Harmonica
A harmonica is a very common free reed musical wind instrument (also known, among other things, as a mouth organ, French harp, blues harp, simply harp, or "Mississippi saxophone"), having multiple, variably-tuned brass or bronze reeds, each secured at one end over an airway slot of like dimension into which it can freely vibrate, thus repeatedly interrupting an airstream to produce sound.
Unlike most free-reed instruments (such as reed organs, accordions and melodicas), the mouth harmonica lacks a keyboard. Instead, lips and tongue are used to select one or a few of the several holes arranged usually linearly on a mouthpiece. Each hole communicates with one, two or a few reeds. Because a reed mounted above a slot is made to vibrate more easily by air from above, reeds accessed by a mouthpiece hole often may be selected further by choice of breath direction (blowing, drawing). Some harmonicas (known as chromatic harmonicas) also include a spring-loaded button-actuated slide that, when depressed, further redirects air blown or drawn through a single hole, from one reed to an adjacent reed, usually a semi-tone sharper.
The harmonica is commonly used in blues and folk music, but also in jazz, classical music, country music, rock and roll and pop music.
Parts of the harmonica
Reedplate mounted on the comb of a diatonic harmonica. The basic parts of the harmonica are the comb, reed-plates and cover-plates. The comb is the term for the main body of the instrument. These are traditionally made of wood, but plastic(ABS) and metal combs are perhaps more common today. The comb contains the air chambers which house the reeds - the name comb comes from the fact that in simple harmonicas it does indeed resemble a hair-comb. In some designs, however, the comb is in fact very complex in arranging how the air is directed, particularly more modern custom and experimental designs. Obviously, a metal comb is more durable than a plastic (ABS) comb, which in turn is more durable than wood (since wood combs are easily subjected to temperature and moisture); however, perhaps due to their density, the sound they produce are different, with a good quality wooden comb generally producing a louder volume while the plastic or metal produce a more mellow tone. In the end, the quality of materials used for the comb depend upon the source and the manufacturer, and the sound preference depends upon each performer, even among the professionals. Some variations, especially the 16-hole/4-octave chromatic harmonicas, are generally only available in plastic comb, however.
Reed-plate is the term for a grouping of several free-reeds in a single housing (usually brass, but occasionally steel and aluminum have been used, as well as plastics). These individual reeds are usually riveted to the reed-plate but they may also be welded or screwed in place (a notable exception is the all-plastic harmonicas designed by Finn Magnus in the 1950s, where the reed and reed-plate were molded out of a single piece of plastic). Depending upon whether the reeds are fixed on the inside (within the comb's air chamber) or the outside (in the open air)of the reed-plate determines whether the reed responds to pressure (blowing) or suction (drawing). In simple terms (see bending and overblowing below) reeds on the inside of the air chamber will respond to pressure while those on the outside will respond to suction. Most harmonicas are constructed with the reed-plates screwed to the comb or each other, however a few brands still use the traditional method of nailing the reed-plates to the comb. The Hohner CX-12 chromatic harmonica is a modern design that eliminates screws altogether (all components are held in place by a special moutnplate), which allow easy disassembling, a plus for chromatics since they are difficult to clean.
The cover or cover-plates are usually made of metal, however wood and plastics have also been used. These go on the outside of the harmonica protecting the reed-plates and projecting the sound. Usually covers are open designs of stamped metal or plastic and are simply there to be held, however a few modern designs such as the Hohner CBH-2016 chromatic and the Suzuki Overdrive diatonic have complex covers which allow for specific functions not usually available in the traditional design. Similarly, it was not unusual in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to see harmonicas with special features on the covers such as bells which could be rung by pushing a button and the like.
The windsavers, also known as valves, are typical in Chromatic harmonicas, and sometimes appear in diatonic for allowing bending notes during blowing. They tend to be very thin strips of plastic, sometimes paper, and are set up on the blow reeds. In chromatic this is important, as a larger amount of air is required to make reeds sound if there are no windsavers, and due to this amoutn of air both reeds on the cell will be sounded.
