anyone here play the harmonica?

I'm not sure, but from what I've read around here, there are some who play the skin flute...

No obvious talent here, but years ago I bought a book that came with a cassette tape (probably a CD now) and took a blues harp class at my local university. That got me started. Then I started listening to old Sonny Terry records to learn some riffs. That's when it got fun.

Later bought a Hohner Chromatic but have never really learned how to play it. Toots Tielman would be a good person to listen to to learn jazz harp, but you probably need to learn how read music to get anywhere with that.

no but I was in a kazoo band once...

Yeah. I've played harmonica for 10+ years, been in a few rock/blues bands as well. The harmonica is fairly easy to get into, you can be playing simple songs on the first day, but if you want to get past Mary Had A Little Lamb, you gotta put in the work, same as any other instrument. There's more to it than just blowing out notes. To take your playing to the next level you have to learn bends, overdraws, overblows, etc., what key you play in with guitars, all kinds of stuff. Building up lip muscles is also important, when you first start playing longer songs your mouth will fatigue very quickly. The best way to get better is to play along with CD's, I'd recommend anything in the blues genre, namely Howling Wolf, Little Walter, and Paul Butterfield. There's a website that's pretty good, I think it's called harmonicalessons.com or something like that. Lots of luck.

I beg you, once you learn to play that harmonica, go learn a real instrument if you haven't already. Guitar or keyboards would be a nice start, then learn to pay bass if you want to join a band.

A "musician" who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed. You'd better at least be able to sing like John Popper if you're a harmonica player.

Even in my disgust for harmonica players, I will tell you how to clean it when it needs it - pour some whiskey through it. It will sound brand new.

I got passed by a guy playing a harmonica in my first marathon (Columbus Marathon 1988) after the 20 mile mark. I think he ran a sub 2:20.I was 2:23.That really pissed me off.

Flome wrote:

A "musician" who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed. You'd better at least be able to sing like John Popper if you're a harmonica player.

Who cares? If you like the sound, isn't that enough? No one said you have to make a career out of it.

A major advantage of the harp over other instruments is that you can carry it around in your shirt pocket. So no matter whether you're hiking in the Cascades or sitting on a rock off the shore of N. Lake Tahoe, you make music whenever you get the urge. Try that with an electric guitar.

Sonny Boy wrote:

Flome wrote:

A "musician" who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed. You'd better at least be able to sing like John Popper if you're a harmonica player.

Who cares? If you like the sound, isn't that enough? No one said you have to make a career out of it.

A major advantage of the harp over other instruments is that you can carry it around in your shirt pocket. So no matter whether you're hiking in the Cascades or sitting on a rock off the shore of N. Lake Tahoe, you make music whenever you get the urge. Try that with an electric guitar.

Fine to use a harmonica for that purpose. Just make sure that when you have the opportunity to plug in and lay it down that you can do so. I'll repeat - "A 'musician' who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed." Doesn't mean you can't play harmonica. Just means that you can't ONLY play harmonica. Kind of like reading about running and maybe wearing the shoes but not really doing it.

Flome wrote:I'll repeat - "A 'musician' who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed." Doesn't mean you can't play harmonica. Just means that you can't ONLY play harmonica. Kind of like reading about running and maybe wearing the shoes but not really doing it.

, he harrumphed. The original poster simply said he wanted to learn how to play his harp. He didn't say he wanted to be recognized as a "musician."

And if you're playing even the simplest tune on a harp, you're playing music (not to be confused with being a "musician," whatever that is). That's hardly analogous to just reading about running and not actually doing it.

Better yet joesfriend just play what makes you happy and dont worry about empty valuejudgements applied to you by a guy so insecure in his own self that he cant even post on a message board unless it is under a "persona".

Hey Willy, nobody gives any more of shit what you think now then they did when you posted as Flagpole Willy, Jim Rome, Coolio, Answerman, Zipperman, etc.

not interested wrote:

Better yet joesfriend just play what makes you happy and dont worry about empty valuejudgements applied to you by a guy so insecure in his own self that he cant even post on a message board unless it is under a "persona".

Hey Willy, nobody gives any more of shit what you think now then they did when you posted as Flagpole Willy, Jim Rome, Coolio, Answerman, Zipperman, etc.

Good advice. Thank you.

Sonny Boy wrote:

Flome wrote:I'll repeat - "A 'musician' who only plays the harmonica and nothing else is a very poor one indeed." Doesn't mean you can't play harmonica. Just means that you can't ONLY play harmonica. Kind of like reading about running and maybe wearing the shoes but not really doing it.

, he harrumphed. The original poster simply said he wanted to learn how to play his harp. He didn't say he wanted to be recognized as a "musician."

And if you're playing even the simplest tune on a harp, you're playing music (not to be confused with being a "musician," whatever that is). That's hardly analogous to just reading about running and not actually doing it.

Hey, if he wants to play the harmonica, then more power to him. If he wants to call it music (and I'm not saying it isn't) then fine. I agree with you that perhaps he doesn't want to be recognized as a musician. Fine with me if he doesn't want to be. I'm just saying that if he wants to be, then he needs to pick up another instrument along with that harmonica.

A guitar player who can also play harmonica is cool. A harmonica player who can also walk is not cool. He gets to pick which it will be.

But, not everyone gets to be cool. I can't teach cool. Either you IS, or you ISN'T.