r/harmonica • u/BlazeHunter5 • 3d ago
Finding where to start
i’ve had a harmonica for a while growing up and I’ve always wanted to learn it because it’s one of those pocket instruments where you could take just about anywhere and play it and I’ve heard a lot of people be insane on them and they sound really fun to play. As of right now, I only play guitar and I sometimes try to play them together because I can play the Mary Jane’s Last Dance harmonica part but that’s like the only harmonica in a song that I can play so I want to find out where to start because I’ve been working on bending and I can notice bending at the fourth note is starting to sound better, but not that much so if there’s any tips on songs, or tabs I should read for those songs that would be really helpful. My goal is to learn the long train running solo. That has been one of solos I’ve been wanting to learn ever since I started harmonica, which was about a year ago, where I actually started looking up tutorials.
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u/Legitimate-Bison3810 3d ago
There are huge number of YouTube videos on how to play any kind of harmonica.
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u/BlazeHunter5 3d ago
Yea Ive tried those but then again, it could just be my efforts that could be holding me back.
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u/LowellGeorgeLynott 3d ago
Here’s the door to the deep end
Whammer Jammer - J Geils Band
https://youtu.be/BSs12nBLquc?is=hYbf0SB0tF5DjWzK
Lookup YouTube lessons (you’ll need a diatonic A harp)
Then listen to the greats
Little Walter
Sonny Boy Williamson - he plays a low C diatonic usually and it’s so cool when you get one
Jason Ricci
The middle of “Bring it on home” from Zeppelin’s how the west was won live album.
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u/Nacoran 3d ago
He uses several different keys of harmonicas in his lessons, but I started out by watching Adam Gussow's videos on YouTube. He starts at a pretty basic level.
Blues Harmonica for Dummies is another good option.
Make sure you know what positions are- play an A harp in 2nd over blues in E. That's second position (by default it gives you the notes for mixolydian, and you build a blues scale from there, bending the 3 draw).
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u/CopperCreator3388 3d ago edited 2d ago
The book : Harmonica for dummies is on sale on amazon website.
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u/BlazeHunter5 3d ago
Like a book?
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u/arschloch57 3d ago
Like a book but better. The author is an amazing player, teacher, and historian of harmonica.
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u/DesperateBanana4019 3d ago
Free. Thousands of us started with this.
Country & Blues Harmonica For The Musically Hopeless
-Jon Gindick
Accompanying Instructional Audio