Some harmonicas have other parts as well. The mouthpiece is an object which is placed between the air chambers of the instrument and the player's mouth. This can be made integral with the comb (common in non-chromatic), as part of the cover (as in Hohner's CX-12 chromatic, which allow ease of disassembly) or as a separate unit entirely, secured by screws. It serves primarily as an ergonomic aid to make the playing experience more comfortable, however in some designs (particularly chromatic harmonicas) it is essential to the functioning of the instrument, such as mounting the slide on the chromatic harmonicas.
Harmonica types
The diatonic harmonica
The diatonic harmonica is the most widely known type of harmonica. It has ten holes which offer the player 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and a blow for each hole minus one repeated note) in a three octave range. The standard diatonic harmonica is designed to allow a player to play chords and melody in a single key. Because they are only designed to be played in a single key at a time, diatonic harmonicas are available in all keys. Here is a standard diatonic harmonica's layout in the key of C (1 blow is middle C):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
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blow: |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |
draw: |D |G |B |D |F |A |B |D |F |A |
-----------------------------
See also:
Note that although there are 3 octaves between 1 and 10 blow, there is only one full major scale available on the harmonica, between holes 4 and 7. The lower holes are designed around the tonic (C major) and dominant (G major) chords, allowing a player to play these chords underneath a melody by blocking or unblocking the lower holes with the tongue. The most important notes (the tonic triad C-E-G) are given the blow, and the secondary notes (D-B-F-A), the draw.
Bending and other techniques
In addition to the 19 notes readily available on the harmonica, players can play other notes by adjusting their embouchure and forcing the reed to resonate at a different pitch. One does this by relaxing and coordinating muscles in the throat, mouth, and lips. This technique is called "bending", a term borrowed from guitarists, who literally "bend" a string in order to create subtle changes in pitch. Using bending, a player can reach all the notes on the major scale. "Bending" also creates the glissandos characteristic of much blues harp and country harmonica playing. Bending on a guitar bends the pitch upward. However, typically 'bending' on a harmonica means the pitch falls downward. Bends are essential for most blues and rock harmonica due to the soulful sounds the instrument can bring out. The famous 'wail' of the blues harp typically required bending.
The physics of bending are quite complex, but amount to this: a player can bend the pitch of the higher-tuned reed down toward the pitch of the lower-tuned reed in any given hole. In other words, on holes 1 through 6, the draw notes can be bent and on holes 7 through 10 the blow notes can be bent. Hole 3 allows for the most dramatic bending: in C, it is possible to bend 3 draw from a B down to a G#, or anywhere in between.
Overblowing
In the 1970s, Howard Levy developed the "overblow" technique, which, combined with bending, allowed players to play the entire chromatic scale. When bending, the player forces the lower of the two reeds in a chamber to vibrate faster. When overblowing, the player isolates the higher of the two reeds and by so doing can play higher pitched notes. By using both bending and overblowing techniques a player can play the entire chromatic scale using a diatonic harmonica. This has allowed diatonic harmonica players to expand into areas traditionally viewed as inhospitable to the instrument such as Jazz.
The overblow is a difficult technique to master. To facilitate overblowing, many players use specially modified or customised harmonicas. Any harmonica can be set-up for better overblowing, the primary needs are tight tolerances between the reed and reed-plate and a general level of air-tightness between the reed-plate and comb. The former often necessitates lowering the "gap", the space between the tip of the reed and the reed-plate. Another often used technique is to make the space between the sides of the holes in the reed-plate and the reed itself as small as possible by drawing in the metal on the sides of the reed-plate opening towards the reed. While these modifications make the harmonica overblow more easily, overblowing is possible on any diatonic harmonica.
Although there are players who use precise overblows and bends to play the diatonic harmonica as a fully chromatic instrument, this is still very rare, not simply because the technique is difficult, but also because the sound of an overblow is different from the sound of other notes. Thus, even though a player could play any melody in any key (within a three octave range) on a C diatonic harmonica, most diatonic players prefer to use different keys of harmonicas for different songs, matching the possibilities of glissandos, register and dynamics of a given harmonica to a melody.
Positions
In addition to playing the diatonic harmonica in its original key, it is also possible to play the harmonica in other keys by playing in other "positions", either by playing in another mode (playing in D Dorian or G mixolydian on a C Major harmonica) or by bending notes to achieve a scale not otherwise available on the harmonica (playing in E mixolydian on a C Major harmonica). Harmonica players (especially blues players) have developed a set of terminology around different "positions" which can be somewhat confusing to other musicians.
