Why Learn To Play The Harmonica

Why learn to play the harmonica?

The harmonica is a small musical instrument that can be carried with you at all times in your shirt pocket. You can have it with you when out fishing in a boat, or backpacking along some mountain trail. You can have it with you when driving your truck down the freeway. You can easily have it with you when riding your motorcycle or bicycle.

The harmonica is cheap. If some one rips off your harmonica it is no big deal. You simply replace it for just a few bucks. Most harmonica players have given away harmonicas to interested folks just because they want to share the joy of making music on a harmonica.

The harmonica is very easy to learn to play. Most students hear themselves making a recognizable tune within an hour of their first attempt. If they stick it out they will find that everything begins to click in as little as ten hours of practice. Their harmonica playing will become as natural as whistling.

For most musicians, the ability to transpose a tune from one key to another key requires years of experience. Not so for the harmonica player. They simply pull the proper keyed harmonica out of their cigar box and begin playing in the correct key. There is no need to relearn the song. The harmonica tabs are identical regardless of the key.

The harmonica is a relatively quiet instrument. You do not need to be concerned about irritating the neighbor when playing the harmonica. Nor will members of your own family object if you are playing your instrument in the same room.

The harmonica enables the amateur musician to begin experiencing the joy of making music without having to spend years on lessons. The joy you receive from making music is far superior to the joy you receive from merely listening to music.

Music can have a tremendous therapeutic effect, especially for the performer. Many a marriage has been saved when one partner has retreated to the solitude of their guitar, piano or harmonica to soothe their emotions with their music.

The harmonica enables the experienced musician to further develop his musical instincts at those times when he could not set down to a piano or guitar. Many band members have taken up the harmonica to play on their buses between concerts.

The harmonica is probably the most intimate of all musical instruments. The only instrument more intimate would be your own vocal chords. You could think of your harmonica as a substitute of your vocal chords. Because the harmonica is almost part of your body, it picks up on your emotions and communicates those feelings through your music.

The sound of your music will vary depending upon the nasal cavities and throat shape similarly to the sound of your own voice. A woman playing the harmonica will sound different than a man. An adult will sound different than a child. As you have your own unique voice when you sing or speak, you also have your own unique harmonica voice.

The harmonica is so much a part of you that you can almost talk through it so that others can understand what you are saying. You can use your tongue to form the words while playing a song. In fact, I encourage my students to sing the lyrics to a song while they are playing it. It will make their harmonica playing much more musical and not so mechanical.

Music is a marvelous gift that we have received from our Creator. It can lift us up when we are depressed or give us peace when we are worried. It is my drug of choice.