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The Diatonic Harmonica's Greatest Strength

The document discusses the diatonic harmonica's versatility in producing various sounds from a single note through different techniques. It provides multiple examples demonstrating techniques such as bending, tongue blocking, octaves, and rhythmic pulls to enhance harmonica playing. The author aims to showcase how these techniques can transform a basic lick into a more dynamic performance.

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Giorgos Triantafyllou
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7 views3 pages

The Diatonic Harmonica's Greatest Strength

The document discusses the diatonic harmonica's versatility in producing various sounds from a single note through different techniques. It provides multiple examples demonstrating techniques such as bending, tongue blocking, octaves, and rhythmic pulls to enhance harmonica playing. The author aims to showcase how these techniques can transform a basic lick into a more dynamic performance.

Uploaded by

Giorgos Triantafyllou
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Diatonic Harmonica’s Greatest Strength

By David Barrett, Mel Bay’s HarmonicaSessions® eZine

August 2008

The diatonic harmonica’s greatest strength is in its ability to present one note in many ways. This month
we’ll start with a commonly played harmonica lick and I’ll show you how it can be transformed with the
great techniques the harmonica has to offer.

Example 1 demonstrates our basic lick. Add tremolo or vibrate on all held notes.

Ex. 1

In Example 2 we’ll add the dip (start the note with a slight bend and let it release to its natural pitch
quickly) to the 4 draw and 3 draw.

Ex. 2

In Example 3 let’s bend the 3 draw down slightly, specifically a quartertone to achieve a bluesier quality.

Ex. 3

In Example 4 let’s leak in a bit of the 5 draw (two-hole combination) for a bluesier sound. The more of
the 5 draw you add to your 4 draw, the more aggressive it will sound.

Ex. 4

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You can play two-hole combinations all the way down to the 2 draw in this lick. Example 5 demonstrates
this.

Ex. 5

Another great technique for the harmonica is the head shake. Shakes are commonly started with a dip,
so keep your eyes open for the dip marking (small caret above the note head). Example 6 demonstrates
this.

Ex. 6

Let’s now tongue block the notes and use the slap to present this lick. Place your lips over four holes
and slap your tongue on the left three holes. Using the word “Hall” can be helpful. “Ha” is the tongue off
the harmonica—creating the chord, and “ll” is the tongue on the face of the harmonica—giving you the
tongue block single note. Example 7 demonstrates this.

Ex. 7

Octaves are great for making a lick more powerful. Octaves are achieved by placing your lips over four
holes and blocking the middle two (using more of the tip of your tongue). Example 8 demonstrates this.

Ex. 8

Example 9 gives us the cool flutter-tongue technique for the first note, followed by some octaves and a
two-note combination on the 3 draw. The flutter is the same as the slap, but many times over (tongue
lifts on and off the face of the harmonica quickly, with a light touch).

Ex. 9

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Example 10 gives us the rhythmic pull technique, achieved by using a slap on the downbeat and a pull
(where the tongue covers all of the holes for split second and then lifts off of the face of the harmonica to
sound an articulate chord) on the upbeat.

Ex. 10

Let’s not forget the good ol’ “Wa Wa” technique, where each note starts with the hands closed and then
opens quickly. This is demonstrated in Example 11.

Ex. 11

For Example 12 let’s use the similar hand technique, the hand tremolo (your cupped hand opens and
closes rhythmically).

Ex. 12

Example 13 uses a melodic variation. Notice how the main notes of the original melody are still in their
relative rhythmic location, with other notes filled in to give it more activity.

Ex. 13

I hope these examples have helped you appreciate how cool the techniques you’ve been studying can
sound when they are placed in context.

About the Author David Barrett


http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/david.htm

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