- 1st position (or "straight harp"): playing the harmonica as it was intended, in its main major key.
- 2nd position (or "cross harp"): playing the harmonica in a key a fifth above its intended key. Playing just the unbended notes, this position gives the mixolydian scale between 2 draw and 6 blow. However, bending the 3 draw allows the player to play a minor third (or a blue third), allowing a player to use a C harmonica to play in G mixolydian or G minor. Blues players can also play a tritone in this position by bending the 4 draw. See a more extensive discussion of this position at the article on blues harp.
- 3rd position (or "slant harp"): playing the harmonica a full tone above its intended key. This gives a dorian scale between 4 draw and 8 draw, though once again bends and overblows give players a variety of options. Blues players can achieve a tritone by bending the 6 draw.
The terminology for other positions is slightly more varied, though it is possible of course to play in any of the modes and, using overblows and bends, it is possible to play in all 12 keys on a single harmonica (though this is very rarely done).
Special tuned harmonicas
A number of people have made specially tuned variants of the diatonic harmonica. For example, Lee Oskar Harmonicas makes a variety of harmonicas to help players used to a "Cross-harp" style to play in other styles. Cross-harp players usually base their play around a mixolydian scale starting on 2 draw and ending a 6 blow (with a bend needed to get the second tone of the scale; a full scale can be played from 6 blow to 9 blow). Lee-Oskar special tunes harmonicas to allow players to play a natural minor, harmonic minor, and major scale from 2 draw to 6 blow. Below are some sample layouts (notice that the key labels describe the scale from 2 draw to 6 blow, whereas traditional harmonicas are labelled according to the scale between 4 and 8 blow).
Natural Minor (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow) / Dorian (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-----------------------------
blow: |C |Eb|G |C |Eb|G |C |Eb|G |C |
draw: |D |G |Bb|D |F |A |Bb|D |F |A |
-----------------------------
Harmonic Minor (straight harp, 4 blow to 7 blow)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-----------------------------
blow: |C |Eb|G |C |Eb|G |C |Eb|G |C |
draw: |D |G |B |D |F |Ab|B |D |F |Ab|
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Major (cross harp, 6 blow to 9 blow), Lee Oskar "Melody Maker"
-----------------------------
blow: |C |E |A |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |
draw: |D |G |B |D |F#|A |B |D |F#|A |
-----------------------------
The "Melody Maker" designed and marketed by Lee Oskar is a particularly interesting evolution of the harmonica, since it allows a player accustomed to playing "cross harp" (in mixolydian) to play in a major key (which is what the standard layout is designed for in the first place). Rather than providing the standard C major and G dominant chords, the Melody Maker provides a G Major 7 (2-5 draw), a C Major 6th chord (1-4 blow), an Am or Am7 chord (3-5 or 3-6 blow), a D major chord (4-6 draw) and a C Major chord (6-10 blow). If we are in the key of G, then, the melody maker provides the I chord, the IV chord, the V chord and the II chord, allowing II-V-I progressions as well as I-IV-V progressions.
It is also possible for a harp player to tune the harmonica himself. By making small scratches in a reed, the note played can be changed. It is possible to either get a higher or a lower note. Some harp players make extensive use of these modifications. One of the most famous examples is the harp solo on 'On the road again' by Canned Heat, on which the harmonicist gets the minor 3rd crossharp on the sixth drawn reed, which is normally the major 2nd crossharp.
The 14 Hole Diatonic
The Hohner Marine Band 365/28 14 hole harmonica is not a standard diatonic harmonica. It has 14 holes and its general dimensions are a bit bigger, so its structure is different from the normal diatonic harmonica and, in the key of C, is pitched one octave lower than the standard 10 hole C diatonic. Thus, hole 4 blow is one octave below middle C. Hole 7 blow is middle C. The Marine Band 365/28 in G is similar to a usual G diatonic, having it's higher register expanded.
