Learning Your First Notes
Remember that every 4 holes on the harmonica is a full octave. A chromatic harmonica covers the musical alphabet starting with a C note. Every 4 holes covers 1 octave, which is a series of notes in a row. The number of octaves on your harmonica depends on how many holes it has. A full octave is on a chromatic harmonica is C, C#, D, D#, E, E#, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C. Based on your needs, you can choose a 12 or 16-hole harmonica. A 12-hole covers 3 octaves, and a 16-hole covers 4 octaves, adding an additional lower octave over a 12-hole. A 16-hole is more expensive, so if you’re on a budget, a 12-hole may work better for you.
Hold the harmonica with the holes facing you and the slide on the right side. Place one hand on each end like you were eating a sandwich. This is the standard grip for a chromatic harmonica. The notes go from low to high, starting on the left side. Keep your grip with your right hand loose so you can work the slide. If you’re left-handed or just find the standard position uncomfortable, flip the harmonica around so the slide is on the left side. Remember that the notes will be backward, and the higher notes will be on your left instead of right. If you were using advanced techniques like bending, you would use a different grip. Stick with this simple grip when you’re getting started and learning the notes.
Blow through the first hole on your left for a C note. Blowing air through the harmonica holes produces a standard note. Start at the first hole, by your left hand. Gently blow through this hole to produce a sound. This is a C note. Then work your way up the harmonica and blow through each hole. On a standard chromatic harmonica, blowing on the first hole produces a C note.
Draw a breath in on the same hole for a D note. Draw means to make a sucking motion to pull air into your mouth. Pulling air the opposite way through the same hole produces a note a whole step higher than blowing. Draw on the same hole you started at to produce a second note. This is a D, a whole step higher than a C. Work your way up the harmonica and try drawing on each hole.
Press the harmonica slide while playing to raise the note a half step. The slide on a chromatic harmonica raises each note a half step. This works whether you’re blowing or drawing. Experiment on each hole by blowing and drawing, and then repeat each action with the slide pressed down. The slide is on a spring, so you don’t have to pull it back out after you press it. It pops back on its own. For example, if you blow on the first hole, you’ll produce a C note. If you blow again with the slide pressed down, you’ll produce a C#. The whole combination of notes on the first hole would be C (blow), C# (blow with slide pressed), D (draw), D# (draw with slide pressed). In all cases accept one, pressing the slide produces a sharp version of the original note. The only exception is that there is no B sharp. Pressing the slide on a B note produces a C.
Work left to right and go through this combination for each hole on the harmonica. The pattern of blow, blow with slide pressed, draw, draw with slide pressed works on every hole on the harmonica, so each hole produces 4 different notes. Work from left to right and play the combination on each hole. As you move right, the notes get higher. Remember that each 4-holed section completes an octave. When you blow on the 4th hole in each section, you're back at the C note. Work on sliding from one hole to another without taking your mouth off the harmonica. This is important later on for playing scales and melodies.
Playing the Chromatic Scale
Go through the blow, press, draw, press motions on the first 3 holes. The chromatic scale is a pattern that plays all the musical notes in an octave. It’s easy to do on a chromatic harmonica. Start on the first hole, C, and blow. Then blow with the slide pressed down, draw, and draw with the slide pressed down. Repeat this motion on the next 2 holes. The full motions for the first 3 holes are: blow, press, draw, press, switch holes, blow, press, draw, press, switch holes, blow, press, draw, press. Remember that each 4-holed section on a chromatic harmonica covers 1 octave, so you can repeat the chromatic pattern on each section.
Draw 3 times in your transition from the 3rd hole to the 4th. Normally, the transition between holes would go from drawing to blowing. The exception is when you switch from the 3rd hole to the 4th. When you make this transition, go from drawing with the slide pressed on the 3rd hole to drawing with the slide out on the 4th hole. In this pattern, your motions would be the following: draw on the 3rd hole (A note), draw on the 3rd hole with the slide pressed (A# note), draw on the 4th hole (B note). This is true for each 4-holed section on the harmonica. So draw 3 times in your transition from the 7th to 8th hole, the 11th to 12th, and 15th to 16th.
Don’t press the slide on the 4th hole. The 4th hole, the last in the pattern, doesn’t require any pressing. Just draw when you transition for the B note, then blow for the C note. This completes the octave.
Work backwards down the scale back to the first hole. Once you reach the C note on the 4th hole, you’ve completed the octave. Then go the other way and work back to the first hole to complete the whole pattern. Remember the tricky transition from the 4th hole to the 3rd. The motions on these 2 holes are: blow (C note), draw (B note), switch holes, draw and press (A# note), draw (A note). After getting that tricky transition down, then work your way normally back to the first hole.
Perform the chromatic scale all the way up the harmonica. Once you master doing the chromatic scale on 1 section of the harmonica, work on doing it all the way up the harmonica. Start on the 1st hole and work all the way up to the 12th or 16th, depending on the type of harmonica you have. Perform all of the blow, press, draw, press, switch motions in between. Then once you reach the end, work your way back to the beginning. This is a tough exercise, so practice and don’t get frustrated. Once you can work all the way up and down the harmonica, you’ll have a good command of playing the instrument. Remember the irregular transitions between the 3rd and 4th holes in each section. The holes that have irregular transitions are the 3rd to 4th hole, the 7th to 8th hole, the 11th to 12th, and 15th to 16th.
Doing Advanced Techniques
Use tongue taps for quick notes. While some harmonica playing is smooth and soft, you can use your tongue for faster playing. A tongue tap is when you touch your tongue to the hole you’re playing. This quickly cuts off the note. Use this technique for fast sections. You can perform multiple tongue taps in a row while still blowing air. This restarts the note immediately when you remove your tongue. It works well for fast, jazzy solos.
Introduce vibrato by opening and closing your hands. Vibrato is an easy technique that adds more expression to your playing. Start by cupping both hands behind the hole you’re playing. Then play a note. Slowly open your hands to let more sound out, and then close them. Then flutter your hands as the note plays so it sounds like the note is vibrating. Vibrato works whether you draw or blow notes. This technique works because your hand block some of the sound, so when you open and close them, you alter how the notes sound.
Bend notes by angling your tongue up. The easiest method for bending notes is a draw bend, meaning you bend the note as you draw air in. Start by drawing a note in on any hole. Then angle your tongue up so there is only a small space between it and the roof of your mouth. At the same time, pull the back of your tongue towards your throat. This combination bends the note as you draw it in. It takes practice to get this technique down. Stay consistent and play every day to train your mouth to properly bend notes. Bending is an advanced technique that’s used in bluesy harmonica playing. It makes notes sound much more expressive. There are other types of bends as well. A blow bend uses the reverse motion. You could also use vibrato during bends for more expression. Bending doesn’t work as well on a chromatic harmonica as it does on a diatonic harmonica. If you use a lot of bending in your playing, consider using a different harmonica type.
Learn to read harmonica tablature to play new songs. Tablature, or tabs, map out the harmonica and show you which holes to play and what notes they produce. While you don't have to read music to play the harmonica, it makes learning new songs much easier. Basic tabs show number and an arrow facing forward or backward. A forward arrow means to blow on that hole number, and a backward arrow means to draw on that hole. If the number is circled, it means to push the slide down. Look online for tab samples and lessons reading them.
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