apple drop real low. Awesome lesson man
Hey Guys, grab a C diatonic harmonica and then try my complete beginners course free at harmonicatime.com/#join-free
BRO GREAT VIDEOS
My little nieces and nephews bought me a hohner Blues harp diatonic C
I can't believe how dramatic the sound is, I got it as a present.
I can't play The harmonica YET,but I promised them I will practice and play them a song,but give me 12 months. Thank you for the awesome videos and you have encouraged me to learn and play this harmonica and I am actually having fun too.
Awesome!! I love it. Enjoy!!
Thanks mate, I'm 62 and I've watched your video 1st time today, and today I've done my 1st bend on 4 draw . Cheers Jack
That’s awesome! Good on you mate! Cheers 🍻
Thanks have got a few harmonica’s inspired by your easy to follow lessons. From Fremantle Western Australia.
Thanks Alan!
East Hamy Hill lad here....now living in SA,Freo will always be home.👍
I can only be accurate in my notes and bends by closing the other holes with my tongue. Please tell me if I should unlearn this and go for the actual way or just keep up licking the hell out of my harmonicas
Tongue blocking like this is ok, and used by some great players. It will take you a little longer to master bending though without the use of a ‘free’ tongue!
Not sure if it's anatomy or just my harp (Special 20 I know has slightly different bending characteristics), but I found the 1 draw super easy and natural to bend way before the other holes.
Btw your videos are amazing and very helpful!
That’s awesome Aaron. You’re on the right track. It’s normally the one hole or the four hole people get first! Use it as a reference for how bending ‘feels’ while you practice the other holes!
Hey thanks for replying so quickly! Any plans for a Lesson #6?
I found the one hole easiest and seemingly due to the resistance it provided on the draw when I would attempt a bend. I am struggling to get my mouth to conform to the correct shape but the resistance seems to do it. Now to figure out the others...
I only manage to do it on the 1rst hole ...
Same
I have a ... E harmonica
What is the best pitch. For playing. The blues ?
E is great. I suggest having a C harmonica too, then get an A harmonica. 😊
Mitch Grainger Ok. Thanx ❤️🇨🇦
Lesson 6 is gonna be uploaded after 8 years.
All steps up to #30 are online now!! at MitchGrainger.com/join-free/
Tried to join,after filling out info,I hit enter.I refilled out info,and it said "e-mail already in use.I guess the enter didn't work,but I do want to join.
@@paulmccauley8866 me too
Really appreciating the lessons. They are so well presented. Without them I would be nowhere. Just an old 60’s rock drummer. Thanks so much.
Awesome!!!! Rock on!
I want to learn to play harmonica by listning to music... didn't u have another channel where there were more than 50 videos where u were teaching that every week?? I couldn't find it anymore.. can u reupload those videos plz
Yes! It’s called harmonica time and I am creating a lot of videos for the re launch of that channel along with a new website. Coming soon! Thanks for asking! 🤙✊🏾🎼🌻
🎉 Thank you for the lesson. I play the harmonica by my ear playing along with RUclips videos (cover version of harmonica, violin, saxophone etc.) for 5 years already. Your lesson is easy to understand. Good instructor 🎉😃
I don't know if anyone will see this comment, but I found a comment on a forum that just let EVERYTING just click, especially with the tongue position:
Take a straw or imagine a straw in your mouth > imagine sucking air through it, but be thorough with your imagination as your brain needs to take this position > now imagine sucking as if it's icecream/milkshake in it. This change in your tongue is exactly how you'll be altering the air stream. I wasn't able to conceptualize it before FIRST doing the sucking air through the "straw" and THEN moving to the sucking position for a milkshake. After this, I had a perfect bend in about an hour.
holy shit buddy, i love you so much! You actually were the one that could explain it that i understood it!!
I tried so many guides but youre one was it!
I love you, dude!!!
Great work!
Thanks so much! I'm so glad to hear this lesson is making break throughs for you!! Awesome!
Bending prerequisite: Must know Star Wars and Darth Vader...
I really appreciate the explanation of what is going on in the mouth and breadth. Just starting and have been able to bend but this will definitely help me perfect it.. Thank you.
On the six hole bend C harp, I can tell when it hits the target note because my whole cranium is resonating! Feels weird!
hello. I'm asking about the harmonica used in the video because I'm a beginner. What is the note key of which tuning?
YOURREEE GREEAATTT MAAN! THE MOMENT YOU SAID TAKING CONTROL OVER THAT READ, AND I GOT MY FIRST BEND! THANKYOU SOOO MUCH MAN LOVE YOU! ❤
Awesome!!!
Is this achievable when blowing very softly
Yes, softy is better actually!
@@MitchGraingerMusic holy shit thank you for replying! I appreciate it
Find so much of my control on bends come near the diaphragm
Do you know what is a pre draw so I can play one of my favorite songs
Can you do bends with tongue blocking?
I learned tongue blocking 3 of 4 holes. But not the lip pucker technique. Can I still bend using the tongue blocking technique ? Or do I need to learn to lip pucker the harmonica?
