Print this page Harmonica for Beginners

The harmonica has been described as “An orchestra in your pocket” and for good reasons. It is a small, expressive instrument which is capable of a wide variety of tone colours and it is adaptable to almost any style of music. In this course we will focus on the standard 10 hole diatonic harmonica, which is commonly used in Folk, Blues and Rock styles of playing. You will learn to pick out some familiar melodies and blast away in the folk style of Bob Dylan or the more melodic technique of Neil Young plus most expressive style of all, the wailing “Blues Harp” genre. Students will need to bring a 10 hole diatonic harmonica in the key of C for this course.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Intro to types of harmonicas and styles e.g. diatonic, chromatic as well as folk, rock and blues techniques and brief history of harmonica
• Single notes and some old time tunes and scale of C major
• Contemporary Folk and Country playing
• Blues harp playing, cross harp concept, riffs and 12 bar blues
• Effects: note bending, tremolo, vibrato
• Improvisation and comping

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe the origin and evolution of the 10 hole diatonic harmonica
2. Understand the structure of the diatonic harmonica
3. Perform a variety of easy songs in a range of styles
4. Identify and produce a range of expressive techniques
5. Entertain yourself and others performing solo or as part of an ensemble