Holes 1 through 4 and 6 are draw bendable, and holes 8 through 14 are blow bendable. Special attention to the extra holes 11 - 14 where the bending capabilities are, in theory, extended a lot (from A down to E in whole 14, for example).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
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blow: |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |E |G |C |E |
draw: |D |G |B |D |F |A |B |D |F |A |B |D |F |A |
------------------------------------------
The chromatic harmonica
The chromatic harmonica has a button-operated slide that allows the player to change the pitch of any given hole. This means that each hole has 4 pitches rather than 2. The slide typically shifts the pitch of any given note upward by a half step. The note layout of one octave on a chromatic is traditionally the same as the note layout on holes 4-7 of the diatonic harmonica, and is repeated over its length. This is known as "Solo tuning." Chromatic harmonicas are usually 12, 14 or 16 holes long. Numerous keys exist, just like the diatonics, but due to the fact that Chromatics can play all keys, most professionals stick with the key of C (which is perhaps easier to remember, since slide in will automatically be sharps/flats). In 12-holes variant, the first hole is usually middle C, while 16-hole variants start one octave lower. There may be exceptions, such as the Tenor C (which starts one octave below middle C; in essence hole 1-12 of a 16-hole variant).
For key of C/Tenor C, the layout is as follows:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
------------------------------------
blow: |C |E |G |C |C |E |G |C |C |E |G |C | key out
draw: |d |f |a |b |d |f |a |b |d |f |a |b |
------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
------------------------------------
blow: |C#|E#|G#|C#|C#|E#|G#|C#|C#|E#|G#|C#| key in
draw: |d#|f#|a#|b#|d#|f#|a#|b#|d#|f#|a#|b#|
------------------------------------
Note that b# is the same as c and e# is the same as f. Otherwise, all sharps are also the flat of the lower note, and thus provide a substitute for bending. The sound is still different from those produced by bending (essential for blues notes), however.
Because it is a fully chromatic instrument, the chromatic harmonica is the instrument of choice in jazz and classical music. In traditional harmonica bands, the chromatic harmonica plays the lead part.
Chrom models are either "straight tuned" or "cross tuned", which can be figured out by looking at the mouthpiece without depressing the slide. If the exposed opening holes are alternating among the holes, they are cross tuned. Otherwise, they are all at the top, making them straight tuned. The benefit of cross-tuning is that it makes it easier (for beginners) to play lower notes, since they will allow more air to get to the reeds, creating a louder sound. However, some argue that cross tuned harmonicas have more airleakage. What is certain is that straight tuned slides travel a shorter distance.
There are other variants of chromatic: for example, Hohner produced a few 10-hole "chromatics" (some prefer the term Slide Harp) that can be described as standard diatonic with a slide button for sharp notes.
For more information: | http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/index.html (http://www.angelfire.com/music/HarpOn/index.html)
The bass harmonica
The bass harmonica is a special harmonica mostly used in ensemble playing. It usually consists of two harmonicas held together, one above the other, by an adjustable bracket. the lower harmonica has the natural notes of the chromatic scale, while the upper harmonica has the accidental notes.
The bass harmonica has only blow notes.
See the fuller description at: www.bassharp.com (http://www.bassharp.com/bh_101.htm).
The chord harmonica
The chord harmonica has 48 chords: major, seventh, minor, augmented and diminished for ensemble playing. It is laid out in four-note clusters, each sounding a different chord on inhaling or exhaling. Each hole has two reeds for each note, tuned to one octave of each other. This gives the harmonica a more powerful and rich sound.
The Tremolo Harmonica
Tremolo harmonicas have two reeds per note. In a tremolo harmonica the two reeds are tuned slightly off a reference pitch, one a bit sharp and the other a bit flat. This gives a unique wavering or warbling sound created by the two reeds being not exactly in tune with each other and difference in their subsequent waveforms acting against one another. The degree of beating can be varied depending on the desired effect. Instruments where the beating is faster due to the reeds being farther apart from the reference pitch are called "wet", whereas those where the beating is slower and less noticeable due to the reeds being more closely in tune are called "dry".
