Hi, Liam Ward here at LearnTheHarmonica.com. today, I bring you my all-time top five tips for beginner Harmonica players
This is based on my experience as a teacher teaching beginners over many years and also the comments
I get from you guys and gals putting questions, beneath my videos and sending me emails asking me about stuff
We're going to do a run down from five to one starting with number five
Learn to breathe what I mean by this is when you're playing the harmonica
You don't blow you don't suck don't do that. You're always going to sound
Tight and restrained if you're pulling and pushing on the note
Never going to be good. You've got to learn to
Really relax remember that when you're playing through the harmonica is just like a very gentle breath. There's no
It's always just
huge amount of the problems that beginners come to me with are just problems to do with breathing if they could solve that if they
could get themselves to just relax and just
Whisper the breath through the instrument. They'd actually get single notes a lot better. They'd be able to get their bends a lot better
They'd be able to play the songs sounding a lot more in tune all those problems would disappear if they learn to breathe
so learn to breathe
Number four listen to other Harmonica players now obviously you're going to hear some other harmonica players at some point
You're in a musical education, and you're going to soak that up
I want you to not only just be passive, but also active in your listening, okay?
So right from the off get as many harmonica players
albums get their discography download their songs and
Just listen to it and see if you can maybe work out some of what they're doing
It'll be very difficult at first you won't get anywhere near what they're doing
But you will only learn by trying and over the months and years
That it may take you will get better working out what they're doing. How are they achieving the techniques achieving? What key Harmonica?
Are they using those things will be learned with experience. I love answering your questions
But sometimes it's brilliant practice to try and work things out yourself
It will take time to get quicker and quicker at doing it
But it will be the most rewarding thing you can do when you're trying to learn so if you hear someone play
What harmonica are they on? I haven't told you what I've got here work it out. Where are those notes which notes?
Can't you get why can't you get those notes those kind of questions are going to be really really?
Useful for you as a player number three listen to other instruments
Not just the Harmonica now you can get great melodic rhythmic inspiration from other instruments
so don't just restrict yourself to listening to harmonica players for thinking what can I play on the
Harmonica and sometimes you want to play off what they're playing
Play something that really fits with what they're playing even if you're not playing exactly what they are doing
so that's really important also the other thing is you're
Playing need to be suitable for the context you're playing in so if you're playing with a blues band for example
What's the bass player doing? Is he doing a kind of walking bass line on?
The base or is he doing just like a single no
What's the drummer doing is he playing quarter notes is he playing triplets?
Do you even know what those things mean?
So really really get into what other instruments are doing no matter how much we love our instrument
It's only
One piece of a bigger whole and you need to understand the context in which you're playing and a little bit about the other
Instruments to be able to play something that's suitable within the context of the musical whole
Listen to other instruments for inspiration number two
Embrace a little theory even if it really really scares you and believe me it scared me for a very long time
I only know what I need to know
I'm not a big traditionalist when it comes to theory I didn't learn in that environment
I learned in a practical playing environment what I found over the years is it's really useful to know
Just a little bit and the early you learn that stuff the better for you and the quicker you'll learn you'll learn quicker than I
Did as well do you know what a semitone it? Do you know what a chord is?
Do you know what a scale is? do you know for example if you're a blues player
interest in blues what the one four and five chords are? if not
You're probably missing out on stuff. That would really really help with your playing
I don't believe in learning stuff for the sake of it
But it's really really useful just to force yourself to engage with a little bit of music
Theory just to help you with your playing in a practical context learn a little bit of music theory
Number one Harmonica tip of all-time for beginners remember it's a marathon, not a sprint
The Harmonica is difficult. Just like any other instrument a lot of people come to the harmonica thinking that can't be difficult
It's small. It's cheap. It's relatively simple in terms of the way
It's made up, so it's gotta be easy, but then why when you play it do you kind of get?
instead of
Because it's difficult just like any other instrument and there are certain things that are really tricky with the harmonica
Maybe more so than other instruments even just getting a single note. If you've got a finger
You can play a single note on a piano on the harmonica
It can take a long time just to get single notes
Please please try and be patient with this instrument the vast majority of the questions. I get from beginners can be answered by
Basically be patient and keep on trying. It's not going to happen in a day
it's not going to happen in a week probably not a month or a year if it does your lot luckier than me or
Naturally talented and good on you
But most of us it's going to take years just be patient work through the lessons at your own rate
There's no rush with these things it will take you as long as it takes and believe me
It's worth it in the end stick at it and remember. It's a marathon, not a sprint
If you want to get started on some beginner classes right away. I'm going to leave a link to my beginner playlist
All my beginner lessons in one place you can see a link in the video and also in the description below the video
Go there, and check out all my beginner lessons
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I'll see you again soon Cheers