• Harmonicaharmonica image by Julia Chernikova from Fotolia.com
  
  The harmonica is a variation of a 5,000-year-old Chinese musical wind instrument called the sheng. Since the time of the sheng, harmonicas have come a long way and are used frequently in musical genres such as bluegrass and blues. Renowned folk musicians such as Bob Dylan and Neil Young have been known to use harmonicas in their music, as have rock musicians like Sheryl Crow and Mick Jagger.
  
  

Basics

• First get comfortable with your harmonica, run your mouth up and down it while blowing out and drawing in air. You’ll notice that you tend to play multiple notes at a time. Also pay attention to how the holes play; some may be harder to draw in or easier to blow than others. Keep this in mind when you start playing.
  
  

Playing

• Once you’re comfortable and ready to start trying to actually play, hold the harmonica in your left hand with the numbers facing up. The number one hole should be on your left. Your mouth should be touching the metal case, with the wood or plastic inside your mouth and completely sealed around it. Relax your jaw to create a “cavern” inside your mouth, which allows for stronger notes. You can use your lips or tongue to block the holes you don’t want to play. This takes quite a bit of practice, however, so begin by just get a feel for it and keep practicing.
  
  

Problems and Solutions

• Each chamber in the harmonica has two reeds: a blow reed and a draw reed. If the two reeds are more than a semitone apart, this will produce what is called a bent note. Improper technique can lead to notes sounding distorted or flat, because reeds are bending. If you’re getting a fog horn sound or your notes are weak on a draw in chambers 1 to 3, you’re probably bending the note. Try relaxing your jaw a little more and putting your tongue on the bottom of your mouth. If you’re having trouble on blow notes, such as those in chambers 8 to 10, you’re probably blowing too hard. Try puckering your mouth up instead of opening it wider.