The tonal variation of the tremolo harmonica is not truly "tremolo". "Tremolo" is most often defined as a periodic change of volume (or, less often, pitch), and the tremolo harmonica really exhibits something entirely different: a frequency interference pattern. This effect is fairly common amongst Western free-reed instruments and is found in accordions, harmoniums and reed organs under various names (celeste, vox jubilante, etc...). The article Beat (acoustics) contains more information on acoustical frequency interference patterns.
Tremolo harmonicas are perhaps the most common form of harmonica in the world, being very popular in folk music as well as in much of East Asia. In the West, the tremolo harmonica is usually encountered in traditional folk music, being found throughout Europe and South America in this role. In China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and other parts of Asia, however, tremolo harmonicas are found in nearly every area of music from folk to classical. Players often use several different harmonicas at a time, holding them one atop the other, in order to play notes and chords not available on any single instrument.
Most tremolo harmonicas are built upon what is termed the "Wiener system", named after the city of Vienna (Wien in German) where they first emerged. In this design the two beating reeds are distributed one on each reed-plate (top and bottom) and then these share a common chamber. In practice, however, it is common for each individual reed to have its own air chamber. Unlike the diatonic harmonica described above (built on the "Richter system") the blow and draw reeds do not share a common chamber, but are separated off from one another. This allows the player to isolate each reed. While normally the player simply plays both the tremolo reeds at once, it is possible to achieve a wide variety of bends and other effects through selecting certain reeds and chambers and not others. Similarly, it is possible to play without the tremolo effect by only choosing the top or bottom chambers and blocking off the others with the lips. In practice, though, these are primarily used for effects and mostly the instrument is played as if the two beating reeds shared a single chamber.
There are two commonly encountered tunings or note layouts used for tremolo harmonicas. The older layout is very similar to that used in the standard diatonic harmonica and also found in diatonic accordions and concertinas. This tuning has the major diatonic scale in the middle and top octaves of the harmonica with two chords in the lowest octave: the tonic in the blow and the dominant or fifth chord in the draw. This is very effective for chordal playing behind relatively simple folk melodies in either the tonic or the fifth of the key of the harmonica. A more recently developed tuning is commonly found on tremolos manufactured in or designed for Asia. This layout is derived from the "solo" tuning found in chromatic harmonicas and is sometimes called "scale" tuning. Here the notes of the major scale are found throughout the range of the harmonica without a separate chord section in the bass octave. This helps to facilitate a common practice in Asia of playing both a C and C# harmonica stacked in order to achieve full chromaticity by having essentially the same notes available in each octave of the harmonica.
An interesting recent development has been that of the chromatic tremolo harmonica. This combines the slider design of the chromatic harmonica with the dual reed beating sound of the tremolo harmonica. Harmonica technician John Infande has been manufacturing his own design in limited numbers for several years [1] (http://www.infandecustomharmonicas.com/page2.html) while the Japanese harmonica company Suzuki has recently released its design [2] (http://www.suzuki-music.co.jp/en/special/index.htm).
For more detail on tremolo, see the fuller description at: http://joshuacorps.org/friends/thetremolo
For more info on tremolo and other double-reed tunings, see:
http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q15.html
The Octave Harmonica
Octave harmonicas have two reeds per hole. The two reeds are tuned to the same note a perfect octave apart. Many share their basic design with the tremolo harmonica explained above and are built upon this "Weiner system" of construction. Octave harmonicas also come in what is called the "Knittlinger system". In this design the top and bottom reed-plates contain all of the blow and draw notes for either to lower or higher pitched set of reeds. The comb is constructed so that the blow and draw reeds on each reed-plate are paired side-by-side in a single chamber in the same manner as on a standard diatonic but that the top and bottom pairs each have their own chamber. Thus, in a C harmonica the higher pitched C blow and D draw found in the first "hole" would be placed side-by-side on the upper reed-plate and share a single chamber in the comb and the lower pitched C blow and D draw would be placed side-by-side on the bottom reed-plate and share a single chamber directly below the higher pitched pair of reeds' chamber. Knittlinger octave harmonicas are also called "concert" harmonicas and are almost always tuned in a variation of the traditional major diatonic with chords tuning found in diatonic harmonicas. Octave harmonicas built in the "Wiener system" may be tuned either in this traditional method or in the same manner as the Asian tremolos mentioned above.
