Is the Harmonica Easy to Learn?

Harmonica

For many people, learning a new instrument can be extremely intimidating. It takes a lot of practice and determination and is not something that can be learned overnight. Some instruments, however, are easier to learn than others.
The harmonica may or may not fall under that category, depending on your dedication to learning. If you want to learn how to play the harmonica but are curious to know how long it might take you and whether or not it’ll be easy, keep reading.

Five Reasons Why Harmonica Is Hard to Master

Although the harmonica may come across as an easy instrument to learn, the harmonica may be a bit more difficult to master for some people than for others. Even those who have prior experience with the instrument may have a bit of trouble every now and again. In fact, there are some common challenges that you might come across along the way, but it is nothing that a little practice can’t solve.

1. Finding the Right Harmonica

Many people believe that they can just walk into a store and pick up a harmonica without having to give it much thought. But the truth is that there are a variety of harmonicas to choose from. Your harmonica options are typically boiled down to whether you pick a tremolo, chromatic or diatonic tone harmonica.
If you do not have any idea what this means, you may be confused and end up picking a harmonica that doesn’t work well for you. Be sure to do as much research as possible before going out and choosing a harmonica. This way, you won’t be completely lost when it is time to decide on one for you.

2. Breathing Techniques

Many people assume that a harmonica is easy to learn because all you need to do is breathe into it to make it work. However, in order to be able to play the harmonica properly, you have to know how to control your breathing. Simply blowing into the instrument is not going to get you anywhere. Learning all the breathing techniques that are necessary to play the harmonica successfully may take some time to pick up, which can be challenging for beginners.

3. Bending Notes

This is one of those things that even experienced harmonica players may have some difficulty with. Bending the notes means changing the pitch by using your tongue and tuning the mouth to the desired pitch. This can be a hard skill not just to master, but to teach as well. Therefore, even some instructors may have a hard time trying to explain to their students just how to achieve this skill on their own. Once you do pick up the skill however, you will find out just how fun it is to bend notes.

4. Endurance

Playing the harmonica can take the breath out of you, literally. It is not uncommon for beginners to get tired easily when they are first learning to play. You are not only running out of air, but you may even notice your lips and mouth getting sore after constant practice on the instrument.
For some people, this can be enough to make them want to give up altogether. Unfortunately, there is simply no way to prevent this from happening and the only thing you can do is to keep practicing until you have gained enough endurance to fully master the harmonica. Once you do, however, things will get much easier and you will be playing the harmonica like a pro in little to no time at all.

5. Finding the Right Instructor

Although you can be self-taught, you are better off learning how to play the harmonica with an instructor guiding you along the way. Finding the right person to teach you may not always be easy, however.
The good news is that you can typically find classes online or even YouTube videos that thoroughly explain how to play the harmonica. Regardless of whether you take classes online or in person, make sure that you show up, pay attention, and are consistent with your practices. Otherwise, chances are you won’t make it very far in terms of your journey with the harmonica.

Conclusion

The harmonica is an instrument that is fun and entertaining for everyone, regardless of their age. However, learning how to play it does come with its challenges. You have to know what type of harmonica you want to play before buying one, you have got to practice your breathing techniques, and you have to make sure that you find the right instructor, among other things, in order to be successful.
At the end of the day, however, the harmonica is certainly a worthwhile instrument to learn and is sure to bring you endless hours of entertainment.

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