This is a great question. The short answer is yes you can bend using tongue blocking. All the same principles apply. However, I believe it’s more difficult as a beginner to learn bending using tongue blocking, which is why I don’t teach tongue blocking until step #14 after my students have learned the single hole technique and bending. So... If you’re really comfortable with tongue blocking then try to get bending, by using more of your throat & palate to create the resonance you need!
I can do this on the 1 hole instantly. Can't get it anywhere else tho haha.
That's great. Take the feeling of the bend, and try to replicate it on the other holes. You've got a reference point!
@@MitchGraingerMusic 4 and 6 I can get pretty consistently. The sweet spot gets smaller and smaller the higher up the harmonica you go. I was getting frustrated until I realized the margin for error is tiny. You can miss the right spot completely
Sir I am using Rocket amp Key of C
Is it right for bending
Thank u ♥️🙏💐
Perfect
Never been able to whistle so I’m fooked
Who the f**k is Darth Vader?? A Chicago style bluesharp player? Did i miss someone, anyone, something? Does Darth knows how to bend that damned hole 3 all 3 steps properly and strong? Come on Darth, give us some of your secret skills and put them on YT. Hole 3.... it's the wormhole on the Diatonic which makes you wanna quit.
Harmonica wars 🤙😉
It's a power that you can't learn from the Jedi
I can’t whistle so it didn’t help lol
What if you got 42 hole harmonica
Yeah but how do you keep the top plate from ripping your moustache out ?
Trim close and up! French style 🤵🏻
When I try to bend hole 6 there's this high pitch sound that comes out along with the lower note. Is it safe to continue with that?
That’s normal. It usually means you are playing to loud, or hard.
Saying "Eeyore" works too
Which harmonica are you using?
Just got started Your tips are Great stuff thanks Mate
Thanks Juan!
You are the best... Thanks...
Grande 👀👀👍👍👏👏
Eagerly waiting for the next lesson❤
Check out my website, all 30 step lessons are in there 🤙
the darth vader thing helped me so much LOL. shoutout from Brazil!
Which harmonica you used in #2 tutorial please tell??
A Hohner special 20
A friend of mine let me borrow some really old harmonicas. I've never played and they look a bit bigger than what you have, but sounds amazing. Should I get a little one to first learn how to play or do all harmonicas play the same? The one I have is Echo Bell Metal Reeds by Hohner. I also have The Super Chromonica. Should I get a simpler one first?
I know people recommend starting off on an ten whole diatomic C harmonica or something like that. It isn't necessary and you said your harmonicas sound nice so I wouldn't worry. Maybe when you get one of your own you can try it out
Mitch is that the taking the trash out blues?
Thanks for the lessons buddy.
Is your harmonica really a C? Because mine is, and ı don't hear such beautiful harmony when I improvise as you do =)
Yes it is!
@@MitchGraingerMusic well what can ı do to play beautifuly when ı improse? should ı just keep playing it with my insticts?
@@bimarasi my tip to you is to play to a blues backing track (g blues if you have a c harmonica) and juts play and remember the things that sound good. Also, listen to a lot of solos from other harmonica players :)
i'm kind of struggling to bend in my harmonica, i can bend in the first hole just fine, but the 4th hole i can't and i'm doing the exact same technique, is it possible that is due to the harmonica itself? cheers
Great analogy about a manual car on a hill and the gas and clutch working together to find the sweet spot!
Thanks Mate! Glad it helped. I'm the only one I know who drives a manual these days lol
@@MitchGraingerMusic Haha! I’m with ya Mitch. I’ve had many over the years but most these days probably wouldn’t have a clue. Thanks again for the video. Your really good at explaining things. I’m a beginner player and still struggling to get bends down. It’s trickier to do then I thought. I found your channel today by chance so that was good. I’m assuming you offer lessons? If so I need to jump on board so I can have some sort of structured plan. I’ll subscribe so I can follow all your stuff. Thanks again!
@@allenhawker3911 Thanks so much mate! I love my manual car, It's a 99 Honda Prelude :) I've got a full course of 30 step-by-step harmonica lessons, play-a-longs and a whole bunch of other harmonica lessons at my site harmonicatime.com. You can check it out free here: harmonicatime.com/#join-free
@@MitchGraingerMusic will do bud! Thanks!
stay safe
🙏🎼🤙
Thank you! Gone from frustrated and failing to 'got it'! Bit rough, but on my way!!
THIS IS HARD! I bought a harmonica today and of course thought I'd master it in under 15 minutes. Bending requires so much more effort, concerning air, the shape of the mouth, movement of the tongue, etc. Not as quick and easy as bending a guitar string, which is more mechanical, but works every time. I lack patience and am a "get it done yesterday" type of person.
You can do it! A little everyday is all it takes. See my other channel Harmonica Time to feel my practice diary. I might inspire you!