An interesting variation upon the Knittlinger octave harmonica is the so-called "half-concert" harmonica. This is not an octave harmonica at all, but rather a single-note diatonic harmonica which is built with a single reed-plate rather than the standard two--essentially it is one half of the standard octave harmonica.
Toy harmonicas
Because of its simplicity, the harmonica is often the first real musical instrument children encounter. Toy harmonicas include tiny four-hole instruments and simple plastic models of a conventional size.
History
The harmonica developed from the intense interests in free-reeds which arose in Europe in the early 19th century. While free-reeds had been fairly common throughout East Asia for centuries and known in Europe for some time before this period, around 1820 there was a virtual eruption of new free-reed designs in Europe and North America. While a young Friederich Ludwig Buschmann is often cited as the inventor of the harmonica in 1821, it was almost certainly a case of simultaneous development amongst several inventors working independently with mouth-blown free-reed instruments appearing in the US, Britain and on the continent at roughly the same time. Sometime by the 1850s, the diatonic harmonica had more or less found its modern form and the other diatonic types followed soon thereafter (the various tremolo and octave harmonicas). By the late 19th century, harmonica production was big business and had evolved from a handcraft into mass-production with figures well into the millions, a status which continues to this day. New designs continued to be developed in the 20th century including the chromatic harmonica, the bass harmonica, the chord harmonica and others. Even in the 21st century radical new designs such as the Suzuki Overdrive and Hohner XB-40 continue to be brought to market.
The harmonicas massive success is attributable to many factors. First, it is a fairly easy instrument to play. The diatonic harmonicas were designed primarily for the playing of German and other European folk musics and are extremely successful for that. However, probably unintentionally the basic design and tuning was extremely adaptable to other types of music such as the blues, country, old-time and similar. Second, the majority of harmonicas are quite small--often small enough to unobtrusively fit in a pocket. Third, harmonicas are cheap - amongst the most inexpensive of musical instruments available while not being intended as a toy. Fourth, harmonicas are fairly easy to manufacture and their simple construction allowed for industrial level production without sacrificing the quality of a hand-crafted instrument, unlike most string instruments or other wind instruments. For these reasons the harmonica was a success almost from the very start of production, and while the center of the harmonica business has shifted from Germany the output of the various harmonica manufacturers is still very high indeed. Major companies are now found in Germany (Seydel, Hohner - once the dominant manufacturer in the world, producing some 20 million harmonicas alone in 1920 when German manufacturing totaled over 50 million harmonicas), Japan (Suzuki, Tombo, Yamaha), China (Huang, Leo Shi, Suzuki, Hohner) and Brasil (Hering). Ironically, as the demand for higher quality instruments which respond to more demanding performance techniques has increased there has been a resurgence in the world of hand-crafted harmonicas which cater to those wanting the absolute best without the compromises inherent in mass manufacturing.
The first recordings of harmonica were made in the US in the 1920s. These recordings are mainly 'race-records', intended for the black market of the southern states. They consist mainly of solo recordings (DeFord Bailey), duo recordings with a guitarist (Hammie Nixon, Walter Horton, Sonny Terry) or recordings featuring the harmonica in some kind of novelty act called the 'Jug Band', of which the Memphis Jug Band is the most famous. But the harmonica still represented a toy instrument in those years and was associated to the poor. It is also during those years that musicians started experimenting with new techniques such as tongue-blocking, hand effects and the most important innovation of all, the 2nd position, or cross-harp.
The harmonica then made its way with the blues and the black migrants to the north, mainly to Chicago but also to Detroit, St. Louis and New York. The music played by the Afro-Americans started to become increasingly different there. The main difference is the electric amplification of the instrument: first the guitar and then the harp, double bass, vocals, etc. The original Sonny Boy Williamson is the most important harmonicist of this era. Using a full blues band, he became one of the most popular acts of Chicago. He also installed for good the cross-harp technique, opening the possibilities of harp playing to new sky. It is hard to imagine how much influence he would have had on the blues, if he had lived longer. Unfortunately, Sonny Boy liked to bring women from the audience on stage and dance with them as he played, but he eventually was stabbed by a jealous husband.
