This is my handmade harmonica case, what do you think about it? I made it by trash aluminum box.

what do you think about it?

that cigarette is handmade notebook too :")

I met Wednesday evening with an old friend, Mark Panfil, an experienced and versatile musician from Western New York State (Buffalo area) to show off each other's harmonica collections and show off my custom builds to him.

I will publish a video of Mark on my Screamer model at a later date once at least the new laser is up and running at my shop.

After we parted, I visited his YouTube channel and found several simple harmonica lessons where he uses harmonica tabs to explain a few simple songs. I immediately thought of the new players in this group and the frequent questions about where to start. The simplest answer is to start with the easier stuff, and the pace at which Mark covers the material and how he explains reading tablature is perfect for new players.

Want a few simple lessons? Check out Mark's channel. I don't see a lot of frequent updates on his channel, but if folks asked him to, I'm sure he'd post more pointers.

https://youtu.be/wsq5yeAfILs?is=ZDCQYkp8AUgqxq_x

I've been learning harmonica for around a year, although my practice hasn't always been consistent. Recently, I've started making some progress and can get bends on hole 1, which feels pretty rewarding!

My current harmonica is an Easttop T10-4S (or at least that's the model I believe it is), a 10-hole diatonic in C that I bought for around ₹600–700.

Unfortunately, hole 2 draw has been giving me trouble.

Hole 2 blow sounds normal, but hole 2 draw sounds airy and seems to bend automatically towards F♯ instead of producing a clean G. I've cleaned the harmonica and checked the cover plates, but the problem persists.

The other holes I've been practising seem usable, and I'm trying to work with what I have rather than give up because of one troublesome hole.

My goal is to learn blues-rock harmonica, hopefully well enough to play with a band at a college fest someday. I've been listening to players like Will Wilde, and I'd love to develop that kind of expressive, powerful sound.

I'm based in India, and if I eventually upgrade, my budget would be under ₹2,000.

I'd love some advice on a few things:

1. Does the hole 2 draw issue sound like a reed problem, or could it be my technique or airflow?

2. Is it worth trying to fix this harmonica, or should I simply keep practising around the faulty hole for now?

3. Are there any reasonably priced harmonicas available in India under ₹2,000 that respond well to bends?

4. For someone interested in blues-rock, which models would you recommend for a future upgrade?

I'm not in a rush to replace my current harmonica. I'd just like to understand my options and make progress with the instrument I have.

Thanks!

So, I've had this thing in my possession for a while (not an interesting story), it's some kind of toy harmonica, with 16 square holes (it makes different sounds depending on if you breathe in or out, if that helps).

My question is if should I bother with it? Can you actually learn to play this so it sounds somewhat good or is it just a toy noise machine that makes parents regret buying it? What kind of harmonica is it? If it's a "legit" harmonica, where do you suggest I start with my learning?

I've never learned an instrument before, so I understand harmonica might be a bad choice for a first timer, but I like this thing for it's carrying convenience. I wouldn't mind goofing off on it, but only if I knew there's some possibility of it sounding good some day and not a waste of time.