Thank you so much man! Your lessons are excellent. I see you get a lot of messages like this but seriously! Thank you so much, I've had a c and d harmonica for years but these lessons are really making me understand it a lot better. I'm still shit but I know what I'm trying to do
The word balance is very important in painting and also in harmonica..play. Sir , i am following.....thank you so much
Clear explanation
Damage the Harmonica, just from bending on the 5th? For real now? Or did he mean only when you have a cheapo harp or a very old one or whatever? Surely my shiny new Hohner Crossover would not bet an eye, would it tho? I am not going to try that now, but a clarification would be really appreciated!
Bending to strong is what will damage the harmonica, in time. Play softly to mid volume and a good harp like yours will last many many years.
can you bend notes on a chromonica?
Yes but not anything like on a diatonic harmonica, it’s much more subtle.
Waiting for the next lesson!!!! 🙌🙌🙌🙌
Checkout MitchGrainger.com/join-free for all 30 steps!! :)
Hi. does bending work only for inhale?
So last night while practicing my technique finally clicked. I had drastically under estimated how much lip I had to get on my harmonica. Also have to angle the harmonica up a bit. Now all of a sudden I've got really clean notes. But an issue I'm still having is that after playing for a bit, the harmonica warms up and some of the notes just don't play anymore. Especially holes 2 and 8. Is this an issue of technique or a cheap harmonica?
Might be a blown reed
คิดถึงนุ้ย..นก็คิดถึงพี่มากกว่า
Fwequency 😳
One time I was bending the note so bluesie that I got a high pitch squeal out of the note, the reed broke and ended on my tongue. Thank God I didn't swallow it. So I decided not to bend the note so harsh.
Woah, yeah a squeal is a warning that your going to hard but I’ve never heard of a reed breaking off like that! Cheap harmonica?
👍
I'm just glad that as I am starting with my harmonica this video series is progressing!
Hoping that once I reach this level there's more for me to go ahead! :)
Loved this series!
All 30 steps are available right now in my members site! Https://www.mitchgrainger.com/join-free
There is now, paying for them on his site. Or you could check out Tomlin harmonica on here who gives tons of free lessons (and also does teaching courses. Christelle Berthon is a fab teacher too. Superb player - check her out.)
Hey. Thanks for the video. I have a question can the problem be with my harmonica. I can't bend at all I tried everything. It works only when I change its angle to about 45° to my lips.
Thanks in advance
What harp have you got? A good quality harp helps a lot as you are dealing with air pressure and air leakage that occur with cheap harps can make things hard!
@@MitchGraingerMusic Thank you very much for such a fast reply.
I've got "hohner pro harp C".
And actually I can bend a bit only the first hole using only mouth/tongue technique.
I've also ordered "hohner cordial 20 c-major", waiting for it to be delivered.
I know that it's harder to bend F and G, but I have C so... 🙂
I can easily bend 1st hole, second hole but not so clearly but 3rd and 4th are impossible, i've tried many ways but the note stays the same. I've struggled months, i'm bout to give up
Did you give up
@@dennisosmundsen7077 Umm... kinda. I'm looking for someone who can teach me face to face.
What is the blues scale?
See step 9 in my course. www.harmonicatime.com/join-free
Sir when I bend I hear my breathing sound. How can I rid of it? Another question. Did u breath out in bending?
No
Do you do one on one lessons?
BEST lesson on harmonica draw bending
Thanks Muddy!
I just keep getting the same tone no bend
Login to HarmonicaTime.com (it’s free) and check out my webinar on bending found in the blog. It’ll help!
Excellent
So hard....so frustrating....
Have you checked out the forums at HarmonicaTime.com? There’s lots of good advice there, from many people who’ve been through the same frustration and then got it!
@@MitchGraingerMusic Thank you! Checking it out now.
Does this also work on a tremelo harmonica because I can't seem to get the hang of it.
No it’s only for the diatonic harmonica!
Ok thanks
But can you bend notes on a tremolo 😀
Thanks for the lessons!!
No worries!
Im really struggling to bend on my harmonica. It’s a really old Hohner pocket pal, so I’m wondering if my issues are due to the harmonica itself or if it’s common to struggle this much at first.
It could be the harmonica. It depends on the quality, as the more airtight the harmonica the easier it is to control the reeds!
Mitch Grainger thank you!
can u play prituri se planitata song using thissss
Inhale using your throat. Genius! Thank you!!!
Just remembered I can't whistle- I hope this won't get in the way of learning how to bend! I can bend the first hole, but no luck on the fourth yet. Will try again tomorrow. Thanks so much Mitch =)
That’s the first step! And the ticket. Try again tomorrow! You’ll get it 😎
Waiting for 6th lesson
The 6th lesson is only for members of my website. Join free here! mitchgrainger.com/join-free/
@@MitchGraingerMusic ya sure....thanx for replying😉😉
Very useful thank you, I think your video would come over more professional if you did not keep repeating the word ‘OKAY’ all the time.
Thanks. Ok 😉
@referee2468 haha seriously? Geeze man