But the harmonica didn't die with him. A young harmonicist by the name of Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs would completely revolutionize the instrument. He had the idea to play the harmonica near a microphone (typically a "Brown Bullet" microphone marketed for use by radio taxi dispatchers, giving it a "punchy" midrange sound that can be heard above radio static, or an electric guitar) and cup his hands around it, thus tightening the air around the harp, giving it a powerful, distorted sound, sometimes reminiscent of a saxophone. This technique, combined with a great virtuosity on the instrument made him arguably the most influential harmonicist in history. It is almost impossible nowadays to find a harp player who wasn't influenced by Walter. Unfortunately, Little Walter also died young, from injuries suffered in a fight.
Little Walter's only contender was perhaps Big Walter Horton. Relying less on the possibilities of amplification (although he made great use of it) than on sheer skill, Big Walter was the favored harmonicist of many Chicago leaders, including Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. He graced many sides of Waters in the mid-fifties with extremely colorful solos, using the full register of his instrument as well as some chromatic harmonica. The only reason he is less known than Little Walter is because of his taciturn personality and his inconsistency, and his incapacity of holding a band as a leader.
Other great harmonicists have graced the Chicago blues records of the 1950s. Howling Wolf is often overlooked as a harp player, but his early recordings demonstrate great skill, particularly at blowing powerful riffs with the instrument. James Cotton is also a household name of the Chicago Blues scene. He used a less amplified tone, relying on hand effects, giving his playing a country blues feeling to it. Sonny Boy Williamson II also used the possibilities of hand effects to give a very talkative feel to his harp playing. A number of his compositions have also become standards in the blues world.
The 1960s and 1970s saw the harmonica become less prominent as the electric guitar became the favorite instrument for solos. Paul Butterfield is perhaps the most well known harp player of the era in the blues arena. Heavily influenced by Little Walter, he pushed further the virtuosity on the harp. Sadly he rapidly fell into drugs and alcohol, and after his first two albums, his career became stagnant. Bob Dylan also famously played his harmonica to add a touch of blues to his folk and rock sound during this era.
Recently, two harp players have had major influence on the sound of the harmonica. Heavily influenced by the electric guitar sound, John Popper of Blues Traveler has developed an incredible virtuosity on the instrument. His electric and highly distorted solos are played at a breakneck speed. His influence is heavy on modern rock and blues harp players trying to reach new heights with the instrument.
Jazz harmonicist Howard Levy (who has often recorded with Bela Fleck and Rabih Abou-Khalil) is perhaps the most innovative player since Little Walter. He has perfected the bending technique, using the notes it produces with more precision. He has also further advanced the technique called overblowing, which enables the diatonic harmonica to play fully chromatic scales, while retaining the particular sound of the harp. Although he has been performing this technique for quite a while, it has been displayed more and more in the 1990s, and players are starting to integrate it in a more blues or rock oriented music.
Related instruments
The unrelated glass harmonica is a musical instrument formed of a nested set of graduated glass cups mounted sideways on an axle and partially immersed in water, and played by touching the rotating cups with wetted fingers, causing them to vibrate.
The concertina, diatonic and chromatic accordions and the melodica are all free-reed instruments which were developed alongside the harmonica. Indeed, the similarities between harmonicas and so-called "diatonic" accordions or melodeons is such that in German the name for the former is "Mundharmonika" and the later "Handharmonika", translated simply as "mouth harmonica" and "hand harmonica". The harmonica shares similarities to all other free-reed instruments by virtue of the method of sound production.
Harmonica community
There is an active harmonica community on the Internet and in real
life, with conferences, cruises and everything. SPAH (Society for the
Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) is one society with a
particularly amusing acronym. A Harmonica Mailing List (http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l/) is available with searchable archives.
Some famous harmonicists
Harmonica bands
- Borrah Minevitch Harmonica Rascals
- A Troupe da Gaita
Harmonica ensembles
- Mike Stevens [4] (http://www.mikestevensmusic.com/) - Diatonic
- Dan Aykroyd, as Elwood Blues
- Don Baker (http://www.donbaker.ie/)
- Tom Ball
- Carey Bell
- Billy Branch
- Paul Butterfield
- William Clarke
- James Cotton
- Paul deLay, notable for chromatic playing as well as diatonic
- Rick Estrin
- Joe Filisko
- Harmonica John Fraser ([5] (http://www.harmonicajohn.com)), Plays drums and harmonica simultaneously
- Dennis Gruenling [6] (http://www.dennisgruenling.com/) - Jump Blues Chromatic, Diatonic
- Adam Gussow, member of Harlem blues duo Satan and Adam.
