Harmonica is an instrument, which is widely used around the world. The blog discusses all the factors related to this magical and legendary musical instrument.
Harmonica, also popular by the name of mouth organ or French harp is a free reed wind musical instrument that is used in many musical genres. The main genres associated with this instrument are blues, American folk music, jazz, classical music, country, and rock.
History & Significance
In the early nineteenth century, the harmonica was invented in Europe. Before 1824, the harmonica was initially sold in Vienna, where chamber harmonicas were the popular ones. Richter tuning was created in 1826 by Joseph Richter. He was the person who is also credited with the invention of the blow and draw mechanism. The technique went on to be adapted soon universally.
Harmonicas are globally popular nowadays. However, initially, it started gaining its recognition in the continents of Europe, North America, and East Asia.
Form Factor
The Harmonica is made up of various parts. They are:
- Comb – The comb is the instrument’s main body, and when combined with the reed plates, it creates air chambers for the reeds. The term ‘comb’ may have come from the similarity of this harp part to a hair comb. Harmonica combs have historically been made of wood, although they are now available in plastic (ABS) and metal (including titanium for high-end instruments). The way they direct the air makes some of the modern and experimental comb designs complicated.
- Reed Plate – A reed plate is a collection of reeds housed in a single enclosure. Brass is the most common material for reeds, but steel, aluminum, and plastic are also used on occasion. Individual reeds are typically riveted to the reed plate, but they can alternatively be welded or screwed. Blowing activates reeds on the inner side of the reed plate (within the comb’s air chamber), while suction activates reeds on the outer side.
- Cover Plates – Cover plates, which are normally made of metal, but have also been made of wood and plastic to cover the reed plates. These are personal preferences as they project sound and they determine the tonal quality of the instrument. There are mainly two types of cover plates. The traditional open forms of stamped metal or plastic, which are used just for getting the hold and enclosed designs, provide a louder tonal quality.
- Wind-Savers – One-way valves manufactured from thin strips of plastic, knit paper, leather, or Teflon bonded to the reed plates are known as Wind-savers. Chromatic harmonicas, chord harmonicas, and various octave-turned harmonicas all have them. When two reeds share a cell and there is a lot of leakage through the non-playing reed, wind-savers are used.
- Mouthpiece – The mouthpiece sits between the instrument’s air chambers and the player’s mouth. This can be a part of the comb, part of the cover, or a separate unit held by screws, as is common with chromatics. The mouthpiece is solely an ergonomic assist in many harmonicas, designed to make playing more comfortable.
Types of Harmonicas
There are many types of harmonicas:
- Chromatic – A button-activated sliding bar redirects air from the mouthpiece hole to the selected reed-plate of the Chromatic Harmonica.
- Diatonic – A Diatonic Harmonica is a type, which is designed to play in a single key.
- Tremolo-tuned – The unique feature in a tremolo-tuned harmonica is that it has two reeds per note, one slightly sharp and the other slightly flat.
- Orchestral – These are designed to use in ensemble playing.
- Horn – Horn Harmonicas are most common in East Asia. These are made up of a single big comb with reed plates on the top and bottom that are only there for blowing.
- ChengGong – The ChengGong harmonica has a sliding mouthpiece and the main body. The body is a diatonic harmonica with 24 holes.
- Pitch Pipe – The Pitch pipe is a basic specialty harmonica that gives singers and other instruments a reference pitch.
Playing Harmonica
The instrumentalist who will be playing the harmonica must be aware of all the playing techniques related to it. Some of the techniques are as follows:
- Vibrato – Vibrato is a technique for giving the note of a ’Shaking’ sound that is often utilized on the harmonica and other instruments. This approach can be carried out in a variety of ways. Changing the way the harp is held is the most popular method.
- Bending – Players can play notes other than the 19 accessible on the diatonic harmonica by altering their embouchure and forcing the reed to resonate at a different pitch. This method is known as bending.
- Over Bending – Over bending is a technique, which was developed by Howard Levy in the 1970s. This technique is also known as overblowing and overdrawing. Both the techniques of bending and over bending allowed players to play the entire chromatic scale.
Harmonicas are one of the famous musical instruments throughout the world. The legacy of harmonica will forever be rich due to its unique style, charisma, and techniques.