How to Play Harmonica - Part 2

The only absolute law in harmonica playing is: YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE RIGHT KEY.

That's it. If you can get the right harmonica to the right key of the song that's playing then you can play the harmonica. If you don't have the exact right key, you will sound like crap - no matter what.

That's the value of the diddy in "Part 1".

Let me explain.

If you want to play songs like "Yankee Doodle" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" then you just ask what key the person is playing in (or look at the sheet music, or find the root chord that keeps repeating and/or ending on, or just tell the other instruments to play in the key you happen to have) and then play in THAT key. (hint: you'll being "blowing" into the harp mostly.)

So, if the song is in "C" key, then pick up a harp that has the letter "C" on it. They play in the key of "C" - you play in the key of "C".

But this only works for simple and straight forward songs. This is called playing "straight" harp.

If you wanna play blues, or rock n' roll (anything from Chuck Berry to Black Sabbath) then you have to play "cross" harp.

Cross harp.

That's where the diddy comes in.

If it's you gonna play some more,
I'll take your root (key) and count to four

This means if they play in the key of "C" then you have to find a - C, D, E, F - 1,2,3,4 - "F" harp.

(include the "c" on the count)

They play in the key of "C", you play "cross harp" with a harmonica labled as the key of "F".

Second part of diddy.

If it's me you want to jive,
Take my harp and count to five.

Sometimes you are leading the song. The other instruments want to know, "Hey, what key are you playing in? We wanna jam with ya." (If it's me you want to jive)

You look down at your harp and it has a stamp on it of "F". So you count. (First some music theory - notes go from A thru G and start over.)

So, it's - F, G, A, B, C - 1,2,3,4,5.

You tell them to play in the key of "C".

Now here's where they jam with you a little and it doesn't quite sound right still and they say, "That's too hard to play in that key" (while you're rockin' and rollin' by yourself.)

So you look down at your collection of harmonicas (harps) and you grab a harmonica marked "C"..... think through your diddy (if it's me you want to jive, take my harp and count to five - 1,2,3,4,5 - C, D, E, F, G). "Ok, then how about you guys play in the key of "G". (While you're playing in the key of "G" also, BUT you are using a "C" harmonica - because you are playing "Cross harp" instead of straight harp.

Now that you've got the right harmonica and key going - here's the next big secret:

YOU DON'T BLOW, YOU SUCK.

Yes, that right - most of what you'll be playing is INHALING notes. Suck, inhale, pull in that air to get that root note.

That's the big difference in "straight" harp and "cross" harp.

In straight harp, you blow air - push it. (At least 90% of the time.)

In cross harp, you suck the air - you pull it. (At least 90% of the time.)

If you can get this much down, you are 90% through the hard part about learning to play harmonica. The rest is fun.

Soon you'll see how all these hair-brain vocalists who really can't play a single instrument somehow can play a harmonica with their band.

(I'm talking like Mick Jagger and Robert Plant even.)

They've got the right key and they're playing "cross" harp.

More to come soon. In the meantime, get the right harp, find the right key, and just inhale a bunch (mostly on the low end - across 3 or more holes - low end is on the left) pretty much anywhere and everywhere on the whole harmonica (multiple wholes) and try to find where it matches the song and sounds kinda good. Repeat.