- Michael Peloquin, versatile player of many styles rooted in the blues
- James Harman
- Jon Gindick
- Mark Hummell
- John Mayall of the Bluesbreakers
- Delbert McClinton, taught John Lennon how to play harp
- David Miller (http://www.davidmiller.us) - Diatonic, Chromatic
- Jean-Jacques Milteau
- Charlie Musselwhite [7] (http://www.charliemusselwhite.com/) - Diatonic, Chromatic
- Rod Piazza [8] (http://www.themightyflyers.com/) - Chromatic, Diatonic
- Rob Paparozzi [9] (http://honeydrippertx.tripod.com/) - Blues/Jazz, Diatonic/Chromatic
- Jerry Portnoy [10] (http://www.harpmaster.com/) - Diatonic
- Gary Primich [11] (http://www.garyprimich.com/) - Diatonic, Chromatic
- Snooky Pryor
- Annie Raines
- Jimmy Reed
- Peter Madcat Ruth ([12] (http://www.eharmonica.net/peter_ruth.htm))
- Curtis Salgado
- Corky Siegel of the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band
- George Harmonica Smith
- Mike Tetrault ([13] (http://www.expage.com/miketetrault)), known for his great note-bending abilities and expertise with the technical side of harp playing
- Sonny Terry
- Sugar Blue, known for high speed playing.
- Little Walter, great pioneer in amplified blues harmonica, Muddy Waters' first harmonica player.
- Big Walter Horton
- Junior Wells, played with Muddy Waters
- Mark Wenner
- Sonny Boy Williamson I
- Sonny Boy Williamson II
- Greg Szlapczynski
- Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds
- Greg "Fingers" Taylor of Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band
- Tony Eyers [16] (http://www.harmonicatunes.com/) - Diatonic
- Brendan Power [17] (http://www.brendan-power.com/) - Chromatic, Diatonic
- Larry Adler - Chromatic
- George Brooks - Diatonic
- Bruno De Filippi - Chromatic
- William Galison - Chromatic
- Max Geldray of the Goon Show.
- Enrico Granafei - Chromatic
- Clint Hoover [18] (http://www.skypoint.com/%7Echoover/) - Chromatic, Diatonic
- Julian Jackson - Chromatic
- Ron Kalina - Chromatic
- Don Les - Diatonic & Bass
- Howard Levy - Diatonic
- Laurent Maur [19] (http://laurent-maur.com/) - Chromatic
- Hendrik Meurkens [20] (http://www.hendrikmeurkens.com/) - Chromatic
- Chris Michalek - Diatonic
- Michael Polesky - Chromatic
- Jean "Toots" Thielemans - Chromatic
- Les Thompson - Chromatic
- Mike Turk [21] (http://www.aahome.com/turk/) - Chromatic, Diatonic
- Sandy Weltman - Diatonic
- Frederic Yonnet [22] (http://www.fredyonnet.com/) - Diatonic
- Larry Adler - Chromatic, Virtuoso
- Robert Bonfiglio - Chromatic
- Willi Burger [23] (http://www.doctorharp.it/home/crom_damico_willi.htm)- Chromatic, Virtuoso
- Ronald Chesney - Chromatic, Virtuoso
- Franz Chmel [24] (http://www.chmel-classic.de/) - Chromatic
- Sigmund Groven - Chromatic
- Jim Hughes - Chromatic
- Cham-Ber Huang - Chromatic
- Larry Logan - Chromatic
- Tommy Morgan - Chromatic, Diatonic, Bass, etc.
- Tommy Reilly - Chromatic
- John Sebastian - Chromatic (John Sebastian, Sr. - father of John Sebastian, Jr. of The Lovin' Spoonful, folk and blues player)
- Douglas Tate - Chromatic
- Yasuo Watani - Chromatic
External links
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